Meet Garnet Thompson, The Inspiring Author Encouraging Young People to Live the Life of their Dreams
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Growing up, Garnet Thompson, Author of 20/20 Vision Dreams, was left to be raised by his Grandparents and Church Minister (for some time) after his maternal Mother moved for a better life in Canada. While growing up and learning life’s all-important lessons, Garnet always kept a notepad outlining his dreams and future aspirations.
On vacation from work, Garnet shared a secret to successfully attaining his goals by inspiring his children to write a list of 100 dreams. Eager to achieve, over the next few days Garnet’s children successfully turned their list of 100 dreams into their reality proving that dreams do come true.
Thompson joined us to discuss the fundamentals necessary to living the life of your dreams, the most common challenges faced along the way, how you can successfully overcome these challenges, plus more.
The Davi Magazine (TDM): Let’s dive straight into the deep end. What would you say is the no.1 thing holding people back from successfully living the life of their dreams?
Garnet Thompson (Thompson): Fantastic, let's get straight to it! One thing I have found in my own life was a very potent combination of not feeling worthy, coupled with a deeply felt fear of criticism. For some unexplained reason, the mere thought of other people possibly not liking our end product, fills us with a sense of dread and horror. We then often decide that the goal is not worth the risk of potential embarrassment or potential failure, and we stay with the things we know are comfortable and less risky.
TDM: Totally agree as the fear of embarrassment or failure causes people to live comfortably, preventing them from living the life of their dreams.
Hopefully, we’ll see more people releasing themselves from fear with the release of lockdown. Speaking of lockdown, people are slowly heading back to work. However, for those who have been made redundant (as a result of the pandemic) or are aspiring entrepreneurs, what guidance would you give them and how can they begin to write their list to begin pursuing their dreams today?
Thompson: Starting over has to be one of the scariest feelings in this world, I'm sure everyone is feeling the impact of this pandemic in unique ways for their situations. It undoubtedly would be devastating to lose a dream business or a dream job during this pandemic. I would say start by finding some quiet time free from all distractions to think and to brainstorm and write down all the things you enjoy doing that could also solve a problem that yourself or other people are dealing with on a day to day basis.
Write down each idea without judging them,
write down as many ideas immediately
as they come to your mind.
Sometime over the next thirty days, revisit the thoughts which you have written down. Look for the ones that you would do without compensation and which someone else would want to purchase to solve a problem they are experiencing if it was made available.
TDM: That's amazing! I guess that also applies to young adults currently having to study at home. What guidance would you give young adults either at college or university?
Thompson: I would tell young people the same advice which I have offered to my own two young adults,
find a way to increase your knowledge in a previously unknown field or course of study, to gain new insights and to build new meaningful relationships.
Also, reflect on your List of 100 Dreams to find ones that you can accomplish during this unexpected break from routine. Lastly, take frequent periods to rest, exercise, have fun and prepare your body and mind for when life will resume, however different it will be.
TDM: Some wise words. Would you say the process of living a dream-fulfiled life is similar for everyone and if so, what is the process?
Thompson: The process is likely different for everyone, although, from my experience, there are some common aspects for every desired goal.
It's first important to decide what exactly
is the desired dream or goal; this needs to be a crystal-clear vision with the associated feelings.
Then it's crucial to understand the driving reason behind why we want that specific dream or goal. As outlined in the back of my book 20/20 Vision Dreams, we must then determine how we are going to pursue the desired outcome. The next vital step is to establish a target due date; without a due date, there will be a likelihood of never starting or taking the necessary steps forward every day. Along the way, it then becomes essential to look back once in a while to check our progress to learn from the route we have taken, which might make the remaining portion of the journey less challenging, or at minimum not as scary.
TDM: I guess what challenges us makes us stronger and not forgetting that nothing great comes easy. What is the most challenging part in attaining one’s dreams and how can people overcome this?
Thompson: Nothing comes easy, that is such a true statement! I have found that the most challenging part of the pursuit of worthwhile dreams is the "middle". The "middle" is the timeframe when you are about halfway to your goal and when it often gets more mentally challenging. You have made significant progress yet the end can still feel so daunting and so far away.
One way that I have found to overcome this to keep repeating to myself the following
"I have come too far to quit!" and to keep focusing and taking even the smallest step forward one at a time.
TDM: "Keep focusing and taking even the smallest step forward one at a time." I second that! And for those who are still yet to discover their purpose, what guidance would you give them in hopes of discovering their purpose during these testing times?
Thompson: I would have to say that these "testing" times offer us a unique set of circumstances and opportunities to reflect and to try some of those things which are on our "Maybe one day I will try it list". Our regular thought patterns and activities have been interrupted whether we like it or not, so now is the time to experiment and "test" out new behaviours and new challenges to see if we like them or attracted to them. For me, I have found myself wanting to write more such as short stories, articles or perhaps a manuscript for a new potential book. The activities which I feel compelled to do during my free time seem to offer a peaceful sense of fulfilment and sense-of-purpose.
TDM: Yes! There's nothing greater than living a purposely fulfilled life.
