The gritty minutiae

Mostly, we hear the perfectly polished stories of professional success: “I had the idea, started the company, built the team and worked hard for a few years. Next thing I knew, Google was knocking at our door and we were acquired.”

Take most podcasts, TED talks, magazine features, news articles. There isn’t enough space to give the full, messy truth of how people achieve and then live their dreams. So it’s easy to believe the path came easy for some. Or that when we hit a bump in our own Road to Dreams, it’s because we’re inherently flawed (rather than facing the inevitable ups and downs of moving toward authenticity).

Maybe I can’t get there because I’m not good enough. Raise your hand if this one sounds familiar. Yeah, same.

What I’m interested in is the gritty minutiae of how people achieve the dream. How did they move forward on a day-to-day basis? How did they manage the negative self talk? How did they take care of themselves, and figure out their next moves? How did they build up their courage? I want to know it all: from the late nights to the doubt to the champagne toasts.

What does it really look like to grow in a direction authentic to ourselves? Let’s unpack it all.