Stay on Course

We've all been there before - we have a dream that we've waited so long to achieve.  We're getting all the things we need to attain it; we're gathering our resources, drawing up a plan, talking to the right people and looking into the future at the expected end.  But somewhere along the way, we get caught up with smaller dreams that are birthed from our big dreams and soon enough, our attention has strayed away from what we initially started with.

I'm not alone, right?  

I'm pretty sure I'm not.  We've all experienced this in one way or the other - losing sight of our dreams.  Getting sidetracked with other ideas that can be done later.  We want that degree - but along the way, we meet the woman/man of our dreams that change our course from where we started and where we were heading.  We want that job - but along the way, we get that opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime experience that has been popping up for years.  We want to write that book or do that project - but along the way, something else comes up that seems more fruitful than our dreams!

Don't lose sight of your dreams.  There are many obstacles that come in your way to merely sidetrack you from the bigger picture. Good opportunities? Side-tracked? Huh? Yep! There are good obstacles too.  Perfect opportunities that show up that cause us to, for one second, take our eyes off of where our focus should be.  But guess what, don't stray - #StayOnCourse.  I can tell you, staying on course is worth it.  Many of the opportunities that show up are always available to do at a later time.  Some of them are just not to be done at all!  Fulfill your initial dreams no matter how long they may take.

I remember right before I was accepted at CNC, there was an opportunity for young poets and authors to attend a 3-month poetry workshop in the UK.  I was both a young poet and a new author and I was excited.  I applied to CNC a year before but I couldn't start at the time because the money was not there.  I stayed home for a year and in 2014, I applied again.  Right before I received my acceptance letter, a colleague encouraged me to apply for the workshop.

I loved poetry but anyone who knows me well would know that my career path is my passion.  I started making my own plans.  Okay Amy, so it's August.  The workshop starts in October and ends in January.  You've just received your acceptance letter.  Here's what you're going to do girl: you're going to defer your course of study to January.  You'll apply for this workshop which you are going to get accepted for and you'll go from the workshop that'll run from October to January and when that ends, you'll begin your studies in January 2015. Sounds like a good plan huh? Sounded like a good plan to me!

I wanted the experience.  I wanted them both.  I took my eyes off my career path for a second and I gazed towards my love for poetry.  But somewhere along that mesmerizing daydream, I had to remind myself that I was on a path that needed my full attention.  The journey was already being prepared for and it was about to begin.  I couldn't get caught up with everything around me.  I had to #StayOnCourse.

Similarly, with your plans, you have to be able to keep your eyes fixed on the finish line.  Don't get distracted by everything else around you that looks so interesting and inviting.  Keep focused on what is ahead; everything else will eventually fall into place.  I can assure you that it's worth it.  Remember that today as you work on your goals.

P.S. Right before I made my decision, had a talk with my mom about the plans that I had.  She didn't tell me what to do but instead encouraged me to make the most realistic decision.  I eventually decided to give up the poetry experience and start my studies.  By the time January 2015 came, I realized that the entire 3 months had gone by and I did not receive a call from anyone about the workshop!  Had I not made the decision I did, I would have been a semester behind in school, chasing a dream that was not meant for me at that point in time.  Thinking about it now makes me even more thankful that I did not lose sight of what I initially set out to do. 

I hope that this encourages and motivates someone today.  Be blessed. ❤️