Hey, you! You're not a spectator. You've been living on the sideline for far too long. If you've ever been sitting at your desk, staring at the clock, counting down the minutes until you can leave and do something that feels fulfilling, then this article is for you.
Hey, you! You’re not a spectator. You’ve been living on the sideline for far too long. If you’ve ever been sitting at your desk, staring at the clock, counting down the minutes until you can leave and do something that feels fulfilling, then this article is for you.
The truth is that many people dream of doing something different with their lives. They want to quit their day job and pursue their passion. And when they do it, they often find themselves in a new world with unexpected challenges and lessons to learn.
It’s time to stop being a spectator and finally decide to live your dreams. It’s time for you to take action—to get out of your head and into the world.
You’re going to be in for an adventure. It’s going to be scary but exciting. You’ll learn a lot about yourself and the world around you. You may even change careers or go back to school!
But you’ve got to leap first—and that’s where things get tricky. What if you jump and miss? Or worse yet: what if you jump and land on your face?
At some stage in our lives, we are confronted with the dilemma of whether or not to act on our dreams and ambitions. Most of us choose not to work because we fear failure, but what if we overcame that fear and acted?
What would happen if you decided not to settle for a job or lifestyle you don’t like if you stepped out of your comfort zone and went for it?
Here is a taste of what you can expect if you leap.
1. You will have to face fear head-on
Everyone has something that scares them, whether it’s heights, spiders, or public speaking. But fear is like a disease—if you let it fester, it can spread and conquer your life. It can keep you from going after your dreams and your passions. But that doesn’t mean you have to run from fear forever. You can choose to face your fears head-on.
If you’ve ever faced a hard choice and taken the path less traveled, you know how scary that can be—but it’s also gratifying once you accept that leap. And if you decide to follow your dreams and your passions, there are many ways to face your fears:
-To overcome the fear of rejection, try open auditions for local talent shows or community theater groups
- To overcome the fear of public speaking, sign up for a Toastmasters class
- To overcome the fear of failure, start with small goals like learning to make a certain kind of dish or trying out a new sport
2. You will be surprised by how much you don’t know
The most surprising thing about pursuing your passion is that you’ll be surprised by how much you don’t know.
We all know that we should follow our passion and dreams. But how do we do it?
The first step is to decide what you want out of life. For example, do you want to travel the world? Or do you want to make a lot of money? Do you want to get married and have kids?
Once you’ve decided on your goal, think about what excites you. What makes you feel happy and energized? What makes your heart beat faster? That’s probably where your passion lies.
But how do you find out what it is? The easiest way is to try everything! Try new things, meet new people, explore different cultures, learn new skills, and study other subjects. You’ll be surprised by how much you don’t know about yourself or the world around you!
3. You will Identify the barriers that are holding you
The word “barrier” is a big one.
You know what I mean, though. There are all kinds of things that can get in the way of your dreams: lack of money, lack of time, lack of skills or experience—the list goes on and on.
But here’s the thing: identifying the barriers holding you back when you follow your dream opens up opportunities for new perspectives and solutions.
For example, if you have a dream to start a business but haven’t been able to find funding for it yet, what do you think would happen if you identified that as a barrier? You might find yourself exploring new funding avenues (like crowdfunding) or even just brainstorming ways to make more money to afford to start up on your own instead of looking for investors.
And if you had a dream to travel somewhere far away… but didn’t have enough vacation time at work? That could lead to finding different types of jobs that offer more vacation days—or even quitting altogether!
4. You will become humbled by the process
If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard a thousand times that “follow your dreams!”
But what does that mean? What’s the process of following your dreams, and what happens when you do?
The answer is simple: it’s humbling. It’s hard as hell. It requires you to be vulnerable, to put yourself out there and ask for help, even if it feels terrifying to expose part of yourself to the world. You’ll make mistakes and probably want to give up at least a million times.
But that’s okay because it’s all part of the process. And if you can stick with it and push through the fear and the pain and the self-doubt, you’ll come out on the other side more robust with a new outlook on life.
When I was starting my first site, I knew very little of a clear path to follow, which terrified me! But through my mistakes and failures, I’ve grown so much as a human being.
Now I know how to communicate better with people (including myself), lead more effectively, and build relationships that last longer than just one project together (which is ultimately what we all want).
5. You will have to learn how to manage stress better
It’s true: you must learn how to manage stress better. But that’s not all! You’ll also learn a lot about yourself and what you can do when you follow your dreams.
And the fact is, when we’re stressed, it can make us feel like we’re not doing enough. We start thinking about all the things we should be doing instead of what we are doing, which makes us feel guilty for not doing more. And that guilt makes us feel even more stressed!
But here’s the thing: when we’re stressed out because we feel like we’re not doing enough, we usually aren’t doing too much. It’s just that our standards are so high for ourselves that most of us would never even consider meeting them (and if someone did meet them, they’d probably think they were superhuman).
But here’s a secret: when you do something small every day—even if it seems insignificant or silly—and then keep doing it consistently over time, eventually, those small things add up and become significant accomplishments.
Take exercise, for example, 30 minutes of running every day don’t seem like much at first glance, but over time it becomes an hour-long workout with no effort! And then, before you know it, you’re running a marathon!
The same principle applies to following your dreams. When you break down your goals into small, manageable pieces and then focus on taking consistent action daily, those small steps will eventually add up and lead to significant results.
6. You will develop more confidence
I’m going, being honest with you: I’m not naturally confident.
I was pretty shy and reserved, and it’s taken me a long time to get comfortable in my skin.
But the truth is that nobody is born confident—we all have to learn it. And once we do, we realize that confidence isn’t something you have or don’t have—you can build up over time and decide how much of it you want to let out into the world around you.
