Chasing dreams is serious business. Whether it involves finding a soul mate, leaping in a brand new career direction, or starting a grassroots movement; turning a dream into reality is not a fairytale waltz into the sunset. Sure, it fills your life with passion and purpose, but it’s also liable to cause you occasional emotional upheaval, intermittent sacrifice, and maybe even a regular dose of financial stress (at least at the beginning).

Yet, in our polished for public consumption culture, we don’t talk about the hurdles that come packaged up with the highs. No one posts the gritty truth on Facebook about navigating the choppy waters of uncertainty. Imagine a world where some of our status updates looked something like this:

• What if I’m crazy to think I can find a way to get paid to do the work I believe in?
• My job is killing me a little more every day, but I’m too terrified to quit.
• I am worried I’m going to end up alone because my relationship isn’t working out the way I thought it would. 

Instead we share our successes and bury our insecurities. We gloss over the sleepless nights of strategic planning, or the string of bad dates, or the wish that someone (anyone) could help us know whether the path we’re on is the right one. (more…)