Have you ever pursued a goal to no end, only to eventually realize that it’s just not working out?  This has happened to me and people I know, and I can tell you there’s nothing more frustrating.  After all, we usually don’t achieve goals because A) we purposely set them aside to focus on something more important or B) we get too busy (or lazy) and don’t give them the time and attention they deserve.   

But what about the times when we methodically do everything we should do to make something happen, and we’re super-diligent or persistent about it, but despite herculean efforts we just don’t see results?  I’ll give you an example of this situation in action.  From the time my friend was a child, she wanted to be an actress.  And she had a good amount of talent, so there was no reason for her to believe she couldn’t achieve that goal.  After she graduated from college, she attended workshops, spent money on headshots and promotional materials, went on hundreds of auditions, and networked like mad.  She supported herself bartending and put her entire life on hold in pursuit of her dream.  But several years later, my friend still had no results to speak of save one walk-on part on a network sitcom.  She was heartbroken. 

My friend eventually realized that the cosmos was trying to tell her that she was meant to do something else, but she had been tuning it out.  She started listening, and recalled how she’d helped a friend in marketing come up with one of the most successful brand names in that company’s history.  In fact, when she thought about it, my friend realized that she had a knack for naming everything from her pet cockatoo to a new formulation of dishwashing detergent.  So she looked into how she might make a career out of this gift, and five years later, she’s an extremely successful independent naming consultant, pulling down a six figure salary and loving every minute of it.   

The universe works in mysterious ways.  Sometimes, we may think we’re destined for something, only to find out that there’s an entirely different plan in place for us.  When you keep hitting a brick wall despite trying your damndest to achieve a certain outcome, perhaps that means that you should start looking at other possibilities.  As a unique human being, you have your own brand of genius to offer the world – even if it’s not exactly what you thought at first.