How to Pursue Your Dreams The RIGHT Way and WIN
I came across this video by a Christian YouTube content creator, Ruslan KD, where he provides a simple yet powerful financial principle which in his own words “…changed the trajectory of my career, of my finances....” He got this principle from Dave Ramsey, founder of Ramsey Solutions, who is a Christian Financial Advisor. This principle comes right out of Proverbs 12:11:
Proverbs 12:11 “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense”
Ruslan works as a rapper and YouTube content creator but he did not get to this point overnight. He had dreams to be a rapper, however, he realized that he was pursuing his dreams the wrong way. He felt that somehow his dreams will just happen until he came across this powerful principle from Proverbs 12:11. It was then that he had to work diligently, charting concrete steps from where he was where he worked various jobs to where he now is.
I was intrigued by this video and as a Christian, I try to abide by the principles found in the Bible. So, when I came across Proverb 12:11 sometime later, I wanted to understand what it means and what principles I can take from it. I believe this Proverb is simple but a powerful principle that teaches us not to chase fantasies but to pursue our dreams in the right way. My thesis is that “Success comes by pursing our dreams gradually with the God-given talents or the work we now have and the hard work that is required of us as opposed to pursuing get-rich-quick schemes”
In summary, the principle of Proverbs 12:11 could be boiled down to two statements:
In the negative: Avoid any endeavor which promises itself to be quick, easy, requiring very little skill and time
In the positive: Work honestly, patiently, excellently at what you have before you, whether you are an employee, employer or business owner.
Application in our lives
Ruslan KD talks about his journey of going from a person who worked various jobs to where he is today being an independent rapper and YouTube content creator. His journey was not instant but took many smaller concrete steps of learning the business side of being an independent artist and the various revenue streams while having cash flow from intermediate jobs. Consistent with Proverbs 12:11, the harvest of land is not instant. It comes after patient seasons of working the land.
The key takeaways from Proverbs 12:11 include:
1. Stay Away from Get-Rich-Quick or Illegal Schemes
Proverbs 12:11 warns against the worthless pursuits and Proverbs 1:10-15 gives more clarity on what such pursuits look like. Any scheme which promises a high yield within a very short period of time requiring little skill and patience should be suspicious. Now there may be instances where a person could get lucky but in general honest labor does not yield an instant return
2. Recognize that your dream will not come to you instantly or without intentionality
Working the land requires careful and patient labor. You have to prepare the land and make sure that it is good soil. You have to sow seeds in the right season. You have to make sure weeds are removed from the land. It is only in following these steps that you will get a return.
3. Have cash flow while pursuing your dream
This is another important aspect of working your land. It is important to be able to sustain yourself financially. This means you may be working at a job which is not your dream job. However, the most important thing is that such labor be honest and honorable
4. Find contentment & joy in the work you are doing now
There are jobs out there which are genuinely bad for various reasons, This point is relevant to jobs which are reasonably good. There may be relationships which develop either with colleagues, clients or customers which could be rewarding. Recognizing aspects to be thankful in that job could go a long way to enjoying a job which is not necessarily your dream job.
5. Make concrete intentional steps towards your dream
I cannot provide an exhaustive list of what this looks like since different people have different dreams. Some would like to eventually start a business. Some would like to start a writing career and others would like to go into vocational ministry. The important question is to ask, what are concrete steps which can be taken now while being able to sustain myself financially. Some examples of steps include (but are not limited to):
o Taking a part-time program or online program
o Taking a certification program
o Learning skills relevant to the said dream career
o Doing diligent research into the subject matter related to the dream career
o Consulting others who have charted the same or similar path
o For a business, learning about the various revenue streams
o For a business, learning how to market the business and doing the relevant market research
In conclusion, pursuing a dream is good and could be honorable. But it is important to do it the right way. Recognizing that getting from where you are to your dream is not an instant overnight endeavor but requires patience and intentionality are the ingredients to pursuing your dream endeavor the right way. We hope you were inspired by this piece. SUBSCRIBE to our blog for more enriching content. Thank you for reading and until next time, BESTech remains your BEST bet.