Have you ever thought about what you want to do in life?  I mean truly thought about it? Or do you just go through the motions as a mom to take care of your family?  It’s ok if you do. No judgement at all. I believe all of us at some point do that very thing. We get in a rut and for the most part can’t look beyond what today has in store.  But that isn’t always the best way to live. I want you to live to find and pursue your dreams in life, not just survive. 

What is a dream?

A dream is something you look forward to or aspire to in life.  I’m not talking about the middle of the night quirky things your mind comes up with, but the pictures you have of yourself in the future.  A dream is the longing of your heart. For instance, from the time I was in 6th grade all I wanted to do in life was become a veterinarian.  My remaining years in middle school and high school were spent taking classes toward becoming a vet. That’s all I wanted to do in life.

Before I finish my story and tell you how this all ended up let me tell you my big picture.  My full dream was to become a veterinarian and own my own clinic. I knew even if it meant working 70 hours a week I wanted to have my own place. I will come back to this in a bit…. But, so you see, a dream is something you really want to do.  Not a fleeting thought but something you are passionate about and doesn’t leave you.

Ebb and Flow of Dreams

As I continue my story, I went on to college pursuing an undergraduate degree in biology/pre-veterinary medicine.  By the end of my 1st semester things began to change though. I still had the dream of becoming a veterinarian, but my health and boyfriend at the time influenced me to go in a different direction.  I am allergic to animals. Yes, that’s right, allergic to them and I still started going after a career in vet medicine. The more I thought about it I realized that my health would suffer if I was around animals, especially cats for 40-70 hours a week.  So my dreams changed. Not saying I don’t ever look back and wish I would have become a vet, but reality kept me from going after it. Going forward my dream changed, but not fully, it morphed into a new form.

The New Dream

Following my direction changing I finished my college degree and worked for an environmental company for awhile.  When my oldest child reached the age of 2 I decided to leave my full time job and become a stay at home mom. That wasn’t the end of my career and this is actually where I realized my dream never fully changed, just took on a new life.  

Shortly after becoming a stay at home mom I opened a Music studio where I teach piano and flute lessons.  Then I took an evening entrepreneur workshop and tried opening a video business. And now, I am venturing into the world of blogging.  Looking back, I realized all along I have had the dream to have my own business. I always thought it would be as a veterinarian, but now I see the dream has always been to be an entrepreneur/ business owner.  And that is just what I am. Now I just have to take it one step further and grow my businesses. So what’s next?

Finding your dream

I encourage you to find your dream, your passion.  What are you really wanting to do in life? Will it 100% happen?  I don’t know. Could it happen? Possibly. If you want it bad enough and are willing to put in the effort to get there it very well could happen.  Maybe your dream will take on a new life of it’s own and you will find yourself living your dream just in a way you never expected. I’m not saying to rush and quit your day job.  But find what you truly want to do and go for it. You will regret more the things you are afraid to try than trying something and not succeeding. So, start today thinking about what your dreams are.

~ Melissa