Stop Aspiring already!

Wish upon a star!

To aspire; to dream; to wish upon a distant star. Call it what you want, but we've all done it at some point in our lives. Unfortunately many of us are still doing so in our professional lives and in my own experience it's proven to be a hindrance to my growth, creativity and my ability to set, stick to and meet certain career goals. While I'm not knocking day dreaming and the freedom to think and imagine yourself doing what you want to do (visualization techniques), there is a time and place for everything and eventually, you have to wake up from your siesta and convert dreams into goals. The conversion process isn't always easy and is sometimes messy, but it's doable.

Give yourself some credit!

A good friend of mine once told me that if you aspire for something, you'll probably not amount to anything in regards to that particular pursuit. His philosophy was simple. If you're taking the steps towards being what you see yourself as when you close your eyes, start referring to yourself as that. In other words, you're NOT an aspiring Actor, Dancer, Physician or Designer. Assuming that you're enrolled in some type of school or are taking courses (or even teaching yourself) says lots about the decision you made and the direction you're going in. If you're an actor going on auditions, don't label yourself as an aspiring one JUST because you haven't landed THE gig yet. Now this fictional actor we're talking about can have short-term goals like "land a starring role on CSI:Miami" or "a permanent role in The Walking Dead" but that's completely different from selling yourself short of your title simply because you haven't ARRIVED yet. You'll never hear a doctor refer to themselves as an 'aspiring physician' or a rookie cop say he's an aspiring detective. Choosing a creative career is no reason to sell yourself short. I know actors who make deliveries just as sharp as any seasoned neurosurgeon so give yourself some credit.

Remain steadfast; Stay awake.

Ok, so you've woken from your stupor and you've removed the word 'aspiring' from your title. Now what? This is the tricky part. This period or purgatory or limbo has driven many to throw up their hands and give up on the dream simply because they didn't meet their goals or missed a few milestones. This 'meantime' period is crucial as it's a crucible more than anything; a place where your character is truly built. Rome truly wasn't built in a day and neither should your dream. Now don't you think for a second that it's ok to lower the bar a bit here and there when things become difficult. It's not. If you're planning your goals in the dream world than maybe you should take it down a notch or two, but remember, we're fully awake now and we should set our goals in that realm. Keep your sights set on that CEO title, but know that it's going to take some hard work, serious networking and dedication to make it out of the 'mailroom' of where you currently are. You're eventually going to graduate from that arduous program and that grueling internship is going to come to an end. Even more possible still is the fact that you may go months to years without being able to find something after graduation or that place you're interning for may not feel that you're a good fit. During these seemingly dark times is when you hone your skills and your abilities and maintain your level of desire. During points of inactivity it's also always easy to figuratively drift off to sleep and dream up something else that pales in comparison to what you really want. Don't just focus when the phone rings off the hook with offers. Channel your concentration even during the years of famine.

Take a detour; Reinvent yourself.

Re-routing is something that you have to accept will come but you must not take them as problems leading you off course, but rather embrace them as opportunities to explore the road(s) less traveled. At one point in my life I was convinced that I was going to become a recording artist, but on my way towards that goal, I sat down in a producer's chair and learned the sonic art of music production, mixing and mastering. I haven't left that 'chair' since. More importantly, I've taken several back road opportunities that I didn't expect I would. During a span of 12 years I've professionally been labeled as a music producer, a vocal coach, a film score composer, a sound designer and re-recording mixer. After a dozen years I got on a completely different 'vehicle' and now I'm on my way towards a brilliant career as a Game and Narrative Designer. I am fascinated daily by the many paths I've taken and all of the choices I've made but inherently we all know when we've reached the ceiling or crossroads in our careers; the moment we all know when it's time to get off the train and take a plane. If you started off wanted to be a film editor because you thought that's what you wanted, but ended up being a set designer because you realize that's what you truly needed, then you've successfully re-invented yourself and altered your path.

In closing...

Ultimately, success should be the 'ultimate' goal, but even success comes in different forms, packages and time durations. Some of us will strike it rich (by rich in this case I'm referring to the wealth of discovering one's true purpose) right out of college, while others like myself may take the Late Bloomer Expressway. Either way, it's important to stop aspiring and start accepting. Accept that you are a Narrator, a Producer, a Dancer, a Poet or whatever you absolutely NEED to do with your life. In needing to be what you were called to be, you're on a constant quest to quench a very real and very deep thirst to fulfill your potential and purpose, but you won't be able to do so if you're telling folks that you're an aspiring this, that or the third. In many ways what you're really saying is "I'm a dreaming artist who's subconsciously telling myself every day that I'm not exactly sure if this is who I am and I'm looking for someone to tell me who that is." Potential employers aren't interested in nurturing hobby artists or awaken them from the dream state of aspiration. It's your responsibility to know who you are and project that into the environment around you and the rest of the world. It is better to be than to aspire, especially if success (however it's been tabulated for you) is the end result.