Name: Dream Year
Rating: 4.2 (31 reviews)
Author: Ben Arment

What’s in it for me? Identify your dream and plot a clear, actionable path toward it.

These days, the majority of working Americans hate their jobs. Every day they sit in cubicles or stand behind counters feeling increasingly frustrated, but don’t know what to do about it. This sad state of affairs arises from the simple fact that they’re not following their own dream, but instead working for someone else’s.

If you find yourself in this situation, these blinks will show you how to overcome your fears, so you can break free of your job and pursue your own dreams. You’ll find out how to take this massive-sounding endeavor and break it into small, manageable steps that will lead you to where you really want to be. Little by little, you can make this year the one where you finally begin to achieve your dreams.

You’ll also discover

why it’s actually a good thing that you’re frustrated at your current job;
how anyone can get to personally meet dozens of world leaders; and
what being shot at and starting your own business have in common.

Use your frustration with your current job as fuel to pursue your dreams.

Do you dislike your job? If so, you’re not alone: studies have shown that a whopping 66 percent of working Americans can’t stand what they do for a living.

But why is this?

Most of the frustration you, as an employee, experience stems from the fact that you’re working to make someone else’s dream come true, not your own. Your job is not meant to be fulfilling or satisfying; your employer has probably designed it so it’s just bearable enough that you won’t quit.

Luckily, this sense of frustration can have a positive outcome.

For one, it can help you understand and articulate the problems you face so you can better address them: when you complain to a friend about your job, you may find that you’re actually listing all the issues very clearly.

What’s more, frustration can also push you to improve your situation. It’s an energy source that can fuel your efforts to make a change.

Finally, the frustration you feel now will also help you stick to the changes you make later, as it will help quell any doubts you have.

Let’s say you decide to quit your IT job and go back to school to study medicine. Undoubtedly, at some stage you’ll begin to have second thoughts: “Was this the right move?” “Should I quit?” This is inevitable, and when it happens, you can think back to the frustration you felt at your old job. This will strengthen your resolve and help you stay the course.

So now the question is, what kind of change is the right one for you?

Quite simply, you need to stop following other people’s dreams and start pursuing your own. Take your own dream and your own ideas, and start a business around them.

Don’t let fear stop you from following your dream – harness it for motivation.

If so many Americans hate their jobs, you might be wondering why more of them don’t quit and start their own business.

For many, there is only one thing stopping them: fear of failure.

Discover your dream at the intersection of your passion and your gifts.

Let’s say you’re ready to quit your job and start following your dream. But what if you don’t know what your dream is?

Many people struggle with this dilemma, but you can unravel it by turning back the clock.

To pursue your dream, you need a business idea that solves a problem and is unconventional.

Once you’ve identified your dream, you need to find a way to turn it into a business.

The first step is to come up with a business idea that allows you to pursue your dream while simultaneously solving a problem that people face. This is the only way anyone will care about your dream.

Your dream has to be financially viable.

Once you’ve come up with a business idea that will let you pursue your dream, you’ll probably be raring to get started. But at this stage, it’s actually vital that you keep a cool head and take a sober look at your finances.

For starters, your idea has to be financially viable – this is what differentiates it from a hobby.

Make a plan and get started on your dream – no excuses!

In any undertaking, the hardest part is getting started. And pursuing your dream is no different. It’s very tempting to just keep dreaming and planning your business rather than actually taking action to make it happen. It’s easier and more appealing than actual work.

Another common excuse for not pursuing your dream is saying that it’s not the right time to take action. But this is false reasoning: circumstances will never be perfect.

Entrepreneurs can’t be afraid of asking for what they want.

If you were to write to the president of the United States requesting a meeting, do you think he would find some room in his calendar for you? Probably not, right?

But in fact, you’ll never know unless you try.

Create a unique brand experience for your product and build a loyal fanbase to spread the word.

There are countless smartphone and tablet companies out there, but none evokes quite the same passion as Apple. Their products may be pricey and lack the features of other leading-edge competitors, but people still swoon over them.

Why is this?