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Fun fact: I tried to move to New York at least 3 times in my life.
It never happened.
Each time, I meticulously planned every step I would take to get there, and each time, something unexpected derailed my plans–an injury, a job offer, meeting my husband.
I spoke to a group of musical theatre students a few weeks ago, and I was reminded how grateful I am that my plans to move to New York never panned out.
In retelling those parts of my career, I realised we can never dream big enough to realise our greatest potential.
Looking back, my dreams of living in New York were limited, and were merely born from societal programming.
Growing up as an aspiring performer on a small island, I saw and heard messaging that told me I needed to live in New York in order to become a successful dancer. “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere…”
I didn’t actually know what the reality of living in New York meant, and if you asked me why I wanted to live there, I probably would have answered with a very defensive, “because it’s New York!”
Nevertheless, I was so focused on the grandeur of my dream, that I constantly felt anxious, worried, and uneasy. I never felt like I could relax, I felt guilty for taking a day off, and I compared myself to everyone around me. I needed to know that everything would work out exactly as I had imagined.
One of the students told me his own plans for his career. He admitted that he was worried that if one little thing went off kilter, it would ruin everything. He felt overwhelmed by his dream and asked me for advice on staying the course when things felt tough.
I came across a picture and quote from the artist Charlie Mackesy that perfectly summed up the message I wanted to get across to these students.
Often when we have a big dream, or set a huge goal for ourselves, the sheer enormity of it can feel overwhelming.
So we think we need to plan every step along the way, and we avoid taking action until we can see the whole path laid out for us.
This causes us to stay paralysed with fear and inaction. We end up procrastinating, then we beat ourselves up for not making enough progress.
But I want to remind you that don’t need to see the entire path.
As the horse says in the picture above, just take the next step that you can see.
Then the next. And the next. And while you’re at it, leave some room for the universe to surprise you.
Ten years from now, you will look back at all the steps you’ve taken and be amazed by how far you’ve traveled.
So what’s the next step you can see?
Go and take that.
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Originally from Barbados, Crystal Nicholls is a Professional Dancer and Nutrition Coach, based in London. She has performed on tv, the high seas, and Disney’s The Lion King. Through her 1:1 coaching programs, she helps high level performers overcome stress, to find balance in their lives and achieve their goals.
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