My Advice for Following Your Inner Voice to Create Your ‘Field of Dreams’
Do you have a field of dreams — a place where your imagination transforms into a reality?
When I built my first bookstore, it was born from a simple conversation between me and God; he suggested that I build a store where I wrote all the books. After laughing at the thought, I decided to actually take on the challenge. People thought I was crazy until I actually built it.
Do you have a “field of dreams?” Do you have an inner voice telling you to do something and you just know you need to do it? Do you follow that gut feeling? Why is it that we run from destiny instead of gliding toward it? Is it because we fear what other people think? Is it because we fear failure? But what is failure?
To reach that answer, we should start with a short list of questions: What does failure mean to you? Do you consider yourself a failure? If so, why?
I believe we fail when we don’t try. Do you have a list of things in your life that you refused to try despite your inner voice telling you to do it? Having regrets is not a weight I like to have on my shoulders as I swim through life’s currents.
Equally important, I don’t want you to carry that pressure either. So today, I want you to write down those things you wish to complete. Now is the time to build your “field of dreams.” You may be thinking “but how?” If that’s the case, you will be pleased to know I have a well-prepared response on how to create your field of dreams.
1. Enter a silent space.
Your life may be too noisy at the moment. This could mean you are working too many jobs, engaging in too many gossip sessions, allowing your phone to consume too much of your attention, and so on — I could name a whole lot more. The point is, you need quiet time so you can hear the voice inside. That voice has been blocked by all the loudness in your life. Now’s the time to give it the opportunity to guide you.
2. Listen to your inner voice.
Once you hear your inner voice, then my suggestion is to act on what it’s saying. The voice could be telling you to create a new app or paint a new painting. Whatever logical and/or magical idea your inner voice is telling you, act on it and give it a try. I must expound on making sure the voice is logical and/or magical. (However, if your inner voice is telling you to go on a robbing spree, for instance, then that is obviously not a logical voice.)
The magical voice is one that pushes you to make and/or do something special and unique. My best example would be Walt Disney. He had a special voice inside that drove him to create a world unlike any other for everyone to enjoy — and today we acknowledge it as the world of Disney.
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3. Build your field.
Once you find that silent place where you can hear/listen to that inner voice, it then becomes time to make it happen. Do not let the moment pass you by. Have you ever had a great idea that bounced inside your mind like a basketball and you ignored it? About a year or so later, you turn on the TV and a person is being celebrated for the same idea that you refused to bring to life. It has happened to millions of people, and I would not be comfortable letting it happen to you.
Therefore, it is important to listen to that voice and put that great idea into motion. Drown out the self-doubt and embrace the concept that you are a dreamer who is trying to create a reality. In my opinion, dreamers make the world a better place. If we didn’t have dreamers, we wouldn’t have the iPad, electricity, Tesla, Ford and much more. We wouldn’t have even been able to watch Dorothy float down that yellow brick road in hopes to get back home to her family.
As a child, my imagination was my playground. Imagination was also my way of escaping the reality of living in an inner-city impoverished area. However, whether you live in the inner city, the suburbs or the country, there will always be times when you wish to escape your reality. My life became trapped inside a notebook and eventually I transformed that world to fit inside a one-of-a-kind bookstore. What are your talents and/or ambitions that could help you create your field of dreams?
I am quite sure every person has many things to offer the world. Today is the day for you to start building your field of dreams. You should know there will always be doubters, there will always be haters — but there is also always a chance for you to accomplish your goals. Think hard about what it is you want to create.
Something has been keeping you up every night — nagging and bugging you because you know what it is deep down inside that you are supposed to do. Today, I want you to listen to that voice the same way I did, the same way Kevin Costner did in the movie Field of Dreams, and build your field. Your time is now. Be brave, be bold and be ready for those people to come once your field is built.
This is your time to make your dreams a reality.