The other night I had a vivid dream.
It was about a group of five friends in their early 20s who moved to New York City to pursue careers in entertainment. In the dream I didn't know the five of them well but I think they were friends of a friend.
I was helping them to find their way in the city, like so many did for me when I moved here.
In the dream they had been in the city for a few months, they had established themselves and we were meeting for drinks.
As we were chatting I kept asking them, “Are you here for the adventure and story of pursuing something in NYC or are you here to be successful?”
They just looked at me and shrugged. They didn't understand my question.
The Story Of Success Vs. Success
For a year and a half I pretended that I was moving to New York City.
I would catch up with friends and they would ask what is going on in my life. I would excitedly tell them, “I'm moving to New York!”
In most cases they would be excited for me. “That sounds like such a great adventure.”
Looking forward to something fun felt great. My friends shared the thrill vicariously by daydreaming a little about adventure and what it might be like for them to make a big change.
Then the conversation would move on and we would move on.
But I was no closer to taking action.


Recently I was working with a client I’ll call “Devon”. During our call she was giving me an update on her week and her progress with her to-do list.