At the beginning of this year I decided to “go for it” (”it” being my dream job as a photographer). In March, I bought my new camera. In April I took a class. In June I turned 30. Last week I ordered my business cards and created a website. Now, I’m writing a blog post about following your dream… That’s my disclaimer 
Christopher Reeve once said, “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
Impossible
Not to sound like a total cheeseball, but the first step in following your dream is to realize that it is not impossible. It may be hard, it may take a lot of planning, a lot of work, and a lot of patience, but it’s not impossible. I’m a happy person and I have a fabulous life, but I really disliked my job (and I complained about it a lot). I struggled with being 30-ish and still not having a ‘career’ or knowing what I wanted. The thing is, I knew what I wanted, I just never really considered that it could happen. One night, after a particularly depressing work week, my husband asked, “What would it take for you be a photographer?”
You wanna know the crazy thing? I had never even asked myself that question before. I just assumed it was impossible. But my dream was not to be a mermaid or a unicorn! It was to be a photographer. Hundreds of thousands of people are photographers in this world, so why couldn’t it happen for me?
My husband’s simple question really got me thinking my “dream job” might not be so impossible. And once I realized that, I had no excuse to not go for it.
Improbable
So, I sat down and made a practical list of what it would take to become a photographer: a great new digital SLR, fabulous lenses, practice, a class (to build my confidence - confidence in yourself and your abilities is important!), practice, a website, business cards, practice, clients, and of course money. A short, but daunting list, and my mental calculations led to my next thought: Improbable.
Sure, it could happen, but not any time soon. We’re talking an investment of thousands of dollars just to get this thing started. And I certainly didn’t have thousands of dollars sitting around waiting to make my dreams come true. But, my husband doesn’t give up so easily and came up with a plan of how long it would take to save the money for the camera… then the class… then the other stuff. One step at a time, even if it took years. And I started to believe this was going to happen. I accepted that I would have to be patient, but that the wait would be worth it - and in the meantime, the process would be fun and fulfilling. A good practice in patience for the queen of instant gratification 
Armed with my husband’s financial plan, my business plan, and some newfound patience, my “dream job” was within sight.
Inevitable
Once I knew my dream job was inevitable, it just became a part of my daily life. Every morning, my thoughts immediately turned to, “What can I do today to bring me closer to my goal?” Even before I was able to buy my new camera equipment, I started reading and learning (library books and the Internet are free!) everything I could about starting a photography business, researching cameras, and devouring every piece of information I could find that might be of use to me.
The knowledge that I was on the path to quitting a job I disliked for one that I would absolutely adore allowed me to wake up every day with a purpose and a plan - two of the best motivators.
After a couple of months, in a true example of the power of positive thinking, I was given a wonderful gift, from someone in my life who truly wants me to succeed, in the form of a monetary investment in my business that allowed me to press the fast forward button on my plan. Now everything is happening at a much faster pace than I had planned, but I am going with the flow, and loving every minute of it.
Even without the investment, I know I would have eventually had this dream job, because I had already stopped thinking it was impossible and started believing it was inevitable.
So, given my love of meaningful and appropriate quotes, I’ll leave you with this one from Anatole France: “To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.”
It’s not enough to wish and pine over what you want. Only you know what your dream job is, so figure out what it will take to make your dream come true and believe it can happen. Thoughts alone will not manifest your dreams.
Gatsby
Hear hear!
My Dad always quotes Joesph Campbell “follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”
These are true words in my life, as it is for my DH, who struggled for years before finally allowing himself to follow his impossible dream.