“I assume you have clients lined up already?” a colleague of mine asked.
“Not really, but I’ve got some good prospects!” I enthusiastically responded. I had just officially announced to my employer that I intended to leave the company in about seven weeks.
Even just a year or two ago, it would have been unthinkable for me to leave my job without having another job lined up. Historically, I have never been a big risk-taker. Moreover, the prudent advice I would offer to my friends and clients in a similar situation would be to secure a new job before leaving the current one. Yet, here I was about to take a giant leap of faith in leaving my secure, full-time Fortune 500 job of 11 years without any assurances of how things would work out.
What would cause me to give up a “sure thing?” Was I leaving for more money, fame, or perhaps an escape from a horrible imprisonment in a job I couldn’t stand anymore? Nope. It came down to passion, big dreams, and drive. A drive to feed my entrepreneurial cravings and help others (re)discover what they are truly passionate about, and live out their true calling.
Unfortunately, many of us never chase our dreams. Our family members, teachers, guidance counselors, friends and other well-meaning folks who advise us strongly influence our career choices as we’re growing up. We also develop and carry around limiting beliefs about what’s possible for us given our upbringing, self-esteem, and challenges we’ve faced. As a result, many of us end up settling for something else. A question I often find myself asking clients to ponder is “Are you living your dream or somebody else’s dream?”