Should You Really Follow Your Dreams? An Interview with Sujit Lalwani
Are you thinking about the direction of your life or career? You’ve probably been told to “follow your dreams,” but what does that even mean? This interview with Sujit Lalwani, motivational speaker and entrepreneur, offers us a better path for figuring out what we really want.
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All of us have heard something like it…
“Don’t worry about money, do what you love!”
“Pursue your dreams!”
“Follow your heart!”
It comes in many versions, but this is an incredibly common piece of career advice: instead of worrying about resources, do what it is that you love, and you’ll be happy.
However, while some daring entrepreneurs have been able to make a living doing this, it’s still difficult for most of us.
We’d all like to follow our heart, sure. But what if we’ve been forced out of that? What if money is in the way and we can’t just drop everything?
Or, what if we simply can’t figure out what the heck it is we want to do?! Some of us have tried following a “passion” and found out we didn’t love doing it for a living after all.
As it turns out, “following your heart” isn’t that easy.
Sujit Lalwani Interview: The Trouble with “Following Your Heart”
Sujit Lalwani knows this struggle well. As a successful motivational speaker, author, and founder of Inspiration Unlimited (an eMagazine with millions of readers), it’s easy to think that he “followed his dreams.”
Growing up, however, Sujit felt pressured to dream higher and bigger. He would often come up with grand answers when asked about his future plans. Deep down, though, he was overwhelmed by big questions and lots of choices and he didn’t seem to have any clear career desires.
When he started his speaking career, Sujit knew he was talented at the craft, but didn’t know if he was ready to try to earn his livelihood with it.
So, he did some intense reflection and came up with a process. These three questions broke Sujit out of the cycle of rumination and helped him pursue his true desires.
3 Steps for Figuring Out What You Really Want to Do
#1: What Provokes Your Interest?
Don’t just fixate on “what’s my calling?” That’s too big of a question. Instead, as you’re discerning your future, think simply about your interests.
What have you done recently that got you truly excited? What has kept you up at night? What has kept you more interested than your other hobbies? Whether it’s music, fashion, or volunteering, there may be a hidden calling in there for you.
#2: Try It to Know It
Instead of agonizing over what you want to do, have you ever thought about what you don’t want? You might not know exactly what you want right now, but if you’re interested in several things and haven’t tried any of them out, you’ll never get any closer.
Sujit Lalwani, founder of Inspiration Unlimited.
By making a list of potential paths and trying out the beginner stages of each, you’ll be able to tell what is not your calling. Until then, you’ll always be stuck in “what if?” mode!
The key is to start small, and start now.
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#3: Commit and Reflect
If you’ve tried a few passions out though, you probably still have one big question:
How do I know if I have tried this for long enough?
There is a very thin line between interest and commitment. After trying something you like for a while, you need to shift into the commitment zone.
By committing to a certain trade for six months to a year, you’ll be able to truly discern whether something is just a hobby or a passion you should pursue. If you don’t see internal growth in yourself after that period, it’s probably time to reinvest in something else.
If you decide to change course, think for a good few hours about why that interest didn’t work out for you. By continuously reflecting and introspecting, you’ll be able to figure out what is truly happening inside you and break through the confusion.
Following your dreams may not be easy, but it is possible. Continually, actively discern, and you’ll be on the way to finding out what you really want from life.
For more life advice from Sujit, check out his personal website, read Inspiration Unlimited E-Magazine or connect with him on LinkedIn.
For more career and motivational content from Chris, check out Let’s Eat, Grandma‘s blog and Career Warrior Podcast.
Or, if you’re interested in getting a leg up in your job search, schedule a free call with us to find out how our professional writers can rework your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile to land you that dream job.