How far will you go to make the dream happen? Tips for on-the-go effectiveness.
This is the million dollar question, isn't it? Fair warning, this post is about to get real. Are you prepared to discipline yourself like you never have before, i.e. planning your life down to the last second so that things get done? Forsake lie-ins, wild nights out and some social interaction?
How will you cope when it comes to prioritising a deadline over a cheeky pint down the pub on Thursday after work? Or what about in the face of heartbreak? Sleeping late and getting up early? Will you be able to manage your diet appropriately?
I am being straight with you here because the reality is, you can get as far as you want towards the dream but it will most likely feel uncomfortable at least once every other day. And the closer you get the more uncomfortable it will get. I've lost count of the amount of times I've cried in the last couple of weeks let alone since I sat up and took note of it. It's a shocker, but I'm just being honest with you. Which is what Han Meets World is all about.
han meets world london
Great, now that we have sussed that you are one tough cookie, allow me to share some kinder words and suggestions for overcoming the tough days:
Strategy and planning. Yup, fun bit first. I would not have got where I am today without a little forward planning. Whether a separate colour-coded schedule in your phone calendar or a chart in a Google doc, this will save you so much stress. Somewhere down the line "life will happen" and you will find yourself, at some point, inundated with things to do in the present. Cue the content plan! Knowing what you want from starting a blog/online project is key as well. And then look at this again at three months/six months/a year, because the plan never quite stays the same and will evolve. Be bold and declare yourself!
Taking on and overcoming the "emotional life stuff". So I am not saying this will happen to you, but how do you deal when life throws you an emotional boomerang? I am not talking the once a month period kind either. You have an argument with someone dear to you, something happens in the family, you break up with someone. What then? I broke things off with someone my first week into a job and it was intense for a while. The answer is individual, but my strongest advice is communicate. Communicate with friends and family. Work colleagues if it deeply serious. I broke up with someone the first week into my latest job, and it was intense. The spare emotion that I suddenly had, not the break up. What will you do when the wave of emotion washes over? My answer was to take the excess emotion and throw myself into my work. And to be fair it paid off. But what helped just as much was sharing with other people what I was dealing with so I could be held accountable for looking after my health and wellbeing so I didn't run myself into the ground. That's physically, mentally and emotionally. And remember social and work life are two separate entities!
You will have to compromise something at some point, but it makes for a great story. You can have it all. But in order to get there you may have to make some compromises. I can probably count my Friday night out outs this year one one hand because I have been on self-development courses. I have eaten Tesco £1 sandwiches for lunch consistently for a few weeks so I can pay for date night at the weekend. Half of my pay cheque goes on my rent. What are you willing to put aside temporarily to make the dream happen for you? And how will you approach this? Will you see it as the end of the world? In which case I suggest you not bother with the dream. Or will you see it as a fantastic anecdote for your memoir in fifty years time? The perspective is up to you, have fun with it!
It sounds scary, but remember: you are not defined by who you are in your present circumstances. Remember who you are in your bigger picture. And communicate and share with those closest to you so you never feel alone.
Also, I say on-the-go because I know I can't always fit a physical diary in my bag. Plus thoughts pop into my head all the time. It is much easier to pull your phone out and make a note on the tube than a diary.
Now, lets go forth and create!
Han x
