Today All Groan Up is honored to welcome Alden Tan —  a writer and Bboy (breakdancer), who quit his job to chase his dream while traveling the world. Check out more from him at Alden-Tan.com and follow him on Twitter.

I’ve been following my dreams for a year and a half now.

I’ve two passions: Writing and Bboying (breakdancing). I want to make a living by writing on my own terms and I want to keep dancing and get better.

You could say I’m living “the” life right now. I wake up everyday looking forward to what I’m going to learn with my blog. When it’s time to rest my mind, I head out for a session of Bboying.

Sounds great?

Not always.

I can safely say since I chose this path of following my dream, almost half the time is spent feeling like crap.

Dreams are double-edged.

Like a sword. Wield it wrongly, and your dreams die with you.

When it comes to dreams, we’re often drawn to stories of success and how these proven people achieve their dreams.

We get caught up by the awe and wonders of it, inspiring us to do the same so you can also do what you love every day, and make money from it.

We then forget what it truly takes to follow your dreams.

I’m living that now. I’ve made tons of mistakes. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by self-doubt that I wonder why I’m even doing what I’m doing.

Dreams have a dark side. You ought to know both sides.

Ready?

 

1) Choosing to not give up means It’s going to hurt

You know what most people say. “Don’t give up”.

It’s the most obvious choice when it comes to working hard and overcoming challenges.

But it’s not as easy as it sounds.

When you actually hit the point of having to choose to continue on or not, it means you’ve hit rock bottom.

And it hurts. And you’re going to feel less-than-stellar when you’ve to make that choice.

Welcome the pain: So instead, welcome the pain. Take it as a test. This is where you truly make it or break it.

Instead of thinking the situation to be too hard or that the future is uncertain, know that the pain and the choice of moving forward means good things are going to happen.

2) Your initial inspiration doesn’t last

You know that feeling right? You start off your dream after you heard that story of success, typically of someone who made it from zero to hero; from being broke to vast riches.

Because of that burst of inspiration, you feel so pumped up that you think nothing can go wrong.

Right?

Wrong.

That feeling of inspiration doesn’t last. And many people don’t realize that. Sure, they remember that feeling, but it’s always pushed back somewhere at the back of their minds. They think this is enough.

You need more than that.

You need to be continuously re-inspired: One burst of inspiration isn’t enough. You should continuously get yourself re-inspired. It’s going to give you all the motivation that you need especially when you feel really down as things don’t go your way.

So take the effort to actually stop doing what you’re doing, take a step back and get out there to find that feeling of inspiration again. You can watch YouTube videos, meet new people or just read books.

3) Being your own boss isn’t all that spectacular

That’s the rage these days right? To be your own boss. You get to call all the shots and make all the decisions yourself.

But it isn’t all that great. Being your own boss entails motivating yourself all the time. Having to make all the decisions can also be scary as you aren’t sure if you’d be right or wrong.

Get a mentor early. If you want to learn well and make better progress, then get a mentor early.

I find that most people take “taking the road less traveled” too literally as they go forth on their own. They think they’re alone and receiving any help would be demeaning themselves.

Wrong. It’s very okay to get help from others. Get a mentor. Learn from someone of proven success. That’s a very effective way to grow.

4) You’re going to fail

Yes you will.

This is when things don’t go the way you expect or you don’t get the results you want. This is is also where others have succeeded, but you don’t.

Success doesn’t come that easily.

Realize that failure is not the end. It isn’t. Failure isn’t some place where you can’t escape from. It isn’t where you should give up.

Instead, treat failure as your best friend. Failure is where you learn and gain the most insights.

It’s the experience of failure that is essential to your success. That is how so many successful people became who they are today; that is why you have those rag-to-riches stories which inspired you in the first place.

So if you fail, that means you’re in the right track.

5) Your dreams may not be what you thought they were

Because you’ll keep learning and growing.

As you fail and succeed to learn and grow, your dreams may change, if not be adjusted along the way.

And this is not a bad thing.

Because you’ll be growing too. Your dreams are you. As you fight for it, you’ll grow as a person.

It isn’t just about the money, the fame, the whatever you want. It’s the journey too.

The journey is your true reward, whether you realize it or not.

Work as hard as you should for your dream, but don’t forget about the little things along the way as they’re what would truly create a great impact in the long run.

Dreams are your truth

For you only have one life, and you got to it live it to the fullest.

Dreams may not be filled with fantastical images and lovely scenarios all the time, but they’re still attainable.

You just have to work hard for it.

Now isn’t that what life is all about?
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