pursue your dreams: jessica of truebadours

Pursue Your Dreams is a weekly mini-series 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 focuses on 3 insights they've learned about staying inspired, dealing with negativity, business tips, blogging, setting goals, marketing yourself, and more!

Hi! I’m Jess, a videographer and storyteller at

Truebadours

. This little dream has been growing so much over the past year or so and I feel like I’m learning so much it’s hard to narrow it down to just three lessons, but here we go:

1 // The “yes” is worth all of the “no’s” [promise]

Every day you put yourself out there, and every day you battle the insecurities of “what if they don’t want me?” “what if they hate my prices?” “what if there’s someone else they’d rather work with who does the same thing?” Well, those may be the case…OR you could be exactly what they want, offer something they didn’t even think about, and a dream partnership is formed. You will never get a yes if you don’t risk a no, so always say hello. Always offer your gifts to the world and ask if they’d like to join in your adventure. Whether it’s a hero of yours who you want to collaborate with or a business you know you could help (and you’d enjoy working with), ask and see what you receive (hint: it will probably be a yes more than you think).

2 // It’s okay to be unbalanced [sometimes]

I’m currently pursuing my dream while holding a full time job while being a wife and trying to be a real human with friends. People preach about the ever-illusive work/life balance but sometimes we have to allow ourselves to be unbalanced for a little bit without guilt. If you need to step back from your hard work for the sake of your relationships or personal health, do it. If you’re on the brink of something incredible in your career, disappear into it–put everything you have into making that come to reality, then resurface to the outside world as a successful dreamer. Of course, explain it to your readers/clients/friends and family, but don’t apologize or feel guilty for doing what you have to do for a season. Your readers will understand, your family and friends will understand, and if they give you a hard time, consider the source and keep hustling (or relaxing, whatever you need to do at the moment).

3 // Always stay inspired [always]

I’m an avid collector of ideas and stories, so this is easy for me, but it’s essential for everyone. Get outside your head and away from your computer. Look at the world around you, eavesdrop on conversations (but be sneaky with this one, because it could go badly if you’re not), have good conversations with people. Find your heroes, find your tribe and soak them up. Read, take up a hobby that’s different from what you do, go on an adventure. Even if you only have 15 minutes to break away, do something that gets your brain running and sets your creativity and passion on fire again. Staying inspired lets you create work that you’re proud of and that inspires you, and that’s when all of the hours, all of the doubts, all of the hard work you crazy brilliant people put in to your dreams so very worth it.

And bonus lesson (because it’s always about going above and beyond, right?!), remember people like Jenny and the ones reading this blog, people like me. People who love you and are cheering for you to succeed (and you will succeed, we promise). You are never alone, and when you need support, wisdom, inspiration, or simply to be carried, we’ll be here, so (like lesson 1), ask.

I hope these lessons helped at least one of you, until next time, friends.