A Call to Pursue Your Dreams
Yesterday, one of my roommates told me something that impacted me.
If I had to choose one person to credit for pushing me to drop out of college and go to nail school, it’d be you.
I wasn’t the only one pushing her to follow her dreams of being a nail tech, but apparently I was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
As a fellow college dropout, I knew what she was going through. Getting up every day, making yourself go to class, only to return home to do more homework, it’s draining if you’re not passionate about it. Not to mention, the lifelong crippling debt that it brings along.
I’ll save all the college bashing for another time.
Since my roommate dropped out of college and has been going to nail school, she’s been so much happier, more energetic, and just enjoying life more. Everyday she comes home excited with stories, passionate about her work.
It’s so easy to just say “you should follow your dreams.” Everyone knows that. Not too many self-help articles tell you to throw out your dreams and to just stick out your boring day job.
If you’re reading this article and have your version of nail school nagging at you in the back of your head, I implore you to have a chat with yourself.
- What is the dream that you’re neglecting?
- Why are you neglecting it? Is it fear of failure? Fear of success? Fear of not being good enough? Fear of judgement?
- What action steps can you take to slowly, without commitment or quitting your day job, make progress on your dream? A book you could buy? A website you could start?
For me, I think that one of my dreams is to build an online presence and have a portfolio of businesses. But I’m not quitting my day job to become a creator. Instead, I’m using my time before and after work to start thinking through business ideas, post to my blog, and just take small steps towards my dreams, enjoying the process along the way.
Someone else I knew once said “I would absolutely love to be an interior designer, but I’m doing nursing.” What if she were to buy a couple books about interior design, learn about the principles, and practice in her own space. Then she could reach out to friends and ask if she could redo their space, taking before and after pictures, and adding them to a portfolio. A little bit of marketing later, and you just became an interior designer.
Most paths to your dreams are simple, but ignoring the resistance and your fears to start making progress can be difficult. Take the first step, start that Youtube channel, begin practicing piano, because someday, it’ll be too late.
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