Awards season has started in Hollywood, and it serves as a perfect metaphor for following your dreams. While few of us dream of becoming big stars or getting national recognition for doing excellent work, we all want to know the satisfaction of having a job we love.
Emma Stone won the Golden Globe Award for best actress in a comedy or musical for her work in "La La Land," and gave a terrific acceptance speech with words that have applied to everyone at one time in their lives.
She said, "I think that hope and creativity are two of the most important things in the world ... To any creative person who has had a door slammed in their face, either metaphorically or physically ... or anybody anywhere, really, that feels like giving up sometimes and finds it in themselves to get up and keep moving, I share this with you."
In the movie, Stone plays an aspiring actress, opposite Ryan Gosling, who plays the role of a dedicated jazz musician who wants to open his own nightclub. Both characters struggle to make ends meet while pursuing their dreams.
It's really a story for much of America. We all struggle at one time or another.
I have never yet met a successful person who hasn't had to overcome either a little or a lot of adversity in his or her life. It seems like if we want to triple our success rate, we might have to triple our failure rate. So, who says that you can't accomplish your goals? Who says that you're not tougher and better and smarter and harder-working and more able than your competition? It doesn't matter if they say you can't do it. The only thing that matters is if you say it.
Maybe you've always wanted to be a firefighter, an astronaut, a rock star or an entrepreneur — but instead you find yourself marking time in a job you hate. Should you give up on your dream job?
Don't be too quick to write off your goals, but don't be stupid about it either. Some important considerations could help you decide what path to take.