I am learning that the more we think about chasing our dreams and what that actually entails, the more likely we will never listen to our hearts. There’s too many messages, or expectations, that we have been told over the years. It’s as if we are to get a good education and that will land us a great job and then we can put our feet up. Get married. Have children. Be happy. Sound familiar? It’s almost like a hamster wheel to me. We tell ourselves that when we get that job, or when we settle down, or when we are successful, or when we are making X amount of dollars, that’s when life begins. 

Life is now. NOW. You are breathing it all in and breathing it all out. As humans, we create. We are never finished creating. So there will be no putting our feet up. Here’s the catch: we create from our present moment. So if you are de-valuing your now, by saying “when I get…. when I have…” then life will begin or then I will be happy. Guess what? You are creating your future from a place of devaluing your now. Good luck with that one.

I’m literally lost. Chasing my own dreams. Making the leap from a full time job, with benefits and a consistent paycheck, to the unknown. Now I am nose deep and now I know why more people don’t do this sort of thing. Yet have you ever stopped to think that we all have our own unique gift? And if we don’t stop to tune in to what we are passionate about and what are we offering to this world?

For those of us who have our hearts tugging at our lives, I want you to know this: You are limitless. We oftentimes put so many boundaries on ourselves. If we don’t fit into the square box of a well paying job and white picket fence, then something must be wrong. 

If you decide to go after your dreams, you will get lost. And it will be hard. But your heart will be happier. You will be giving it the attention that it yearns for. After all, this world drowns out our inner voice. We are being whisked around on a daily basis from point A to point B, try to cross off items on our to-do list, to arrive home overwhelmed or exhausted, to lather, rinse and then repeat the next day.

So how do we find out true north? We know what we want to do. Yet we are so distracted by all of the choices, the expectations and our current predicaments.

1. Action. First thing is first. If you have something you are passionate about doing, you must take action. I recently had a student on one of my yoga retreats that was a life coach. She so kindly gave me a free session and I told her I wanted to leave my job within 5 years. She laughed and said I would never leave if I had such a lengthy timeline. We narrowed it down to 2 years. That was 8 months ago. I am scheduled to leave my current full time job within the next few months. My point? When you put things into action, shit gets done. You fuel the fire. You feed your heart. And you start to slowly realize that, you are capable.

2. Get lost. Feel lost. We need to experience the full spectrum of sentiments in order to appreciate their opposite. Not only that, but sometimes we need to figure out what we don’t want in order to get really clear with what we do want. Therefore, we need to get lost so that we have a clear understanding of where our true north lies.

3. Accept. Accept that this journey is not easy and in so many ways. People close to you will question you. People might not welcome your path. You are jumping and you are unsure of where you will fall. And when you fall, will you land on your feet, in a golden net, or with broken legs? You will get lost. You will feel lost. Yet it’s part of the process. We must accept the process because the more we push, the more resistance we create and resistance equates to stress. Accept that things will not be easy. Accept that you will grieve. The more you can accept that this will be a roller coaster, the more and more trust you put into your capabilities. Do you see the pattern here? More and more you will see how amazingly strong and capable you are, which is a necessity when chasing your dreams. 

4. Stick to your guns. Your ego, your family and your current predicament will challenge you. You will wonder what he hell you are doing sometimes. Actually, you will wonder what the hell you are doing a lot of the time. But bring yourself back to the why. The passion. The reason for doing what you truly want to do. That is your foundation and it will always be there to lead you in the direction you are meant to be going. If you can back yourself up with a rhyme and a reason, most people will leave you alone. 

5. Trust. Will you have enough? Always. Does the universe provide? Always. I know what you are thinking: “But what if I can’t pay my bills?”. It’s all about re-establishing your relationship with your life. Maybe it’s time to sell some things. Maybe it’s time to make a strict budget. Maybe it’s time to appreciate the simple things in life and know that you have everything you need. The more you trust, the more you will be accepting and willing to take action. All of these steps are intertwined.

6. Re-establish your relationship with the F word. It’s so easy to get caught up in the fear that will present itself on a daily basis. Fear wants you to get caught up because the more you get caught up, the more you won’t chase your dreams. Fear wants you to believe that you are not capable. Being fearless does not mean you experience no fear. It means you are shit scared but you move forward anyway. Trust that you are exactly where you need to be in life. Things are presented to you to challenge and shape who you are. If we could really put our feet up, life would be boring. If we could really put our feet up, on what caliber could you appreciate things? 

What are you passionate about? Your heart is calling. Are you listening?

By Meredith Cameron

Learning that she and we are more capable than we give ourselves credit for, Meredith Cameron creates space for students to reach out, dig deeper, and not take themselves too seriously. An advocate for creating the life we live, Meredith is influenced by her teachers, Shannon Paige and Nancy Kate Rau, what the world throws on her lap, her travels, and her daily interactions with others. All of this, infuses freedom into her teachings, allowing students to feel their own sense of empowerment. Visit www.mcameronyoga.com/blog.