We’re talking about dreams on the blog…because it’s pretty much one of my favorite topics ever. If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, you can do so right here. Thank you so much to everyone who commented, emailed and Facebooked me following last week’s post. I love hearing about your dreams!

Ten tips to chase a dream {part 2}

6. Listen to advice

I guess that’s pretty obvious, right? But something that I am personally really good at (so good I wish it was considered an actual talent ’cause then I could totally win that America’s Got Talent show) is hearing good advice…and then not actually taking it. I’ve read many a writing craft book, attended many a workshop, befriended many an author much further down the writing road than me. They’ve often had such absolutely wonderful advice for me.

But then I get busy. I get hurried. I grasp at shortcuts. And I end up ignoring, unintentionally or not, awesome advice from people much smarter than me.

Wise people, wise advice…it’s such a gift! Look for it and listen to it.

But also…

7. Don’t listen to advice

Sometimes it pays not to listen to advice. The keyword here is “sometimes.”

Let’s rewind to the year 2011 when I was in the beginning stages of brainstorming and writing what would end up being my first published novel–Made to Last. There was a character named Blake in that story who ended up being one of my favorite characters! But in those early stages, several super smart people told me he didn’t belong in the story. They had really good points.

But…but my gut instinct told me they just might be mistaken. Blake just might belong. (And besides, I kinda loved him. 🙂 ) So I stuck to my guns. Blake stayed in the story. The book was eventually published and I can’t tell you how many readers have told me Blake was their favorite character. He ended up being the main character in my next book!

I don’t tell you this to say, “Look how right I was and how wrong those other people were.” Oh no, not at all. Frankly, I could list WAY more examples of times I should’ve listened to good advice and didn’t than times I chose not to listen and had a great result. 🙂

But the point is, sometimes you have to go with your gut. It’s not about being stubborn and refusing to listen. It is about learning to pay attention to your own intuition (and even better, God’s guidance) and not being afraid to chart your own course when needed.

8. Schedule time to reassess

One of my absolute favorite days of every year is New Year’s Day. I. Love. It. For me, it’s become an annual opportunity to take a deep, digging look at my life and my dreams. For the past several years, I’ve set the day aside (or if I can’t set aside the holiday itself, then I look for a nearby date) to spend the entire day alone. I think. I dream. I journal. I pray. I re-fuel.

And I get intentional about pondering my dream-chasing. What progress have I made in the past year? What progress do I hope to make in the coming year? Is this dream still tugging at me? What feels good about it? What doesn’t? What needs to change? Are there areas in which I’ve gotten out of balance? Is God trying to nudge me a different direction? Why am I doing this? Do I need to check my motivations?

This is such a healthy, healthy thing to do! And it doesn’t have to happen over New Year’s. In fact, last year I spent a weekend with two fellow writers–Susan May Warren and Alena Tauriainen–in November and we basically did this same thing together. I walked away from it with new excitement and bursting energy and best of all…fresh vision. Speaking of…

9. Regularly remind yourself why you’re doing this

So here’s a rather pitiful truth: If you’d run into me at any point during 2014, you might’ve wondered if I was fresh off the set of some zombie movie. I wish I was joking. But seriously, it wasn’t pretty. I was burning the proverbial candle at both ends. I’d said “yes” to too many things with too many impossible deadlines. “Hustle” was my mantra…and I was angstier than I’ve ever been in my life.

That year I prayed a prayer I never thought I would: “God, I’m ready to be done writing. I’ll write one more book because I’ve already signed a contract promising to do so. But after that, unless something changes, I’m done.” I know, I know, it sounds dramatic and like the kind of thing a person should say after writing, oh, thirty books…not a meager three.

But I honestly, truly meant that prayer. My own expectations, the pressures I placed on myself, drained my writing dream of its joy. Again, I feel like I’m sounding melodramatic, but this was the state of my heart at the time.

You know what changed things for me? Remembering why I’m really writing.

It’s not to see my name on a book cover.
It’s not to garner amazing sales and reviews.
It’s not awards or peer respect or reader admiration.

I write because story feels like my lifeline to God. I never feel more intimately connected to God than when characters are coming alive on the page and saying things I never planned for them to say…things I know–I know–are meant for me. Writing is not easy for me, but it is natural in a way studying theology or kneeling to pray or even singing in church with raised hands isn’t.

Maybe your dream has a similar purpose…maybe it doesn’t. Maybe the reason you’re pursuing your dream is entirely different. But whatever your reason, regularly remind yourself what sparked your dream in the first place. Write it down and post it somewhere where you can see it.

10. Rest Rest Rest

Remember a few paragraphs ago when I said “hustle” was my mantra in 2014?

Fast forward to 2016 and I’d be pretty happy never to hear that word again. I’ve since come to believe that burning the candle at both ends is never a good thing to do for long. Oh sure, you might have a season here and there where you need to work until you’re bone-tired. You’ll have to be the one to decide how willing you are to let that kind of season stretch.

But I know for myself, it’s just not worth it to me to go crazy long stretches of time without real rest. Finishing a book is wonderful, but doing so at the expense of sleep and health and relationships…? I can’t do that. Not anymore.

Know your priorities. And be intentional about getting good physical and mental rest. Don’t let your other hobbies go just for the sake of reaching a goal or achievement. If you’re in an unhealthy season of candle-burning, decide what changes you need to make…and make them. I did this last year in both small ways and one pretty big way…and I can honestly say I feel like a different person in 2016 than I did in 2014.

And even more than physical rest, learn to rest in the love and guidance of God. This, I know: Real rest–the heart-stirring, soul-quenching kind–comes from trusting God.

*****

All right, that’s it…my ten tips for chasing a dream. I would absolutely love to hear about your own dream. Are there any tips that especially resonate with you? Or do you have any tips of your own to share?

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