Some dreams aren't worth chasing
“I want to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.” - LinkedIn user
I saw this in a post on my LinkedIn timeline a while back, and it’s been on my mind since.
What struck me was not the post itself - that was just a run-of-the-mill big dreams post - but rather how many of us aspire to achieve things without really understanding them.
In the case of this aspiring CEO, they are presumably excited about the money and power that comes with running a large multinational organization.
But I wonder if they genuinely want responsibility for tens of thousands of people’s livelihoods, high stress, and crazy work hours.
And are they willing to put in years of late nights, political maneuvering, missed family time, and relationship sacrifices to get a shot at that role?
This doesn’t just apply to wannabe Fortune 500 CEOs. The same can be said of many career paths, whether that’s being an author, startup founder, or YouTuber.
I think there are two core questions you need to ask yourself:
- Do you know what living that dream would actually be like?
- Do you understand what it will take to achieve your dream, and are you still willing to pursue it?
One easy way to answer the two questions is to reach out to someone already living your dream job and ask them what their job is like and what sacrifices they made to get there.