Go For It!
Dr. Jacobson, a graduate of Cornell University, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the UCLA / San Fernando Valley Psychiatry Residency Program, is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist who has been in private practice in the Los Angeles area since 1999. He specializes in psychopharmacology, cognitive-behavior therapy, spiritual... more
There are many reasons for going after our dreams:
It's possible that we might succeed right out of the gate.
It's possible that we might not succeed initially, but learn from our efforts, hone our skills, and succeed at future attempts.
It's possible that we will discover that we don't have the chops, that we're not good enough to compete in this realm, and then we switch gears, pursue another dream project and realize success in this alternative venue.
Many people have started out seeking fame and fortune in one area, have encountered resistance and repeated failures, only to have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams when they put aside that path and found the right form of expression of their passion.
Certainly, there's always the disappointing scenario that we pursue our dreams, things don't work out, we change course, things still don't work out, and we finally give up.
The important point to realize, should this outcome happen (which is the one possibility that keeps most of us from going after our dreams in the first place), is that shame from rejection and failure will not kill us, that we can and will get over it, and that it's best to discover if we can pull off our dreams or not, because if we can't, then it behooves us to accept this, put our energy into counting our blessings, being grateful for what we've got, and making the most out of our lives, rather than coexisting with angst and frustration.
Bottom line: In more cases than not, it's worth it to take our shot and not sit on the sidelines because, oftentimes, the process of going after our dreams yields all sorts of adventures and unique life experiences that make the journey worthwhile, even if we never reach our fantasy destination.
It would serve us well to keep in mind, when we are afraid to pursue our dreams because of our fear of failure, that we all can't be Rocky Balboa, we all can't beat Apollo Creed or Clubber Lang. But that's not what made Rocky great.
What made Rocky Balboa great was that he took his shot, he went the distance. That was his success. Facing his fear and going after his dream in spite of it was his Eye of the Tiger.
Facing our fear and going after our dream in spite of it is our Eye of the Tiger.
Our success is in our doing, whether we win, lose or draw.
