Dan Lamont on Pursuing Your Dreams

Dan Lamont is a life/work coach and the founder of SuccessDesign.com. As a life/work coach, he helps people identify their true aspirations, callings and dreams for life, then supports them in making those dreams come true. His work involves helping people create clarity and focus as well as teaching them the strategies for successfully navigating the obstacles that come with realizing a dream. In addition to working in sales and ministry, Lamont has been a solo entrepreneur, success-team leader and personal breakthrough facilitator. He is a certified Success Team Leader by renowned therapist, career coach and author Barbara Sher and a certified master in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), time line therapy and clinical hypnotherapy. He is a founding member of CoachVille coach training. Here, Lamont explains how you can start pursuing your dreams.

How will we feel as we begin pursuing our dreams?

It’s common to experience a wide range of thoughts and emotions. Anything from the exhilaration of beginning to the self-doubt and fear of “What have I gotten myself into?” People expect to feel optimistic in the beginning, and they usually are. Then, as soon as they begin, inner doubts and fears can surface. These kinds of thoughts and feelings can be unexpected, unnerving and intimidating, and they often throw people off track. People sometimes believe that if they’re having these feelings they must have made the wrong choice by pursuing the particular dream.

What are the typical concerns or fears people experience?

We all have dreams and we all have fears and concerns about making them happen. Some typical fears and concerns I see with clients are, “Can I do it? Am I up to the challenge? Do I have what it takes? How do I begin? Where do I start? What if I fail?” It’s vitally important to address them right up front so you can get on with making your dream come true.

Are there unexpected benefits from pursuing a dream?

Following through on a dream comes with amazing side benefits. Many of my clients have told me that the side benefits were better than the dream itself. One of the most noteworthy benefits is an increased capacity to conceive of, create and accomplish new and more demanding dreams. Making dreams happen is a remarkable confidence builder. People who pursue their dreams gain the confidence and self-esteem that comes with doing all the things necessary to make a dream come into reality. All dreams come with a price to pay, usually in the form of time, energy and discipline. Paying that price rewards you with increased ability for future dream building. Dream making puts a glow on your face and a confidence in your voice. It’s the kind of thing that gets noticed and draws people to you.

What are the important steps for pursuing one’s dream?

Approach your dream with a professional attitude. One mistake I see a lot is that people approach their dream with an amateur attitude rather than a professional one. They approach it far too casually. When I coach someone, I make the distinction that amateurs do it when they feel like it, and professionals do it regardless.

Get the support you need. One of my early mentors, Barbara Sher, says, “Isolation is the dream killer.” What a revelation that was for me when I first heard it! The worst thing a person can do is not get the support they need.

Clear the decks of clutter. Create an environment that will help and support you. Plan in advance how you’re going to handle unexpected demands and distractions that may present themselves. They will arise. Expect them.

Overcome self-generated resistance. Resistance doesn’t think it’s your enemy, it thinks it’s your friend. The solution to succeeding with resistance is to understand how to help it [you] feel safe and thus lower its guard. Trying to overpower it is futile.

Formulate a plan. The first step is backward planning: Get clear about your end destination or goal, then simply make a list of all the things that must happen for the goal to be reached. Order the list in a sequence, starting with the last thing that has to happen, and work your way backward to the first thing. Then start at the beginning. A more organic, intuitive way is to simply ask the question: What does the dream or project need right now?

What beliefs are important for starting to pursue a dream?

Don’t make it about you—make it about the dream, project or goal. People sometimes make the mistake of looking for something in shining armor to come along and make life worthwhile. They want their dream to do something for them. It actually works exactly the opposite way. You are the knight in shinning armor coming to the aid of the dream. The dream needs you to go into its service, like a baby needs a parent to meet its needs in order to grow up.

For more information on Dan Lamont, visit www.successdesign.com.