Last updated on March 23rd, 2021.
Many people are under the impression that they can’t follow their dreams because it’s too risky.
After all they have this safe position with a great pay, a great boss and flexible hours, why should they risk it all?
Well maybe because there’s not so much to risk to be honest!
The day it all changes.
I always get called out for being crazy when I say that.
Until one day something big happens…
It could be political manoeuvers, a change in management, a physical relocation to a different part of the country or even worse the company goes under.
Everything changes.
And the trade-offs people have been making come to bite them back.
All of a sudden, you have to relocate to a different part of the country or you have a new commute from hell, you’re forced to take a new position that you hate where you do things you don’t enjoy or you can’t spend time with family like you thought you could, or worse you no longer have a job.
And what was in the balance to make you stick around for so long suddenly no longer seems to justify everything you have had to sacrifice for this job.
Your safety has become a prison with golden bars.
At best!
This is where most people get hurt, feel angry or betrayed.
But what they fail to see is that it was part of the deal all along.
It just wasn’t always obvious.
The deal really wasn’t that sweet.
It was just sugar-coated.
Is it really safe to play safe? Click To Tweet
The dangers of carving your own path.
Now let’s compare that with the dangers of following your own path.
Of course there are risks involded:
– You may not always get a regular income, benefits or paid vacations.
– You may have to bring in your own income.
– No one will be telling you what to do so you have to be self-directed, determined and motivated.
Oh, wait let me back up here for a minute: ‘No one will be telling you what to do’?!
That also means:
– You can set up your work time any way you like around your values, your priorities, your own dreams.
– You can choose the people you work with.
– You can choose where you work, when you work, how much you work, what you do.
– You are in control of your life.
It may come with sacrifices, risks and you may not have all the freedom you want in the beginning, but you are building your own dreams.
– You can become a freedompreneur traveling between southern Spain and south-east Asia.
– You can be a home-schooling stay-at-home mum.
– You can work for big companies (but under your own terms) if that’s what you prefer.
You get to decide.
Do you get a paycheque coming regularly at the end of each month?
Maybe not always, that’s for you to work out!
Do you get to live a life that you feel inspired by?
Certainly!
Safety is an illusion
The reason I am talking about this is that safety is just an excuse not to follow your dreams and a poor one at that.
At the end of the day, nothing is certain in life, everything is always changing.
Safety is an illusion.
No matter how much you legislate, how much you demonstrate, how many contracts you sign, you can never completely predict the direction of your life.
There are always unforeseeable circumstances: accidents happen, catastrophies happen, people fall in love, people have babies, neighborhoods change, companies get sold.
This is part of life.
You can resist this idea, buy into the illusion of safety and be surprised and angry when things happen.
Or you can embrace it and make the most of the uncertainty.
No matter what you choose, uncertainty is here to stay.
Don’t sleep on your dreams.
Yes they do come with a price.
But you don’t forget the price you pay for not living them!
What’s next?
If this article convinced you to take the plunge and go for your dreams, here are a few things to do:
- Reconnect with yourself and with your dreams.
- Assess your situation: identify your responsibilities, your liabilities…
- Make a plan to mitigate your risks.
- Create a vision for your ideal life.
- Bonus tip: use my secret weapon to redesign your life without overwhelm.
Done living in a golden cage and ready to get started building your dreams life? This should help!
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