So if confidence isn’t our default state, why would we want more of it? Because when you’re confident, amazing things happen! You feel more relaxed and comfortable with who you are, so your interactions with other people become more accessible and more natural.
You can take risks without feeling like they’re too big for your comfort zone. And most importantly, as an account manager by day and writer by night, rejection doesn’t sting as much.
(And if you think about it, most of the things we want in life—a great career, a happy relationship, fulfilling hobbies—are actually on the other side of rejection).
7. You will have to learn on your own
There’s a lot to be said for learning yourself. The opportunities are endless, and you’ll never run out of things to know. But where do you begin?
The first step is getting comfortable with your own company. You’ll have to spend some time alone before you can start engaging with others in a meaningful way. Once you’ve done that, you can begin building relationships, and then—if all goes well!—you can start learning from them.
You may not think so now, but once you start engaging with others emotionally, it will become clear that there’s no end to what you can learn from them.
8. You will have to network
When it comes to networking, there’s no such thing as too much. But if you’re like me. Then you may be in a state of doubt about what to say and how to act.
I’m not going to lie: I’ve been known to panic my way into a corner at parties where everyone knows everyone else except me. The good news is that a few tips can help you get started on the right foot regarding networking.
First, remember that networking is all about relationships—so don’t be afraid of getting close! If someone offers you a business card, don’t let it sit on your desk until it gets lost in the shuffle. Please keep track of who gave you and follow up with them later.
Second, keep it social! Don’t go into a networking event with a plan; focus on having fun and meeting new people (and hopefully making some business connections).
Third, be yourself! Networking isn’t about pretending or putting on airs; it’s about being genuine and connecting with others around shared interests or experiences.
9. You will reinvent yourself
When you’re reinventing yourself, there are so many opportunities.
You can make new friends, learn a new skill, and maybe even fall in love.
You can look at the world in a new way and find that you like it more than the old way. Take the time to be grateful for what you have at this very moment.
You can start to see the world as full of possibilities instead of just problems and riddled full of issues.
You’ll have more opportunities than you ever imagined, and you’ll be able to do much more with your life than you might have thought possible.
10. You will feel alive again
You will feel the wind in your hair and the sun on your face, and you’ll realize you don’t have to be stuck in a cubicle or office building for the rest of your life. You’ll remember what it feels like to be alive and how much you love it. You’ll enjoy being in nature again because it is where you belong.
You’ll see opportunities opening up everywhere, as if there were invisible doors all around you, waiting for you to walk through them into new worlds of possibility. Did you ever watch the Matrix and see how the world was opened up to Neo when he took the red pill or became confident at learning Kung Fu? That’s what it will feel like – as if you have taken the red pill and everything is possible for you now.
You can pursue a dream career that brings joy into people’s lives—may be even yours! Or maybe you’ll start a business on the side while still working full-time at an office job that doesn’t fulfill you at all. Perhaps you’ll get involved in politics or activism for animals, human rights, or environmental causes.
You may write a book about your experiences as a food aficionado who went vegan after seeing videos from PETA; perhaps it will be something else entirely! The point is: when you follow your dreams and live according to who YOU are as an individual human being instead of what society tells us we should
11. You will find peace within yourself
Peace is a state of being that comes from knowing who you are and what you stand for and being able to express that in the world. And this can be hard! It takes courage and strength to do it—to stand up for yourself, to speak out for what’s right and good, even when it’s scary. But when we look back at our lives, we all want those moments where we felt like we were doing something important…Something that mattered.
Those accomplishments that stood steadfast to our values and ourselves are what will bring the most pride and, in turn, the most peace.
When you’re following your dreams, all these opportunities open up: You get to discover who you are; you get to make a difference in the world; and most importantly, you get to live an entire life filled with love and happiness.
12. You will surround yourself with positive people who support you
You know what they say: the friends you surround yourself with are the ones that define who you are. And if you’re an ambitious person trying to make it in this world, there’s nothing more important than surrounding yourself with positive people who can support your dreams and ambitions.
You’ll feel energized and inspired to pursue your goals when surrounded by positive people. You’ll be able to bounce ideas off of them and get honest feedback about how to improve your work, which will help you grow as an artist or entrepreneur. If anything ever feels overwhelming or discouraging, they’ll be there for you to help you get back on track.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think about surrounding myself with positive people who support me is my wife. She’s always been there for me; she always makes me feel like I can do anything(except skydiving, she’s not a fan).
And when you’ve got a group of people who believe in your vision. Then my friend, behind you as much as they believe in themselves? Well then, opportunities open up like never before!
13. You will develop deeper relationships
What’s the point of following your dreams if you can’t share them with someone?
We all want to be part of something. We want to be surrounded by people who understand us, who get us—and we want to be the person who makes others feel understood. So why not make that happen? You’re here, reading this article about how to follow your dreams. You’re taking actionable steps toward reaching out and connecting with other people because you know that when you do, you’ll feel happier, more fulfilled, and more connected than ever before.
And that’s just the beginning! When you start building these relationships with other people, doors open up for you in ways that are hard to describe until they happen.
Maybe it’s a new job opportunity. Perhaps it’s even an opportunity to meet someone who becomes a lifelong friend or partner! Whatever it is for YOU… when you go out there and talk about what matters most to YOU (and listen intently when others speak up), things will start happening in your life that you could never have predicted.
Ultimately, it’s your decision. So what do you want to do today?
We all have different environments, obstacles, and unique circumstances that have formed our lives. But that doesn’t matter because no matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you do, there’s one thing we all have in common: we all have a dream. And you know what? It’s never too late to go for your goal as long as you don’t stop trying and take action.
It will be an exciting and scary adventure, but it’s more than worth it. The rewards are immeasurable—you’ll have the joy of living your dream!
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