pursue your dreams: a new mini-series!
I'm so excited to announce that I'm starting a new mini-series called
"Pursue Your Dreams"
that will be brought to you by a handful of talented handmade artists, bloggers, small business owners, and ladies who are chasing hard after their dreams. The series will focus on 3 insights they've learned about staying inspired, dealing with negativity, business tips, blogging, setting goals, marketing yourself, and more! To start it out, I thought I'd share 3 insights that I've learned about pursuing your dreams.
1 \\ You Can't Make Everyone Happy
Blogging is one of the most rewarding and scary experiences I've had in my life. I would never take back the beautiful people I've met and experiences I've had because of it, but opening up your life and thoughts to a bunch of people you don't know? ... not everyone's cup of tea. It requires a certain amount of strength, vulnerability, and secured identity. You have to be willing to be confident in yourself and your ideas. To present your unique point of view on the world knowing that some people might love your point of view and some people might not. And that's okay. Basically, you can't be a people pleaser if you want to pursue what you're passionate about.
Back when I first started blogging, I really didn't think I had anything important to share. I started blogging mainly because Savannah and I had started our company, Maiedae, and had just stopped making handmade jewelry and instead had moved onto something we were much more passionate about - graphic design. We both are passionate about taking people's visions and making them a reality through design. We had discovered the blogging community and were so inspired and in awe of how many women there were who were truly and passionately trying to make big things happen in their lives. And we saw an opportunity to not only engage in that community, but also help others get noticed and take their blog to the next level with an attractive design. We started working with other bloggers and immediately fell in love with what we were doing. Not only could we create meaningful relationships, but we could empower other women in their dreams.
The temptation comes when we start to make our dreams about proving that we are enough. About proving our worth and looking for our identity in others' opinions of us instead of finding our identity in who God made us or being confident in who you are without other peoples' approval. As someone who couldn't say the word "no" to save her life growing up, I understand the difficulties that come with wanting to please everyone. But your dream is not about everyone else. It's not about what other people think of you. And it's certainly not about filling the empty spaces in your soul. Step back and ask yourself why you're pursuing your dream. If it sounds a lot like you're searching for identity or you're insecure in who you are, maybe hit the pause button and ask yourself why you feel that way. Now don't get me wrong, pursuing your dreams will bring you so much joy, excitement, and meaning. It will also bring you heartache, difficulty, and challenges. But, in my opinion, that should not be the reason why you're pursuing them. You should pursue your dreams because they are your passion and you desire to fulfill an unmet need in the world - not because your unmet needs demand to be fulfilled.
2 \\ Don't Wait
I think it's so easy to find security in what's comfortable instead of taking risks. So many times, it seems that God has more in store for us than what we are allowing ourselves to experience. Quitting your day job is scary. Pursuing your dreams is probably a more difficult road than the one you're on now. But, if you feel like you really want to make things happen, you can't wait. Start somewhere, anywhere. Do you want to own your own jewelry shop? Start making things and putting it out there! Start a blog or look for jewelry making classes you can save up for. Your efforts that fall short of your expectations are still always better than none at all.
Don't get me wrong - planning is wonderful. Being strategic and smart is great. But there comes a point where you just have to stop dreaming, stop planning, and start doing. It's much more difficult to anticipate the road ahead than to travel it yourself. There will be so many side roads, roadblocks, and detours ahead that you just can't anticipate. And maybe that side road will take you somewhere you never thought possible! Maybe it will open up doors that are so much bigger than the limitations you've placed on your dream. Sometimes it's good to just get out there and go. Besides, who knows? It could be so much grander than you even imagined!
3 \\ Overcoming Obstacles
Savannah and I worked hard for about 2 years building up our business and working full time jobs while doing it. We sacrificed a lot of time and effort into making Maiedae work and be successful. It was tough and we definitely had to give up a lot of things for that dream - such as working nights and weekends - before we started making a profit. Then, there was a certain point where it was financially possible for us to both quit our full-time jobs and pursue this passion completely. This jump was risky, but I was surprised that it required more faith and gutsy-balls than anything else.
I think as women we too often allow our own fears and doubts to kill our dreams. We are excellent at jumping over hurdles, however, we trip ourselves on our own doubt-filled minds. We think,
"This is just me being selfish"
...
"I really don't have what it takes to do this"
...
"It's too late for my dream"
...
"I just don't have time" ...
or even
"I don't deserve to dream."
I'm going to tell you, don't listen to these lies! Your dreams are not over until you decide they are. And yes, we all mess up in life. We're imperfect people. But no matter what you've done, dreams are about the future. Get up from your failures and take a step forward! It's so much better to take the hard road towards making something happen than to live with regret. I love this quote by Theodore Roosevelt,
"It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
Keep believing. Keep fighting. Keep dreaming.
I hope this has been helpful to you and I hope you join me in the weeks ahead as I host some absolutely wonderful ladies! :) Are you interested in sharing your story? Contact me at
to get involved!