“I know there is no way to do this but to come to America and live with its people. So here I am. In Argentina, I am a lawyer. Here I scrape food off dishes in the kitchen,” the young man laughingly said to a customer at the lunch counter.
“But no matter,” he added. “I am getting to know the people and the language. That is what I am here for.”
Further conversation revealed that he had been in America only two weeks but he could speak English well enough to communicate. He had completed a law course at the University of Buenos Aires and had started his law career in his native land. He soon realized what a valuable asset it would be to be able to speak English fluently.
So here was a young man who was devoting a portion of his life to traveling thousands of miles from home, scraping dishes in a kitchen, living in a strange country with strange people just to develop a skill which would be useful to him in his business.
“Why didn’t you take English language courses at the University?” he was asked.
“I did do that,” he replied. “But you no really learn to speak a language without living with the people.”
You don’t really learn to do something with poise, confidence and sincerity unless you get involved, do it, live it. That was his message.
Have you noticed that successful people always seem to start at the bottom, tossing themselves into every job on the way to the top? I call this apprenticing yourself to your dream.
It’s a process that gets repeated with every new dream.
While it can be a humbling experience to go back to the beginning, it’s also the way bold dreams come true. Desire and imagination can make it a journey worth taking.
What does it take to be a successful Dream Apprentice?
In the words of Time/Warner CEO Ann Moore, the critical factor is direction, not deadlines. She says, “Get a compass and forget the clock.”
That’s essential advice, but there are other things you can do to make this time abundantly fruitful.
One of the common obstacles to learning a new language is the unwillingness to make embarrassing mistakes, an attitude that impedes learning and mastery. The same is true with most new undertakings.
Remind yourself that you are a beginner and be gentle with yourself. After all, no one expects mastery from an apprentice.
In 1976, an unknown professor named Dr. Wayne Dyer wrote a book entitled Your Erroneous Zones. No spectacular success was expected from the book, but the author had other ideas.
He loaded the trunk of his car with copies and spent six months delivering them to bookstores around the country. He booked himself on any radio interview that would have him.
Dyer personally delivered more than 16,000 copies of his book to stores, driving 28,000 miles and giving over 800 interviews. Due to his own efforts, Your Erroneous Zones became the bestseller of the year and launched Dyer’s career as a popular self-help author and speaker.
I can only guess how many lonely days and nights Dyer invested in his dream, but I’m also willing to guess that his experience gave him a priceless education and laid the foundation for long-term success.
People who fail to appreciate small steps never seem to get very far.
On the other hand, those who are delighted with any sign of progress keep moving to the next step and the next step with wild anticipation.
Quite simply, when you apprentice yourself to a dream, you give yourself a passport to adventure. This isn’t about waiting or being patient.
It’s about honoring where you are now—and knowing that’s not where you’re going to stay.
This isn’t about waiting or being patient – it’s a passport to adventure!”
Oh, how many times I’ve been impatient with my progress and then reminded myself of how much I’ve learned and how far I’ve come!
The entire journey is about learning.
If I hadn’t taken the step to write my first blog post, or first newsletter article, I would be so close to writing a real book.
I am closer to the ‘big’ dream, even though it changes & becomes clearer the closer I get, because I was willing to take small steps, to fail, to look foolish, to not know what I am doing, to learn and to just try.
I can see now that in some areas of my business & life I am a journeywoman (while continuing to improve, learn & grow) and in others areas I am an apprentice.
I never thought of it this way. It is an excellent viewpoint – a life changing paradigm shift.
Thank You!
For a long time, I’ve been thinking we needed to revive the notion of apprenticeship. I suspect that all successful new entrepreneurs are voluntary apprentices in one way or another. Simply hanging out with others who are farther along can be a real education… one that too many neglect or ignore. What a shame.
And I also love the word “journeywoman.” That’s a good thing, too!