My wife recently quit physical therapy school. She realized she’s not interested in the field. So she’s following her lifelong dream of becoming a personal trainer.
But she continually hears discouraging things from random people and even friends. They say things like, “You’re too smart to just be a personal trainer.” Or they say, “Why would you be a personal trainer when you can be a physical therapist? They make much more money.”
And while those folks are trying help, it really just frustrates her. Her dream for as long as I’ve known her was to be a personal trainer. She was just afraid to follow that dream until now. So why are folks hating on her dreams?
Well, they aren’t hating on her dreams. They just can’t see them. They can’t see her dreams because they belong to her. We each have our own dreams. They’re personal. They’re going to be different than others’.
More than that, most people don’t follow their dreams. Following your dreams is a scary thing. And so few people lack the guts to do something like that.
So one of her friends might have the dream to write. But they’d have to give up the potential to make more money. They’d give up the security of school and the security of a larger pay check. Who does that?!
A few people do.
And we’ve been able to spot them lately. They’re the folks who don’t understand what she’s doing, but encourage her in it. “You quit school to become a personal trainer? Go you!”
Those of us who follow our dreams are excited when others step out of the boat and take a risk. We know it’s scary but we also know it’s worth it.
So some people may not get your dreams. Probably most people won’t. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow them. Their blindness shouldn’t hold you back from charging on ahead.
[Blog Photo from Mopho.to]
Great post! I definitely understand what you are saying….Thanks for the encouragement.