Years ago I was at a motivational conference when the speaker asked the group what at the time seemed like a simple question. She asked: What would you do if you knew you would not fail? If you were guaranteed success what would you attempt? I still find that question to be one of the most clarifying we can ask ourselves. When we eliminate all our self-doubts and remove all our inner (and outer) critics, we have a better chance at getting at the truth.

Therein lies the answer to the age-old question, what do I want to be when I grow up. Think about it. What would you do if you were absolutely guaranteed success? Would you be a stand up comic, an architect, a photographer, own a café, design clothes, go back to law school, become a dive master and move to an island?  Whatever your fantasy, that’s what you should be doing —guarantee or no guarantee.

I truly believe that discovering our own passions and finding the courage to follow them are our greatest callings. When people ask me what the single most important tool is for unearthing our dreams I tell them holding still. We are all moving too fast, with too much information coming from too many outside sources.  In order to find our authentic purpose we have to spend lots of time listening, really listening to ourselves. It seems so simple really, but how many of us actually do it?

“At the beginning of something there has to be nothing. We have to give ourselves a clean slate – and permission to dream.”   ~excerpt from Dream Big

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®