What is holding you back from deciding to go for your dreams in career and business? Maybe you feel a twinge of guilt for going after what you really want. Or perhaps you think, sure that would be nice, but you need to be realistic. Maybe you have resigned that it’s just a fantasy and, even if you were to go for your dreams, it’s not something you will actually be able to achieve.

Here are three reasons why it’s better to go for your dreams than it is to settle for anything less:

Reason #1 to Go for Your Dreams: 

Doing What You Love Creates Excellence

Imagine if everyone did what they felt they were obligated to do, although they did not enjoy it. The motivation, in this case, is getting by (aka: survival) and the results produced are good enough (aka: mediocrity). Deciding not to go for your dreams, and to settle instead, slowly kills your flame and life becomes dull.

Now, imagine if everyone did what they absolutely love and are uniquely talented at. When work becomes play, the motivation is to immerse ourselves in our craft and, when this happens, the result is excellence! When you go for your dreams, you become a natural innovator in your area of passion and therefore make a positive contribution to the world around you.

Reason #2 to Go for Your Dreams: 

One Woman’s Trash is Another Woman’s Treasure

The thing you can’t stand to do is someone else’s idea of a day at the carnival. To some, the thought of crunching numbers in Excel is a deranged form of punishment, while others’ eyes light up at the mere mention of the word “spreadsheet.” If you’re spending your time on tasks you dislike, not only are you settling for getting by and good enough, you are also depriving yourself of the activities that would make you shine.

I’ll take it a step further: If you are choosing to not go for your dreams and, instead, are staying in a role you can’t stand, you are actually hoarding someone else’s dream job. Years ago I finally made a decision to leave a job I had been unhappy with for too long, yet I felt guilty abandoning my post. Once I left, though, the person who ended up replacing me was on cloud nine. She had been searching for months for a job just like this! You’re not doing anyone a favor by settling for something that stresses you out or dulls your existence.

Reason #3 to Go for Your Dreams:  

Your Dreams are a Clue to Your Unique Contribution

Whatever you can dream up, you have the capacity to make happen. You wouldn’t dream it up if it weren’t meant for you. I know for a fact that I am not going to dream up discovering a chemical compound that changes the molecular structure of cells to eradicate malignant growth. I know this because I don’t even understand what I just said! We tend not to dream about things that are irrelevant to our talents, desires, and modes of contribution.

Years ago I did dream about getting out of the 9-5 hamster wheel and designing my life around what matters most to me. Once this became my reality, I dreamed about showing others how to accomplish this as well, through their own Freedom Based Business. My dreams were relevant to me because they were a path to my own happiness and unique form of contribution. Same goes for you. All your past experiences, lessons learned, knowledge gained, and struggles faced give you a unique perspective on the world. Go for your dreams, and you can make a difference in a grander way than you ever imagined.

January 2013 Issue