Everyone has a dream. Eventually, there’s a time in everyone’s life when they wonder what their purpose is. For some, this happens sooner than later and for others, it might not happen for another 10 years or so. No matter what stage you’re at with your life, it’s important to know your passion and follow it. When you follow your dreams, you are living the life that you have always wanted to live instead of one that other people expect from you. It means taking risks, trusting your gut feeling and saying ‘Yes’ more often than ‘No’ to opportunities that come your way. Following your dreams isn’t as easy as it sounds; it takes courage, patience and self-belief. If you want to know more about following your dreams, read on!

1. Be Clear About Your Dreams #

Start by writing down everything that you want to do in your life. Don’t hold yourself back with the ‘I can’t do this’, ‘I’m not good enough’, or ‘I don’t have enough time’ excuses. Think about your passions, what makes you happy, what you want to learn, where you want to go, who you want to meet, the things you want to try and the skills you want to acquire. You can include family aspirations, too. The clearer you are about your dreams, the better you’ll know what’s holding you back from them.

2. Know What’s Holding You Back #

When you are clear on what you want to achieve, you should also know what’s holding you back from achieving it. What’s the worst that can happen if you try following your dreams? Will you lose a few friends? Will you lose your job? Will everyone laugh at you? What’s the worst that can happen if you don’t follow your dreams? Will regret be your everyday emotion? Will you be stuck at one place in your life? Will you regret not trying? This is the time where you need to be honest with yourself. What are your excuses? What are you waiting for?

3. Take Small Steps to Move Forward #

You can’t just wake up one day and say, “I’m going to follow my dreams!” and expect everything to fall into place. It doesn’t work like that. There are many things that you need to consider, especially if you’re living a regular 9-5 life. At this point, you need to figure out what’s the best way to move forward with your dreams. Do you have the resources, time and money to start a business? Can you take classes to learn how to do something? Can you take one small step each day to get you closer to your dream? There’s no rule to follow. Just do your research and find out what’s best for you.

4. Find Your Why #

This is when you ask yourself, “Why do I want to do this?”. It’s the very reason why you want to follow your dreams. It’s the reason why you want to make a change in your life. The stronger your ‘why’ is, the easier it is for you to forget about all the distractions and push through your fears.

5. Celebrate Every Victory #

Not every day is going to be a positive one. Some days will be harder than others. Some days will have you feeling down and uninspired. But that’s the beauty of life, isn’t it? You can’t expect to feel inspired every single day. When you are feeling down, remember that it’s just a passing phase. It will go away soon. When something positive happens in your life, no matter how small it is, celebrate it! It doesn’t matter if it’s just waking up on the right side of the bed. It’s all about building a momentum with your dreams.

6. Ask for Help #

If you’re thinking of quitting your job and following your dreams, you should be prepared to struggle more than others. It’s not easy making a living while doing what you love. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Your family, friends and even strangers can help you achieve your dreams. Find support groups, mentors and coaches who can help you along the way. It’s easier to reach your goals when you have a team behind you. Keep in mind that you’re not alone. There are people who are also walking the same path as you. You just have to open your mind and ears to find them.

7. Don’t Be Afraid to Change Course #

When you follow your dreams, it might lead to you taking a different course in life. When you’re following your dreams, you might take a different path or even change course completely. This is completely normal! You are learning, growing and finding your way to success. There are times when you’re going to feel like you’ve taken a wrong turn. But don’t worry! That’s normal. There will be times when you feel like you want to give up. There will be times when you think you’re not good enough. There will be times when you’re scared to death. There will be times when you’ll think about quitting your day job to pursue your dreams. And there will be times when you feel like it’s not worth it. And that’s when you have to remember why you started following your dreams in the first place.

8. Conclusion #

Following your dreams isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. It’s one of the best feelings in the world to know that you are living your life to the fullest. You might not get there right away, and you might have to go through some difficult times, but you will get there eventually. It’s just a matter of time before you achieve your dreams. What’s important is that you take the first step. You can’t expect everything to happen in a few days or even a few months. It takes time, effort and patience. It’s okay to be scared, but don’t let that hold you back. Use it as fuel to push you forward.