It's Okay to Follow Your Dreams

After recently graduating college and with 2018 off to a quick start, I thought it was important to make these affirmations not only to myself, but to everyone out there who is on the edge of following their dreams.

Hopefully, this will push you over that edge.

It's okay to want something different.

When it comes to following your dreams, being in touch with what truly makes you happy is essential. Knowing what makes your heart soar and what brings real joy into your life is the best way to determine whether or not you are happy with your life now.

It is all too often that we realize that what we thought we wanted in the beginning, is not actually what we really want. Jobs, objects, relationships, even friendships that initially brought us happiness, eventually lose their shine after our wants and desires begin to evolve and mature.

It's okay to realize that what you have is no longer what you want.

It's okay to let go of what you no longer need.

As we move through life, we grow and change. And just like ourselves, the things we need grow and change as well. Sometimes, as we are navigating through life, we learn to cling to the aspects of our life that supported us during the hardest times.

People, places, jobs, objects, are all things may have once provided us with comfort, security, a distraction, or even a support system, canturn into things that tie us down or even hold us back from reaching our goals or our full potential.

Letting go of these things is almost certainly a hard and painful process, but by releasing these things that we no longer need, we give ourselves the space, the opportunity, and the freedom to pursue that which our hearts truly crave.

iIt's okay to pursue happiness.

Just because you are letting something go doesn't mean it was a bad thing. It simply means that it is time for you to move forward.

All too often, when we think about pursuing our dreams and our happiness, we often find ourselves wondering if we even deserve it... if we are even good enough to move on or move forward.

The simple answer is, YES, you deserve to follow your heart! Allowing ourselves to pursue the life and the things that we know we deserve is the greatest gift we can ever give ourselvestoo.

It is okay to give yourself this.

It is okay to allow yourself to move forward.

It is okay to believe in yourself.

There are always going to be people who will try to stop you from pursuing what you know in your heart will make you happy. There will never be a shortage of people who think that your dream is silly, or that your goals are too far fetched.

They will tell you about all the statistics as to why your dreams are unobtainable. They will tell you that you will fail.

It is okay; let them have their doubts.

It is okay to not listen to those voices telling you, no.

It's okay to commit to your dream.

The most important thing you can do when you decide to pursue your dream is to dedicate yourself to it.

If we are being realistic, failure is a likely possibility, but failure is not an end point. Failure is simply a platform of transformation, and allows us to push further in different directions.

The only true failure is giving up completely.

It is okay to fail.

It is okay to stay committed not just to your dream, but to yourself.

It's okay to be patient with yourself.

Success doesn't happen overnight. Unless you are planning on inventing the next technological revolution in your garage, your dreams are not all going to be accomplished in one month either.

Most great things take time. It is important to remind ourselves of this and to not get discouraged as we are working towards our dreams and goals. Much like hiking a mountain, you must keep in mind how far you've come instead focusing on how far you have to go.

It is okay that it will take time to accomplish your dreams.

It is okay that it will take a lot of work and commitment to get to where you want to be.

Just like any investment, investing in yourself and your dreams will be a slow process, but with time, diligence and commitment, there really is nothing that you can't accomplish.

It's okay to keep dreaming!

No matter what anyone tells you, there is nothing wrong with being a Dreamer, a Schemer, or a Planner.

Despite whatever failure, whatever obstacles, or whatever hardships you will inevitably face on your journey, always hold on to the dream that is motivating you.

Have faith in yourself, your abilities, and most importantly YOUR DREAM!

Stay focused, stay grounded, stay dedicated, and you will be on the right path towards your dream.

It's okay.

You've got this.