You probably have seen and even considered trying money-making seminars. You know, those seminars, videos, books, etc. that promise that you can make money in your spare time, investing in real estate and other things. If you want to consider one of those seminars, think about your strengths and talents first.

For example, if you are considering a real estate seminar, think about whether your interest is really in doing real estate. If so, you would probably get a lot out of the seminar. But if you’re considering it just because it sounds easy, then maybe it’s not the thing for you. (The seminars always make it sound easy.)

The seminars are good for people who really have an interest or natural affinity for that particular subject. If you want to succeed in whatever you do, I believe it’s best to figure out where your interest really lies.

I believe that any person has a greater chance of success doing the thing that God has put in them in terms of talent or natural ability. You can discover it by figuring out what you are naturally good at, and what you love to do.

Going after your dream job is not necessarily easy, but in order to start, you have to figure out what you are really good at. I knew that I was good at art, but since art seemed like a hard thing to make a living at, I considered those money-making seminars. But now I realize that it was better to put my effort into what I was good at, which led me to my dream job.

When you’re working toward your dream job, most likely you won’t be making a lot of money. When you’re first starting out, you don’t need a complicated financial plan. This is advice that my lawyer friend gave me:

Finances are easy, just spend less than what you earn.

If you have financial stress, you’re more likely to give up on your dream job. So you have to be smart about money, and do whatever you can to get by. And that may include cutting back on your expenses.

If you can hang in there, the better chance you have to get to your goals, so you always have to be careful about your money. Don’t let financial stress make you give up on your dream job.

If you really believe in your goals, the sacrifices you make today will be worth it. Have confidence in yourself that you can succeed.

If you believe your goal is possible, then you would naturally point yourself in that direction. When you believe, you will start to take steps, however small, toward your goal. If something gets in your way, you figure out a way to get around it. You may get stuck, but if you’re determined to get your goal, you won’t stay stuck for too long.

If you don’t really believe in your goal, then you won’t even take the steps. You probably won’t even get started, but even if you do, you would probably get discouraged easily when obstacles appear.

Getting to your goal is not guaranteed. But NOT getting to your goal IS guaranteed IF you give up.

Success depends on how strongly you believe, how clear it is, and how passionate you are about your goal.

Believing in your goal may be a process, the farther you move in the right direction, the stronger your belief becomes, because you build upon small successes along the way. That’s why it’s important to start taking the steps.

John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States. I’ve often wondered how people get to be President of the United States. Do they just magically become president?

Well, I’ve read that Kennedy’s father, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., actually groomed him to be president from an early age. Joseph Kennedy was born to a political family in Boston. He became wealthy from finance, the stock market, real estate, the movie industry, and importing liquor. He was rumored to have been a bootlegger during Prohibition, but this was not firmly proven.

Joe Kennedy became friends with Franklin D. Roosevelt when he was working for a steel shipyard company, and Roosevelt was Assistant Secretary of the Navy. When Roosevelt became president, he appointed Kennedy to Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Joe Kennedy was very ambitious, and in his eyes, the ultimate prize was the American presidency. He wanted his eldest son, Joe Jr. to become president, but after Joe Jr,’s death in 1944, he became determined to make the second eldest son, John, president.

There are two points I want to make with this example. The father Joe Kennedy, decided on a goal, and was fiercely determined to achieve it. He was a strong force to make his son, John F. Kennedy president. John F. Kennedy, on the other hand, was made to believe that he COULD become president from an early age.

I myself, didn’t become president, in part, because I never thought it was possible, and it was a far off, distant possibility for anyone in my family. It sounds like I’m being facetious, but when you think about it, it’s true. If you believe your goal is possible, you will point your life in that direction. John F. Kennedy had many advantages which enabled him to become president, but the first step in achieving a goal is believing that it’s possible.

This is what I’ve observed about how people choose their careers. I can’t prove that this is true, it’s just what I’ve observed.

Many people choose their careers simply because it makes money. They get a job just because they need money, but they may get stuck in a career that they don’t really like.

Many people choose their career because it’s what their parents did. It’s what they grew up with, so it’s what they’re familiar with. It’s not necessarily good or bad, but it demonstrates that you usually do what you believe is possible.

Many people choose their career because their parents or others want them to have that particular career. Again it’s not necessarily good or bad, but it might not be based on what you’re really suited for.

Most people DO NOT choose their career based on their talents or love of their work. They usually think that it can’t make money. That might be true, but before you give it up, it might be helpful to learn more about that particular career. Maybe try talking to people who actually do it.

I heard a definition of insanity once:

Insanity is when you keep doing the same thing, and you expect a different result.

