One night after one of his concerts, the great violinist Itzhak Perlman attended a charity reception in his honor. People who attended the special event paid hundreds of dollars for the privilege of meeting him.
During the reception, a man walked up to Perlman, congratulated him on his amazing performance that night, and said, “Mr. Perlman, I’ve always had a great love of the violin. I would give my whole life to be able to play the violin like you did tonight.”
Perlman smiled at him and said, “I have.”
You already know the point I’m about to make, right? Two men. Both extremely passionate about the violin. The difference is that one took action and pursued his passion. The other did not.
Do you have a dream or passion worth giving your whole life to? If not, here are three questions to help you figure it out:
- If you had all the time and money in the world, and you knew you could not fail, what would you do?
- What difference do you want to make in the world before you die?
- What cause, need, problem or opportunity excites you the most?
I’m pretty clear on what my passion is and how I plan to achieve it. But at times in my life, I’ve let busyness, fear of failure, and fear of the unknown keep me from pursuing it. Can anyone else relate?
Gratefully, every now and then someone or something reminds me that “Life is short. Don’t waste it.” And then I’m motivated again to take action.
If you struggle with taking that first or next step in pursuing your passion and dreams, consider these words from Henry David Thoreau:
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.
And if you’ve never taken the time your write out your dreams, or to describe your ideal life and preferred future, take some time to do it today! That’s your next step.
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