Motivation: There are probably as many combinations of various motives as there are people. For example, if you're a writer who belongs to a critique group, your strongest motive might be "earning respect in literary circles," your best buddy in the group might say "fame & fortune!" and a third member may say, "just having fun."
There are no "wrong" motives. I know a locally published writer whose go-juice sprang from a desire to show up the high school classmates who'd ignored her achievements because she wasn't pretty & popular - the "success is the best revenge" motive. If it works and no one actually gets hurt in the process, use it!
Getting clear about your motive is important because you'll know which tactics will fire you up & get you working on the latest project, and which ones will be a waste of time. For me, being read widely is more important than making money (although I wouldn't turn it down). This means that for me, blogging is the perfect vehicle; it gets me published immediately. I don't spend time writing book proposals or chasing down agents and editors because this would be wasted effort for me. On the other hand, a writing buddy of mine wants to eventually earn a substantial part of her income writing best-sellers. For her, making annual plans to attend a major writers conference where she can meet agents and publishers gives her the motivation to write during the rest of the year.
The role your dream plays in your life overall: Do you have one major passion in your life, like Mozart had with his music? Or do you prefer to be involved less intensely in a large number of things? Barbara Sher calls these types divers and scanners. If your passion is flamenco dancing and you know you're a diver, you can assume that you're willing to spend most of your discretionary time in the dance studio. If, however, you're a scanner who also loves baking and writing poetry, you'll need to plan your time accordingly.
Do you ever see yourself turning your dream into a livelihood or are you fine with your current career? How does your passion fit into your life overall? One helpful method for figuring this out is an exercise from Wishcraft called "Ideal Day": simply write a story about your ideal day as you envision it, from the moment you get out of bed until you retire for the night. How does your current passion, project or avocation fit into your day? How much time do you give it? What other activities are important? Knowing your preferences here will help you decide on priorities.
What emotional payoffs do you want? Sher calls the emotional core of a dream or goal its touchstone. Several people on a neighborhood block may be passionate about gardening. One gardener might describe her touchstone as "being surrounded by beauty every season of the year." Another might say "getting close to the earth by working the soil and getting dirty." A third might offer "the economic independence I enjoy when I grow most of my own produce." The emotional core of a dream lies very close to personal motivation.
What are your acceptable expenses or tradeoffs? What are you willing to give up in order to pursue your dream? Perhaps more importantly, what are you unwilling to ditch? Many years ago I thought I wanted to earn a living teaching remedial writing in the local community college. However, after doing my research, I realized that working, having a young family and going to grad school would mean I'd have to give up my treasured musical activities, possibly for many years. I also realized I wasn't willing to do this (music kept me sane; who knew what grad school would do?); therefore, it made more sense to spend my efforts looking for a line of work I'd enjoy and could enter with "just" a B.A.
After working it out, you might realize that you can let go of some things temporarily as long as you can get them back into your life after you've cleared the hurdle. And there will be other things, such as relationships with your spouse and kids, that you must keep up no matter what. Once you're clear about your acceptable tradeoffs, the place your dream occupies within your life picture will be more obvious.
After you've worked all this out, try creating a statement of purpose for your passion. Here are a few examples:
- Through my art practice, I join with other local artists in creating a vibrant arts scene in our section of the city.
- Publishing my cookbook will help others who want to prepare healthy food in sustainable ways.
- By writing best-selling thrillers, I provide well-deserved escapist entertainment for hard-working readers and I earn a very good income for my family.
- My music makes me happy; the joy I feel when playing spreads over into my home and workplace.
Your statement of purpose will serve as your "magnetic north." Whenever you have to choose between several paths on your Dream road, asking yourself "Does this path move me closer to my ultimate purpose or is it likely to be a sidetrack?" will clarify the matter wonderfully.
Before we leave this introductory section, I want to provide a list of additional resources to get you started on your journey.
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