One of the things we love most about your inspiring journey in 20/20 Vision Dreams, is that despite growing up as a youth with very little support, you still managed to remain focused and succeeded. What are some of the things that held you back in the past and what steps did you take to overcome them?
Thompson: Thanks, I'm glad you found the book value-added. To be clear, although not in the traditional family configuration, I had a tremendous amount of support from my network that consisted of family, friends and our community. One thing which held me back in the past and still rears it's ugly head today from time to time is fear.
Whether it was the fear of criticism, fear of failure or fear of success, they all had the
impact of obscuring my vision and at-times paralyzed me from taking action on my dreams. I have had to continually remind myself that the fears which are not related to my safety are false and are imaginary.
I have decided ahead of time that
I will demand of myself the courage to act and push through the curtain of fear to reach my
dreams on the other side.
TDM: I couldn't agree more! I guess having a mentor can help in terms of guidance and overcoming fear in addition to providing the knowledge and skills to greatly enhance the chances for success. Why is it so important for people to have a support network whilst striving for their definition of success?
Thompson: The temporary or permanent relationships we form (or have had) with key people in our lives form a network of support. This network of support is the "secret sauce" in the pursuit of any noteworthy dream or goal. Within our network of support is a storehouse of encouragement which is vital on those days when we lack the confidence and will power to take another step forward. Often, we are unable to see a clear path or the possibility of that goal for ourselves, however, a person in our network objectively sees the traits and characteristics within us that are well suited for the challenge and can see it for us.
TDM: Yes, and then the path becomes clearer for us to accomplish our dreams.
If you had the ability to choose three attributes necessary to accomplish your dreams, which attributes would you choose and why?
Thompson: Great question, I would choose persistence, attitude and integrity. One of my favourite quotes is by Calvin Coolidge in which he perfectly states that nothing in this world can take the place of persistence, not talent, not genius and not education. The second attribute would most definitely be maintaining a positive attitude which will keep us in the right mindset to find the solutions to our challenges. The last attribute would have to be integrity, this one is the toughest of all, at least from my own experience. Staying true to yourself and forgiving yourself of mistakes when you have violated your own cardinal rules or the rights of others is a massive soul-wrenching and lengthy process to overcome.
TDM: Integrity is such a necessary attribute to have especially during the pandemic. Speaking of the pandemic, thousands of people worldwide currently feel stuck and lack hope. What guidance would you give people to continue to dream big and persevere during these testing times?
Thompson: There is one consistent thing that I have observed during my life so far, and it's that all challenges have a season. There is either a gradual or a sudden beginning after there has always been a gradual or sudden end. This allows us to have a sense of hope knowing that
every storm regardless of how catastrophic will eventually come to an end.
On those days when I have felt a lack of hope and wanting to give up, I remember specific individuals in history who have accomplished their goals and would have also felt the same at some point. However, they eventually stood back up and pressed on with a deep-seated human will power to survive and to thrive.
TDM: I'm loving that combo - "survive and to thrive." With the success of 20/20 Vision Dreams, what’s next on your Dreams list?
Thompson: My list of 100 dreams currently has several travel experiences remaining to be marked off. Once travel restrictions have been lifted and when it’s “safe" to travel to foreign countries, I plan on travelling to new countries, meet new amazing people and make new friends in our world. Travelling will also give my taste buds a treat with all the new aromas and foods along the way.
TDM: Sounds like an amazing travel experience. Is there anything you believe we missed that could be beneficial in helping people discover their greatest potential and begin creating their list of 100 dreams today?
Thompson: Along with fear that we discussed earlier, another area that has the potential to derail and stop us from achieving our dreams are habits. We all know those habits which are getting in our way that we hold on to like our life depends on them.
The irony is that achieving our dreams depends on us forcefully discarding those bad habits and making a conscious effort to replace them
with beneficial habits.
These new good habits will help to set us on auto-pilot on a track towards our dreams and goals. I would encourage readers to pick up a copy of my book '20/20 Vision Dreams', which will be a life-changing resource and will lift them up towards a fantastic future of their creation.
TDM: Amazing! - we're all for having a fantastic future! At the Davi Magazine, we love to ask our guests, if you had an opportunity to speak with your younger self to save yourself from experiencing heartache and pain, what would you tell yourself?
Thompson: That's a fantastic final question and one that I have recently been pondering.
The one thing that I would tell myself would be to open myself up to the potential of heartache and pain. Which was the opposite of what I did in my days of youth by building a mental wall of protection around myself, which ended up being a self-imposed quarantine. I would say embrace vulnerability, open yourself up, accept that mistakes are an inevitable part of life and allow yourself to just be human.
From defining your dreams to goal setting, Garnet’s interactive book, '20/20 Vision Dreams' is capable of having you living a dream-fulfiled life with persistence and staying focused no matter the obstacles life may bring.
You can purchase your copy of the highly empowering 20/20 Vision Dreams here on paperback or on Kindle to help take you from where you are currently positioned to living the life of your dreams.
Keep up-to-date with Garnet Thompson and his inspiring journey here and on Facebook and Instagram.