Sometimes when you are working toward your goal, it’s not working out. You may be convinced it’s going to work, so you keep doing the same thing, and you can’t figure out why it’s not working. But sometimes you may have to just try it another way, or try something different. You have to be flexible in your thinking. Be open to evaluate what you’re doing, and be willing to make adjustments if necessary. Of course you have to be realistic, but don’t give up too early.

I was able to become a Disney artist. But there was a time in my life when I didn’t really consider it to be a possibility. There was a time when I wasn’t successful, and didn’t know exactly how it was going to happen. But I kept on working, looking for opportunities, and preparing myself so I would be ready when the right opportunity finally came. I persevered and didn’t give up.

I think that anyone who is reading this and really absorbs this can do the same thing, no matter what your goal is. You may have to make adjustments, improve your skills, or change course, but you can still get there. It’s actually pretty simple, it’s just that when people don’t have a clear idea of what they want to do, or don’t believe in themselves fully, they may give up too early. Of course it’s never guaranteed, but I keep repeating this, IT IS POSSIBLE.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda is training Luke to lift his sunken X Wing fighter with his Jedi powers. Luke thinks it’s impossible, but he says he’ll try. Yoda chastises him, saying “Do or Do not, there is no try”.

Star Wars creator George Lucas said in an interview, “The philosophy of ‘put your all into something, and don’t just try’, but actually envision yourself doing it and accomplishing it, is a philosophy that runs through all my movies. It is something that I encountered first when I was in college, a lot of the students would give up on things before they really had a chance to explore them, they would convince themselves that it was not possible. For me, it was the whole issue of getting to make movies, was a completely impossible idea, there was no even remote consideration that it could actually happen. But, I put my mind to it, and never considered any other possibility. It was through that, that eventually I did manage to do the impossible. It’s only by considering the impossible, that one can get to it. You can’t get to it by simply saying, “I’m going to try to get to it”, you have to say “I’m GOING to get to it.”

I want to emphasize the important points. George Lucas saw that lot of people give up on things before they really have a chance to explore them. A lot of times they’ll convince themselves it is impossible. Before George Lucas became successful, making movies also seemed impossible, but he put his mind to it, and didn’t consider any other possibility. He believed it was possible even before he was able to do it. That’s how he was able to become a film director and make Star Wars.

After Luke gives up, Yoda raises the X Wing Fighter himself with the Force, and Luke, astonished, exclaims “I don’t believe it”. Yoda, tired from his effort, says “That is why you fail”.

I admit I spent many years trying to be a successful freelance artist. I graduated from the Academy of Art in 1982, I worked for Bank of America in their graphics department, I freelanced doing computer art for an audio/visual company, I did some advertising for Cal Football, I did some illustrations for video games, and I got my first job with Disney in 1992. So it took me 10 years to get to the point where I could say I got my dream job.

There is a quote by Walt Disney, that if I followed it seriously from the beginning, I think would have helped me get to my dream job faster.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
– Walt Disney

I spent many days sitting in my apartment, kind of stuck, watching TV, trying to find inspiration, but finding it hard to stay motivated to work toward my goals. I thought about being successful, but I didn’t really know how it could happen. But when I think about it now, being stuck meant getting nowhere. The only way to make my dream happen was to continually try to do something about it. Yes, a lot of times what I tried didn’t work out, but if you let yourself get stuck again, then you’re back to getting nowhere. You have to keep trying, maybe adjust what you’re doing, but try again. The Walt Disney quote helped me to keep on doing.

Film director Steven Spielberg was rejected by both USC and UCLA film schools, so he went to Long Beach State, which didn’t even have a film school. There is a story about how he first got his directing contract with Universal Studios.

He was visiting California with his family, and they went on the Universal Studios tram tour. He always wanted to make movies, so he snuck off the tour to look around. He was caught by a man who recognized his passion, and gave him some passes to visit the studio. The next day, Spielberg dressed up with a coat and tie, and carried his father’s briefcase, and just walked past the guards at the Universal studio gate, without even using the studio passes. He would wave to the guards and they just assumed he was an executive.

He found an empty office in a bungalow and set it up as his own. He began talking to people on the studio lot and made connections, and finally showed them a short film he created. The studio executives were so impressed that they offered him a seven year contract, becoming the youngest director ever to be hired by Universal. He didn’t even finish college at Long Beach State. He went on to direct Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan and many more movies.

Some believe that Spielberg embellished the story, but even if only part of the story is true, it shows that he was very bold in getting his career. Yes, he was very talented, but he didn’t just sit around, he did something to make his career happen.

Let me repeat that, because I think it’s important. Before he became successful, Steven Spielberg was just a guy who didn’t have his goal yet. Before you get your goal, sometimes it’s hard to believe you will actually get it. But Steven Spielberg had a clear idea of what he wanted and did something about it.