You have a dream.
But you are not so sure. You don’t know whether this dream is truly yours. The outcomes are uncertain. The price seems high. The path looks intimating. Is this dream right? How can we tell?
If that’s you, here’s question that will shed new insights: Are you willing to accept the pain?
All Pursuits Have Pain
If you dream of starting a company, you will face great uncertainties. You may not have a regular paycheck. The divide between home and work will be blurry. You will have to be the CEO and the janitor at the same time on some days. You don’t know whether your work will be a success or a bust. Does that sound acceptable?
If your dream is to be a company executive, you will put in long hours. You will have to answer to a community of people. Your decisions will be scrutinized. The company’s performance will hinge on serendipity out of your control. Do you accept it all?
If you dream of being a professional musician, you will practice thousands of hours when no one is looking. You may not know when the next gig is. A big break may never come. Still on?
If your dream is to be a writer, you will have to write whether you feel like it or not. Some days will flow. Other days will suck. You will hit a wall. Your wrist will hurt. All the while no one seems to care. Still game?
If you dream of having children, you will worry about a million things. You will no longer have the same flexibility you once had. There will be sacrifices. Despite all that, you won’t know whether your children will be healthy, happy, or fulfilled. How does that sound?
The Cost You Pay
Dream is cheap. Pain? Not as much. Whatever your dream is, pain is the cost you pay every day. Pain doesn’t go away. At best, you are trading one type of pain for another.
But once we know that pain exists in every path, we no longer need to look for one without pain. We can be liberated. We simply need to choose the path we can accept.
Along the way, it won’t be all misery. It is always going to be a mixed cocktail of pain and joy. Back-to-back meetings are painful, but management can be a noble pursuit that provides great value to the community. Practicing scale on an instrument is dry, but playing your favorite piece of music will give you life. Changing diapers is tedious, but nothing will beat holding a newborn in your arms.
If you derive a deep sense of joy along with the pain, that’s a sign you may just be on the right track.