[Dennis Meene | Flickr | Modified]
She couldn’t wait another second.
People filed out of the theater, including her mom and sister. Two hours was too long of a time to not check her phone. Her thumb fumbled to tap the email app.
The silent glow of her phone illuminated her face for the split second it took to load the app.
Refreshing…
Too long. The result of three years hard work stuck in the transmission of data.
Inbox (1)
Waiting at the top of her inbox, a crisp, bold email. She opened it.
Lisa,
Congratulations! You got the job.
###
I’ve watched Lisa Kirk’s story vicariously through my wife Erica ever since our days at the University of Pittsburgh. Lisa launched her blog Something Pretty, a few months before we started Cooking in College. It was nice to have a blogger friend around.
Five days a week for three straight years, Lisa blogged about weddings. In the pre-Instagram pre-Pinterest days, Lisa made her mark as a reputable source of information of wedding style and planning.
I thought Lisa just loved weddings. However, little did I know she was after something bigger.
Lisa’s Story
photo by Landon Jacob Photography
Lisa grew up in a home that valued books. She always knew she wanted to be a writer, but after discovering American Girl’s January/February 2000 issue, Lisa knew she had to write for a magazine.
In college, a journalism professor warned her about this career path, saying it was unlikely she would ever make it.
But Lisa kept blogging, kept connecting, and kept Stepping Forward toward her dream.
After three years of hard work, she finally made it when Southern Weddings Magazine hired her as an editor.
As one of the few Millennials who wakes up every day happy to go to work, Lisa is an inspiration for us all.
But her dream is not your dream. Your dream is not my dream. All dreams are unique, therein lies the problem.
All dreams are unique.
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Don’t do as I say, and don’t do what I do
I blog to share my thoughts and learnings in the hopes that one day I might land a publishing deal.
Maybe you’re side hustling your way to something big too. As much as we can use Lisa as a beacon of guidance, we have to realize no two journeys are the same.
Our starting-points, strengths, obstacles, expertise, opportunities, resources and dumb luck are entirely different.
Lisa went to school for journalism; I went to school for engineering. Lisa writes for the wedding niche; I write for the Millennials-trying-to-figure-out-life niche.
However, I can still learn a lot from Lisa’s journey to help me accomplish my dream. Not by taking her exact steps, but observing how she took them.
This is how we help each other achieve our dreams.
We walk together.
Walk with me?
As the launch of my first book, The Millennial Way approaches, I’ve reflected on the dangers of encouraging others to chase their dream assuming all journeys are the same.
Do X, Y, and Z and you’ll accomplish your dream in 90 days!
The internet is littered with this garbage.
I don’t want to contribute to the noise, and that’s what sets The Millennial Way apart from all other self-help books.
I share the unique stories of five Millennials and weave them into a framework anyone can use to guide their journey.
No easy steps. No fluff. Just real authentic journeys.
So here is my promise to you moving forward:
- I will help you appreciate your unique journey
- I will focus my writings on the why, the what, and the how of chasing your dream
- I will make myself accessible to anyone in need of support
Don’t follow me from a distance. Walk in step beside me.
Will you walk with me?
———
Pre-order a copy of The Millennial Way before June 22nd!
The post My Dream is Not Your Dream by Declan Wilson appeared first on A Millennial Type.