Following Your Dreams

Deciding to follow your dreams can be a frightening and challenging experience. The journey to your dreams will not be easy. There will be obstacles in the way. There will be times when you feel like giving up, but the key is to not quit. When you first decide to follow your dreams you will have critics. There will be people that don’t want you to follow your dreams and will constantly discourage you. There will be times when your dreams will cause you to sacrifice some fun times in order to get the dream accomplished. The alternative to not following your dream is to remain average which goes against what you were created to be.

I once was discouraged and frustrated when it came to following my dreams. I felt like my dreams would never come true. I kept quitting on my dreams. Each time I quit the progress I made was erased. The initial frustration that I felt doubled and tripled each time I quit. I had a dream of being an author. It was the same dream that I had since middle school. I’ve always loved writing but I didn’t feel as though my dream was possible. I doubted myself. I listened to my critics instead of going after my dreams. I wasted many years living my life with the dream of being an author on the inside until 2012. I was asked by a coworker to be a part of her anthology project. I initially was reluctant because I questioned whether I had what it takes to be an author. I eventually left my comfort zone and coauthored my first book. After I stepped out of my comfort zone I went on to complete another 8 book projects. I am now signed with Imani Faith Publishing and my dreams are continuing to come true. The journey wasn’t easy but it was worth it. If my dreams can arrive so can yours. Here are some lessons that I learned along my journey to my dreams.

1. God First
In order to know what dream to go after a prayer life is needed. God is the giver of purpose and dreams. He created us so he is the one who should be consulted prior to going after a dream. It is easy to get impatient after you pray while awaiting an answer but it is crucial to wait. It is crucial to wait because you don’t want to risk pursuing the wrong thing when God has something much bigger and better in mind.

2. Believe in yourself
In order to go after any dream you have to believe that it can be achieved. It is critical that you believe that you have the ability to achieve your dream. If you do not believe in your ability to make your dreams a reality others will not believe in you either. People can tell whether you are confident or not. Your confidence and belief in yourself will attract others who will believe in your dreams too.

3. Surround yourself with positive people
Surrounding yourself with positive people will be an important element in you reaching your dreams. The wrong people around you can drain your positive energy. You need people who give you energy by simply being around them. You need people who are like minded and that are going after their dreams. When you surround yourself with other dreamers you can inspire and encourage one another to push harder as you go for your dreams. The wrong people around you can kill your dreams. People who tell you that your dreams cannot be achieved or why it is going to be hard to achieve the dream, need to be removed from your inner circle of friends if you want to reach your dream. Constant negativity cannot be a part of your life if you want to positively move towards your dream.

4. Step out your comfort zone
It can be an overwhelming experience when you decide to step out of your comfort zone and try something different. Staying in familiar territory will not produce great results. Very few things phenomenal things are achieved while staying in comfort zones. There are a lot of gifts and talents that you have yet to utilize and they will not be effective by staying in your comfort zone.

5. Be willing to learn
No one person hold the answers that will help them fulfill their dreams. It is a good practice to network with others who have similar dreams. You should be willing to learn from others and the knowledge will most times enhance your knowledge. It is a continuous journey of learning when you are trying to reach your dreams.

6. Plan
Having dreams is good but that is not enough. You need a plan about how you will reach your dreams. A good place to start is to take a notebook and start writing about where you would like to be and what steps you will take to get there.

7. Never quit
When you decide to go after your dreams you just not quit at the first complication. Reaching your dreams may cause some sleepless nights, tears, and sacrifices but it will be worth it in the end. Don’t quit moving towards your dream because you will have to start all over again at a later time. No matter who says you cannot achieve your dream, keep going and moving towards your dreams and goals. It’s alright to get frustrated while you are going after your dreams but don’t quit. If you push through the frustration and wanting to give up you will eventually reach your dreams.
If you have a dream that is in your heart it is time to move towards it. There will be times when you feel like your dream is impossible but it is possible. Nothing great is gained without challenges. Take one action today that will bring you closer to your dreams and eventually you will arrive at your destination.