Unabashedly going for your dreams is scary.

I know.

When I graduated from college six years ago, I thought I was destined to be a famous interior designer—crafting beautiful spaces for glamorous clients. But, as I soon found out, the “glamor” of designing a room around a dated recliner didn’t really cut it for me.

Was that time I spent exploring that career path wasted?

Absolutely not!

By going for my dream of having and running my own interior design firm, I discovered an amazing truth about myself that I never would have uncovered otherwise.

I found out that what I really enjoyed was building the business, reading marketing books, developing a business strategy, researching best practices, thinking up new biz ideas, designing my websites and crafting my brand.

So, by pursuing my goals of being an interior designer, I fell upon my true passion and gift: offering business and life advice for designing a lifestyle of purpose, passion and meaning.

In hindsight, it all worked out, and the path now seems obvious, but it’s giving yourself permission to go after your dreams in the first place that’s hard!

It’s terrifying to put yourself out there, throw caution to the wind, and commit to building something from the ground up.

But for me, there was no other choice. I knew that if I didn’t give it my all and go for (what I thought was) my dream, I’d always wonder and likely regret taking a safer path.

I never want you to regret any life choice—business, personal, otherwise!

Because if we never give ourselves the chance to experience the complete joy that comes along with claiming our unique spot in the world, we’ll likely one day look back and wish that we had.

And, that’s exactly why I’m sharing four reasons why you’ll never regret going for your big, bold dreams.

1. It might just work out!

If someone could look into a crystal ball and tell you that 12, 18 or 24 months from now you will be exactly where you’d always hoped to be, doing what you love doing, falling for the person you’re meant to be with, or whatever else you’re dreaming about, would you consider not going for it?

Of course not!

Of course, there’s no such guarantee, but one thing is for sure, if you work at something consistently with passion, dedication and heart, it’s likely to bring about something amazingly wonderful.

So, instead of spending time in worry-land, hop aboard the positivity train and keep chugging along, and before you know it, that dream of yours could be a fully recognized reality.

2. You’ll learn invaluable lessons.

Even when things don’t go exactly as we planned or hoped, there are still invaluable life lessons to learn.

Take me for example, I graduated college thinking I wanted to design homes, and now six years later I’m helping people design their lives around doing what they love most and loving it!

But, if I didn’t give myself permission to go after my dreams from the start (even though those dreams shifted over time), I never would have stumbled upon my true calling.

3. Life is too short to have regrets.

I know, I know, it’s a bit cliché, but it’s true.

Every passing year goes by even more quickly, and there’s no time like the present (to use another overused cliché) to start moving in the direction of your highest goals and aspirations.

I never want to look back and think: “what if” or “if only”. I’d rather try and fail than never try at all.

4.  Dreams shift and change over time.

That big, bold, bad-a$$ dream may seem totally unattainable right now, but keep in mind that as we grow and change, so do our dreams.

Do you still hold the same visions for your life now that you did when you were a teenager?

For most of us the answer is “hell no!”

We’ve grown up, our perspectives have shifted, we’ve matured—and so have our goals.

That dream to be a rock star yoga teacher and open studios all over the world might fade as you realize the immense satisfaction of running one local studio where you intimately know your clientele and from which you are able to comfortably support yourself and your family, take wonderful vacations, nourish your body with healthy, organic foods, and treat yourself to monthly massages. (That sounds like a pretty sweet life to me!)

We need to give ourselves permission to dream, but we also need to give ourselves the permission to revise those dreams as we go! There’s no shame in changing in your mind!

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Editor: Renée Picard

Photo: Pixoto