When you think about all the best reasons to follow your dreams, imagine what would you be doing if you knew that you were certain to succeed and everything would go exactly as you had hoped? I have come to realize that is a necessity, not just a Hollywood tag line or pie in the sky idea, that we must follow our dreams. Here are 12 bonafide reasons why you should follow your dreams and follow them now.
To start with reasons to follow your dreams ask yourself this: If I don’t do follow my passion, then what else am I going to do? Anything else that you end up doing will always be over shadowed by that massive white elephant in the room called your dreams.
The world needs as many people as possible following their dreams. We need a new generation of doers, of inspiring people who at whatever age, whatever life situation, decided to take a risk and follow their dreams. If contributing to the overall awesomeness of the human race isn't a good enough reason to follow your dreams then I am not sure what is.
Have you ever met a bitter old woman? If you have, you know that there alone stands more than enough reasons to follow your dreams. Ask yourself if, in 80 years time, when all has been said and done, will I be thankful I played it safe or will I look back in anger resenting the time that I wasted being too scared to make a move?
An extremely powerful reason to follow your dreams is that you never know what could happen. It seems to be that when our doing is in harmony with our desires, as in we are working towards what we really want, then we start to build up a powerful momentum. From there – anything could happen.
You may not see yourself as being bitter when you grow old, but will you have any what ifs? Will you look outside your window and wonder how different it could have all been had you listened to yourself and trusted that it would all be worth it in the end?
Talking to different people is another way to realize a reason to follow your dreams. Have you ever spoken to someone who is going after their dreams and felt inspired? People who follow their dreams run on a different energy level, they are putting into action what it is they want to do — it’s interesting and it’s exciting. On the same note, have you ever spoken to someone who has this great idea but hasn’t really done anything about it, or speaks about what they with the enthusiasm of a door knob? How did you feel when leaving that conversation? You decide which one you want to be.
This is where I get all airy-fairy on you, but I truly believe that if we follow our dreams and listen to ourselves, then the Universe starts to work with us. How many times have you heard of ‘lucky breaks’ and ‘perfect timing’ situations? There’s no such thing as luck. You put a certain amount of effort in the right direction and then your efforts pay off. If what you are doing now feels like it just isn't working, never has and never will work, then maybe that’s the Universe trying to tell you something?
This point is similar to the reason above for following your dreams but instead it is about people. If we are feeding our passions and living out our dreams, then we are more likely to attract the right people in our lives. How many times have you heard of people taking off travelling and coming back with their soul mate? Or packing in their secure job for some random far fetched dream only to meet the love of their life in the same profession? Until we are ready to follow our dreams, maybe we are not ready for the people who would help fulfill them.
We all say we want to help others if only we were in the position to, but often it is by doing what is best for ourselves that we are able to do the best for others. How can you give to others if you are not giving yourself the chance to be truly happy? A rewarding reason to follow your dreams is that others will directly or indirectly end up benefiting from them.
I sometimes think about what type of parent I hope to be. I want to be able to inspire my kids and fill them with the confidence and strength to do whatever it is that makes them happiest. Instead of telling my kids reasons to follow their dreams, I would love to be an example of why to and come from a place of experience instead of regret.
It is all well and good to talk about the future, how it’ll be in years to come if we do or do not follow our dreams. However, I think the most valuable reason to follow your dreams lies in the day to day. How happy are you? Are you greeting each day as a chore to get through or are you waking up with an energy and enthusiasm that comes form knowing you are being true to who you are and what you want?
Each and every single one of us has something that we are good at, a talent, a knack or a skill. If we are slogging away at data entry (which is fine if you are happy doing it) whilst in our heads there’s a gripping novel or innovative invention, then we are not making the most of what we have got. Nurture your talents – you have them for a reason.
Following our dreams can be as simple as enrolling in an evening course or packing up shop and buying a ticket to the Himalayas. It is not the scale of our dreams that matters, it’s that we feed them and nurture them so that we can realize our full potential. I know that we all have responsibilities and for many of us it is just not that simple, but is it any easier to go on knowing that if given the chance, you would do it differently? Has anyone else got any inspiring reasons to follow your dreams? Or maybe fears about taking the risk?
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