Dream Chasing 101: 3 Things You Must Accept

I hate to say it, but many of us realize that what we are currently doing with our lives isn’t quite what we are destined to do. Most of us stick with what is familiar because well …that’s what you do to pay the bills. We rationalize how good life is as is, and do not ever take the leap of faith that’s needed to achieve our goals.

Then there are a few of us who do take a step …but just one. We relish in the comfort of our day job while working our dream job part-time. I get it. This was me until I got laid off last year. Hell, very few of us have the luxury of just quitting a gig, and those who do don’t necessarily have sufficient emotional and psychological preparation to deal with what comes along with doing your own thing full-time. Trust me, it is much more than finances that you have to worry about.

For those of you who more than understand just how necessary it is for you to chase your dreams, there are a few things that must be comprehended to stay the course. Here are three.

1) You will doubt yourself.

“Wait Shantell. You’re doing WHAT?!”

“Sooo …after you get your master’s degree you’re going to get a good job again right?”

“You know you can work in publishing still. I mean you can have a good career. You mean to tell me you’re just giving it up?!”

These are all things said to me by super close loved ones when I told them that I was not working for anyone else, would drive rideshare part-time and pursue a career in motivational speaking, life coaching and authorship full-time. Until they saw how serious I was and that I was actually handling business without having a nervous breakdown or missing a mortgage payment, most of my people collectively scratched their heads. I felt crazy myself and sometimes I still do despite having life coaching clients and meat on my bones from not missing any meals, LOL. You will doubt yourself. Others will doubt you. And you all will have some pretty convincing arguments for why you shouldn’t pursue your goals. Just know that doubt–not to be confused with evaluating a change of direction–is part of the plan.

2) You will feel alone.

When you decide to do anything different, you will receive pushback. Hell, the pushback may even come from you. Understand that isolation is a normal feeling as you are breaking patterns that you’ve become comfortable establishing with people and with yourself. Many people are not brave enough to even acknowledge their purpose, so by going after yours you may be triggering some things within them. That has nothing to do with you. Allow isolation to turn into solitude. Be willing to let what is unnecessary go so that you can growth and mature into the person needed for your next phase of life. Just because you may feel alone does not mean that you are alone. Keep the faith.

3) Find a way to “trust the process.”

You hear it all of the time: ‘Trust the process.” But no one ever tells you how to do so or better yet, what the hell that even means! Blind faith? Prayer? What DOES it mean? Listen. Trusting the process means believing in your product, service and potential enough to the point where everything from the moment you make the decision to pursue your purpose works in your favor. Every setback, emotional breakdown, financial woe …all of it is part of the process of greatness. This does not mean that you keep watering practices that clearly yield no fruit. It just means that your WHY is greater than the bulls*** that is right in front of you. Be bold enough to believe in yourself, otherwise NO ONE else will.

Shantell E. Jamison is a certified life coach, author and motivational speaker. Her latest book, “God Help Me: A Personal Guide to Freedom While Here on Earth,” is available now on Amazon.