On a road trip this week, a song came up on Spotify that I’d forgotten about. It was one of two songs the artist had recorded when I heard about them last year. I figured I’d check to see if they had recorded anything else.
They hadn’t. And their website was down. It’s like the band had disappeared off the face of the earth.
It was sad because I loved the two songs they recorded. But something made them abandon that dream.
Here are three reasons I see people sometimes abandon their dream.
1. Insecurity.
I don’t know the artist, but insecurity often shuts people down. Maybe they launch an idea expecting it to be an instant success. Then when it isn’t, they had a hard time believing anyone will like what they’re making.
Insecurity gets a foothold in your brain and starts working its devious tendrils around any bit of dream that’s still there. You start second-guessing the idea that was once a beam of hope.
It’ll kill dreams.
2. It takes too much work.
Working on a dream is an uphill battle. It’s easy to abandon it if an easier opportunity comes along.
No dream, no matter how perfect, comes easily. You have to work and work some more.
3. They neglected to count the costs.
Finally, many people don’t realize how much their dream will cost. They’ll have to give up hobbies. Watching football. Sleeping in on Saturdays. Enjoying Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime memberships.
You give up anonymity. Complacency. There are a lot of costs associated with a dream. You have to be willing to pay those costs.
Those are the three things I’ve seen. What do you see that causes you to want to give up on your dream? What have you seen friends of yours experience?