Everyone said my dreams were impossible to achieve. I proved them wrong and so can you, in just five easy steps

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It was 1997 and I was in my final year of an undergraduate degree at Sydney University. I was almost 20 and couldn’t wait to get out into the real world. But after three years of higher education, it dawned on me that I hadn’t the faintest clue about working in my chosen field.

The world of advertising and publicity was a daunting unknown. While my degree in economics and marketing had armed me with statistical and analytical tools, I didn’t have the first idea of how to implement a successful advertising and PR campaign.

Like most guys my age, I yearned to escape the trappings of my small-town mundane life, filled with years of education and not much else. I wanted to conquer the world.

I didn’t want to graduate and go into a normal job, becoming another cog in the corporate machine. I knew if I did that, I’d get caught in the rat-race of life, like a hamster on a wheel, and I was desperate to break free.

I set my sights on New York, the idea of moving from the sleepy suburbs of Sydney to the world-famous city that never sleeps was thrilling.

I started telling family and friends about my dreams of getting my bite of the Big Apple but was quickly slapped down. The naysayers were out in force.

How will you get a visa? Who will sponsor your visa? Where will you live? But New York is dangerous!

I was determined to prove them all wrong.

Pursuit of happiness

At night, I cranked the dial-up modem and began researching advertising and PR agencies in New York. Day after day I ploughed on, shooting off applications and emails until suddenly, my luck was in. A company on the famed Fifth Ave offered me a job.

Clutching my printed out job offer, I told my parents I’d been hired by a New York advertising and PR agency. Disbelief gave way to pride.

A week after my final uni exam in December 1997, I flew to New York on a three-month working visa. Stepping out from the comforting warmth of JFK Airport into the burning chill of New York winter, I suddenly wondered what the hell I was doing. Who the hell did I think I was? An early case of imposter syndrome, probably.

I started my new job days later and made sure I was always the first in the office and the last to leave. The three months on my temporary work visa flew by, but my employers were so impressed, they sponsored me to stay.

Any trepidation I might have secretly had but wouldn’t have admitted out loud melted away because I was having the time of my life. If Jay-Z and Alicia Key’s ballad to New York, Empire State of Mind, had existed then, its lyrics would have nailed exactly how I was feeling…

If I could make it here, I could make it anywhere...that’s what they say. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.

And not to humble-brag, but I had indeed made it. I was working with the biggest brands with celebrities such as Cindy Crawford as their ambassadors.

Home truths 

Word spread back home that I was going to A-List parties, rubbing shoulders with the stars, and living the dream they’d tried to put me off pursuing for fear of failure. All that and I was barely 20.

Years flew by, but I began to realise life in NYC in the long term would be hard. If I wanted a family, I’d have to live on Long Island or New Jersey and commute to and from Manhattan, often taking several hours as the cost of living in central New York was so high.

Truth be told, after a while the New York sparkle fell from my eyes and I longed to be back near the beach I’d grown up close to. I missed the laid-back Australian lifestyle and the relaxed ease with which people talked to each other. 

I asked my boss if we could open a business together in Australia in a bid to get back there and have an income straight away. The answer was quick and blunt: ‘I know nothing about Australia. You’re on your own.’

I packed my bags and returned home. Armed with the Yellow Pages and an unquestionable amount of self-belief, I set up my own PR agency, Believe Advertising, in February 2002.

I rather enjoyed the irony of the name I’d chosen for my business, as once again, no one believed in me…

How are you going to support yourself? How are you going to get clients? What’s your business plan?

There was no business plan - only fervent commitment to the notion that failure was not an option.

During the day I cold-called companies to whip up new clients, and at night worked in a call centre selling tickets for a charity raffle to pay my rent. After six weeks, I landed my first client and I haven’t looked back.

Now, 17 years on, the business is thriving and I’ve worked with companies all over the world. Even amidst this viral pandemic, I am hustling hard and keeping my business alive.

The approach I take in business is one I’ve applied to my personal life too, never feeling any goal is out of reach.

When I was approaching my 40th birthday, I’d stacked on the weight as the inevitable middle-age metabolism slow-down commenced.

I’d never been a gym-goer and fitness professionals told me that it was impossible for me to get the six-pack I’d set my sights on - that it all boiled down to genetics.

I devised my own program and shed 15kgs – and got the abs I’d hankered after. The moral of my stories is: don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t have what you want in life.

Five steps to turn your dreams into reality

What’s your goal?

Clarify what it is you’re hoping to achieve. Is it weight loss, a new career, or learning a new language? Be clear on your goal.

Set a deadline

Work out realistically when you can achieve your goal so you can keep yourself accountable without setting yourself up for failure.

Identify the first step

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at how we’re going to actually make our goal a reality. Our minds race and negative self-talk about all the reasons we’ll fail begin to creep in. Don’t let it. Write down the one thing you need to do to start achieving your goal and do it. For instance, if it’s weight loss, enrol in the gym or get a personal trainer.

Believe in yourself

If you don’t believe in you, no one else will. Every morning, spend some time visualising your goal. Picture your life now, and what it will look like when you’ve accomplished your aim. Do this every day without fail.

Celebrate small victories

As you edge closer to your goal, celebrate what you’ve achieved along the way to keep yourself motivated. Little celebrations will keep you going as you head towards your success.

*Adrian Falk, 42, lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife, Michelle and their two children, and is Founder and Director of Believe Advertising & PR.

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