Follow Your Dreams

“Follow your dreams.”
You can be anything you want.
The sky’s the limit.

But only if you do everything right.
Flawless.
No mistakes.

Oh… and as long as you don’t pursue the arts as more than a hobby.
You know…
the music,
the creating,
the acting,
the playing,
the painting,
the writing…

All those things you love so fiercely?
Yeah… those dreams don’t count.

When I Think Back to My Younger Years

I remember dreaming about a creative life.
Music, writing, art—those were the things I wanted. The things I craved.

When it came time to choose a college degree, I felt completely lost.
Teachers, family, people close to me—they all said the same thing:
Maybe minor in the arts. If you major, how do you expect to make a living?

After all, there’s no money or security in the arts.
Yet, at the same time, I was told it didn’t really matter what degree I got—just that I had one.

Like I said, I was lost.

I let that fear control me for over a decade.
I shoved my creativity to the back burner, doing what I thought was expected of me to be “successful.”
And I started to feel like a shell of a person, a shell of who I used to be.

The Wake-Up Call

It wasn’t until I had my son and was pushed out of the company I’d given six years of my life to that I realized:
Traditional paths? They’re not one-size-fits-all.
And 9-to-5s? They’re not built for everyone.

I’ve come to embrace the idea that success looks different for everyone—and when it comes to mine, the only opinion that matters is my own.

I still get scared and feel a little of that internalized shame that I’m not contributing more financially to my family at this point in my life.

But I’m also finally in a position to truly pursue my passion, and I’m not going to squander it.

It took me until almost my mid-30s to figure it out, but better late than never, right?

A Reminder for You

If you feel this way too—even if your current job doesn’t light you up—your passion still deserves a place in your life.

Make it a priority.
Keep pursuing it.
Keep sharing it.
Keep falling in love with it.

Because one day, it could finally become your dream come true.

Journal Prompt

What’s one dream you set aside because you thought it wasn’t practical enough?
What would it look like to honor it, even just a little, this week?