Advanced Dreaming: Take the Hard Road

You are a massage therapist and a  ________. Many massage therapists in the United States fill that blank in with an additional occupation.

But how many of us would like to fill that blank in with a dream job?

I’m a massage therapist and I own a massage business.

I’m a massage therapist and a bestselling writer.

I’m a massage therapist and I opened a wellness center.

I’m a massage therapist and my album just went to #1.

Oh, no, Mark, you’re not going to sucker me into a dream only so that dream can be dashed.

Yep…but, hopefully, without the dash-ing part.

And honestly, I’m really not suckering you in.

You’ve been done sucked in for a long time.

Why am I so sure of that?

Cuz you’re still reading.

So, come on…just say it…don’t be the Fonz…admit it when you’re wrong…you’re a dreamer.

It’s okay.

This boy is a dreamer, too, and I’ll show you how it’s going to be okay, meaning no more dashed dreams.

Yeah, that’s a big statement.

Dashed Dream Correction Factor

Let’s take an honest look at these dashed dreams. Most dashed dreams are dreams never tried, right?

Like 99.99%.

Now what about the 0.01%, the time that you really tried, but you had to roll over, give up, retreat, retire, call it day and accept your life as it is?

Yeah, let’s talk about that one.

For one, was it really over?

I’ll go first. I want a website (this one) to reach tens of thousands of massage therapists across the globe.

And my Google analytics SAYS: Uh, seriously not there, buddy.

My dream is dashed.

Or is it?

My readership is growing every day.

My monthly views continue to go up.

And in general all analytics are heading in the right direction.

I’m gonna say dream in progress. Not dashed.

How did I NOT dash this dream so far?

When there was a fork in the dream road and I went the right way—not because I’m smart.

I took the right road because I had taken the wrong road sooooo many times.

And I hate to say this, but you probably already missed the fork in the road.

It looks like this: You’re on your dream road and you come to a fork. One road sign says “Instead Of”. The other road sign says “In Addition To”.

Okay, Mark, this is not making a lot of sense.

And I’m going to make it more confusing by going way back to this sentence: Massage therapist + ________.

You remember that sentence, right? That’s when you stuck your dream job into the blank.

Do it again.

Good.

You’re at the crossroads.

Yeah, seriously, that fast.

Is your dream going to be pursued in an “instead of” or in an “in addition to” way?

Are you going to write that novel instead of taking on more massage clients to pay for the writing class?

Or are you going to write than novel in addition to taking on more clients to pay for that writing class?

“In addition to” is the harder road, but the road that will give you the best chance of making your dream come true.

“In addition to” does three things that “instead of” can’t.

In Addition To Advantage

In addition to…
1. …forces you to be selective with the dream you choose to follow.

Why?

Because “in addition to” requires a huge time commitment so it’s a natural filter for dreams that don’t drive you.

2. …covers your financial base until the dream job starts making money.

You may be getting less sleep, but you’re not making less money when you go down the “in addition to” road.

This is important because dreams take time. If you cut back with or bagged your current job and went all in with your dream, you may run out of money before your dream job starts making money.

3. …gives you enough time to determine whether the dream is worth pursuing or not.

Because you’re not dropping everything and following your dream job you are taking the long road. You’ll see progress, but not as much as you want to see. Is that okay with you?

Believe it or not, that’s a great spot to be in. Because you will have some victories under your belt along the way AND a true sense of how hard it’s going to be to make your dream come true.

Now, at every questioning moment along the way, you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to carry on.

Okay, good luck.

Of course, I’m kidding. Dreamers don’t abandon dreamers.

First, let’s recap.

The Hard Road Recap

Think about traveling the “in addition to” road when pursuing a dream job.

When you do you’re more likely to pick the dream that you can stand behind, your bills will be covered, and you’ll have enough time to make an informed decision.

And when you need a little, extra push, check out Advanced Dreaming: I Live in Philly. 

Also, you may want to join my email group.

You get my latest on dreaming, making money and saving your body.

It’s free:-)

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Does your dream have a website?

I can help you with that.

Here’s a DIY guide that will allow you to build a website fast.

If you need more assistance, email me and I’ll help you get your website set up.