What Will It Take To Follow YOUR Dreams?

“But I wouldn’t die happy if I didn’t pursue what I feel I should be doing.” – Francine Lewis Britain’s Got Talent 2013

When I am doing semi brainless tasks such as maintenance tasks, scheduling social media or cooking in my kitchen I listen to music on Youtube.

But not of those who “made it”. No, I listen to America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent or American Idol.

What Will It Take To Follow YOUR Dreams?

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Old shows, new shows, compilations. Whatever catches my eye.

Why? Because these are the ones brave enough to follow their dreams.

As a homeschooling mom, I want my kids to follow their dreams.

We can tailor their education to help them follow their passions and get a foundation under them. Providing the freedom and flexibility to follow their dreams. Whenever and wherever that may take them.

But what about us? Do you have dreams YOU want to follow?

I’ve heard when most are in their 20s they have this “I can attitude”. I had it too, I guess, although I’ve never thought of it like that.

My “I can” was I can get married and have a family.

When I was 24 I was living a dream. The dream to be a mom. I wanted to stay home raise my kids who would be perfect and adore me always, ha!

Being a stay at home mom was hard work. Relentless and never-ending. But I loved it. Not every moment, but much of it.

Of course, life changed and I adjusted. Returned to work and shelved that dream, for now. Another had taken hold like a little seed waiting in the dark that sprouted from the first.

Do you ever have dreams like that?

Ones that pop in and you dismiss so fast you aren’t even sure they are real?

As time passed this dream kept coming back.

I wanted to be home with my kids. I needed to make an income. I needed to figure out how to reach both goals and maybe my dream was part of it.

The problem is I didn’t have any marketable skills like crafting, creativity, or even bookkeeping. Not even a hobby unless reading counted.

I had nothing. Knew nothing. But I had a dream.

I dreamed of a job at home that I loved. One where I could wake up itching to get to work. Where my head and heart would be filled with ideas and inspirations.

Where I could help others and have fun. Learning, creating, crafting, and challenging.

A job I was passionate about. Sharing the learning process as I go.

I wondered what waking up to a job you liked was like 90% of the time? Where you didn’t hate Monday?

Dreams are funny.

As we get older it gets easier to bury our dreams in what some call “reality checks”. We can list a million reasons why we shouldn’t or can’t follow our dreams.

We are too old to try something new. Set in our ways. It’s too hard. We don’t know where to start.

We have too many “people”, loved ones who rely on us to be steady.

How many of us can walk away from a steady paycheck to the feast and famine of being a #momboss? Even if it is a job that is slowly killing our creativity day by day.

We reason…we can’t pay bills with crumbs. And besides who knows if it will ever work?

What would our family think? Our friends? Bad enough they think we are crazy homeschooling! And working?!

And maybe the best one of all…What if we fail? It will be a waste of time, money, resources better used elsewhere.

Do any of these sound familiar? They do to me. I’m pretty sure I said them all. 😛

We “I can’t, I shouldn’t, I don’t know” it to death. Until the dream loses its shine and becomes muddy, tarnished and buried.

But like I said dreams are funny. Some just take root and won’t go away.

All the excuses, reasons and reality checks it keeps coming back.

I listen and watch these people from all over the world get on a stage and do their dream. Whatever it is.

They dance, sing, play, act their hearts out.

And then? Then they get judged. And those videos get watched over and over again.

And every time I watch, I’m inspired.

Some get their dream their golden buzzer or golden ticket or whatever. They work hard. They keep going and we, the public know their names.

Others don’t. They get criticized. They cry. Some come back and try again.

It inspires me. Amazes me. They are so brave. At the end of the day, they can say, “I tried”.

And makes me think that maybe…just maybe we can reach our dreams too.

Let me share this video that really touched me. I saw this one the other day, she’s 68. I LOVE it!

I loved this because it made me think…

Why did she wait so long? Was she scared? What were her reasons? What held her back?

But it also reminded me…it is NEVER too late to chase your dreams. 

I was so inspired! 

I was chatting with friends and one asked a great question. I’ll put it in my words because, honestly, I don’t remember her exact words.

Something like, if you followed your dreams and took THAT CHANCE what is the worst thing that can go wrong?

Isn’t that a great question? We need to be realistic. Honestly, what is the worst thing that can go wrong?

You try, and you fail? You try, and you stumble and try again? You try, and you learn? You try, and you succeed?

if you followed your dreams and took THAT CHANCE what is the worst thing that can go wrong?

The last few weeks I’ve been working on goals.

Because for me, goal setting helps me see the steps I need to take to reach my dreams.

Trying to get unstuck and motivated to keep going.

In the course of examining those goals, I noticed I allowed fear to veer me away from my dreams.

And I’m not even sure why. But I’m pretty determined to get back on track.

Part of my dream in starting this journey was to share that journey with you. Not that I had all the answers, I don’t.

I was asked what was my dream when I began. Simply put. I wanted to come home with my kids at one point, but that was second to my main goal.

My main goal was to let other working moms who homeschool know they are not alone in the struggles of trying to juggle all the parts of their lives.

One part of my life is starting this blog. Learning the ropes. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and technical problems that have been frustrating.

I’ve lost faith in myself. Lost control. Had moments of  self doubt. 

And made the hard choice to keep going. 

I’ve met a ton of amazing, hardworking moms that are inspiring. I’ve learned a ton of great things.

I have skills now, lol! I’ve picked up a couple more at-home side jobs that help pay for unexpected bills which have been really nice.

Let me get back to the dreams part but if you are thinking of following your dreams remember this: I started from ground zero. In fact, maybe below that because I knew zip about blogging.

And yet…I have a business.

I remember clearly the point I discovered that I had a REAL business. I totally did the happy dance that made the kids run and hide. 😉

As a mom, following our dreams can seem selfish. It’s NOT, and I’ll get to that in a second.

But I want to acknowledge the mom guilt that can incur when we follow our dreams.

I’m going to be honest, following my dream of building my own business has taken time. It has taken money although I’ve done most for free. Which in turn takes more time.

Time I could have used with my kids. Time with my husband. Time with family or friends.

But…as a mom, you’ve learned a truth. Kids are always watching. As a homeschool mom, you know this. Kids are always learning.

As your kids watch you carve out time to follow your dreams, they learn from you. They watch you overcome obstacles. They watch you make decisions. They watch you try. They watch you fail. Learn and start again. If you are like me, they watch this happen a lot.

As you overcome your fear and follow your dreams, you encourage them to be brave and follow theirs knowing that it is okay to leap and fall or fly.

The point is that you try.

This is why following your dreams is as far from selfish as you can get. ♥

Tell me, what will it take to follow YOUR dreams?

If I’ve inspired you to follow your dreams then I encourage you to take action, right now. Don’t wait!

Here are a few ways to get started:

Do whatever it takes to get started today!

Take Care, 

Jen

PS. Following your dreams is a choice only you can make. It means having a little faith in you ♥ If you struggle with thinking you are worth it, please read Life Lessons On Control, Choices, And Having A Little Faith

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What Will It Take To Follow YOUR Dreams?

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