Dreams…

I get that warm, fuzzy feeling just thinking about this. The space, the creativity, the opportunity to DREAM! To think of the kind of life, career or business you’d love to create for yourself. It’s one of my favourite things to do. I often fall asleep dreaming of all my plans and BIG GOALS yet achieved. My heart swells with excitement, and my body relaxes into hope. It’s literally the best way to nod off to dreamland. The best.

But sometimes the map to achieving our dreams is not nearly as fun, or inspiring. Sometimes it’s hard. Really, really hard.

And just sometimes, life can knock the wind right out of our sails and derail everything we had hoped for. 

Shew, but it can feel excruciatingly frustrating and just UNFAIR right? A lucky break not caught, a personal disaster, huge financial blocks or life just plain saying NO to what you want. The door just plain refuses to open. Nothing you can do besides sit at it, and wonder why. As a coach, these are some of my hardest moments. I sit there, and hold your hand. Letting you feel your way through it…

So I totally get how disappointing this can feel. And how you may even be angry at having that dream in the first place! That’s ok. Slam a door. Punch that gym bag extra hard. And then let’s get to the good stuff. Because I’m here to deliver some good news. No, in fact it’s GREAT news.

Not getting what you want can be an extraordinary stroke of good luck.

Confused? I know, I know. If you’d said this to me several years ago, I would have rolled my eyes and shut the web page. Don’t.

Your dreams are your dreams for a reason. There’s a passion in your heart for a reason. Your dreams are itsy bitsy clues to what you LOVE, to where you thrive and to what kind of career or business will fulfill your right down to that gorgeous soul of yours. But here’s the biggie… In this game of dream making and goal realizing there is not only one path! In fact there never really is.  So when the one path you believe will deliver your BIG, GLORIOUS dream slams shut in your face… Please know that there are many, MANY ways to create a life you will love. There are so many paths to achieve this dream. So many alternative ways to create a career or business you will love.

Some of the best innovations I’ve ever seen have come out of constraints.

Some of the most inspiring businesses have been built from the ground up. Bootstrapped and full of hope, with an unyielding determination to see it through whatever path worked. Not having your dream handed to you on the first attempt really can be the BEST thing for you and your future. Resilience, creativity, presence, and the determination of a lioness are some of the most important qualities required for building a career or business you will love. And they are certainly not born out of getting the first path, or first attempt lovely. Trust me.

So where to from here?

Use those constraints as opportunities. Think through how you might still build this dream even WITH the challenges you are facing (*spoiler alert* they may even be your competitive advantage). And please, please hold hope in your heart. Guard it fiercely. Hope will be your biggest cheerleader, and sometimes one of your only confidants in figuring this out. Know what brings you hope, and what keeps you in hope. And do it. Your dreams are not dead. Your dreams have not expired. The path has simply changed. There’s a way. There’s ALWAYS a way.

About Candice Clark
Upon completion of her Honours Degree in Psychology, Candice spent her early career in talent acquisition. She won her first corporate award for exceptional performance in talent acquisition by the age of 26; and was awarded with a nomination as a finalist for the LinkedIn Talent awards in October 2016. Off the back of this she recognized the need for career coaching and career pathing guidance of individuals. She has been actively involved in the career coaching of clients since 2015, with a client base that spans both corporate careers and entrepreneurs. She is a certified coach, and is well-recognized as a knowledge authority in her area of expertise both locally and internationally. 
Email: candice@candiceclarkcollective.com
Originally posted on: http://www.candiceclarkcollective.com/what-yoga-and-mindfulness-can-teach-us-about-career-clarity/

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