Just get started.

But before you do, there are some things you should know.

For starters, get used to these feelings:

• Fatigue
• Concern
• Doubt
• Lost
• Stupidity
• Loneliness

I've felt every single one of these emotions on my journey thus far to find and follow my dreams. And these were just some of the emotions sitting top of mind. More have come before, and many more are to follow.

Especially get used to the doubt. Not just from yourself, but from your family, your friends, and your peers. I hear more and more: "that'd be great," or "let me know how it goes," or "you need to get a real job." When people ask me, "What do you want to do?" I seriously say, "I want to follow my dreams. I want to make something of myself. I want to prove that I did it and that I went for it. Not for anyone else except myself." I will no longer live the exhausting existence of patiently waiting for the right idea, for the right moment to come. I'm tired of conformity. I'm done living up to the facade I've created for myself. Not a day goes by that I don't think about how much I've let myself down—not because of what I have done, but because of what I have failed to do.

Now, nearly a month into this journey of full commitment, this is just some of the rhetoric I hear. Every. Single. Day.

I've come to find that following your dreams is a rollercoaster. There are times when you are more motivated than ever, but there are also times when you wonder how you could've been so silly to pursue such an endeavor, to fathom such an imaginative existence. However, I've also found that there are ways to combat these feelings, and there are often causal effects for them (other than the doubts). The following is my process that has been giving me some success.

To preface:
Most of my doubts come at two periods of the day—right when I wake up, and right before I go to bed. The good news is I know why. These are the two periods when I am most tired. Thirty minutes after waking up, I'm ready to chase my dreams, and thirty minutes before bed I'm still going strong. However, it's in those darker periods (the very beginning and end of the day) where my doubts and thoughts run rampant—I know many, if not all, of you reading this can relate. The solution to this is easy. In the morning—just get moving. At night—go to sleep. For now, following this has been fairly simple. What I'm trying to avoid, however, are the more conscious doubts I have during the day. These are usually the result of my environment or the challenges that I face.

So how do you deal with your agonizing self-doubt?

1. Acknowledge that it's doubt you're experiencing, and understand where it's coming from.
2. Ignore the tired thoughts: if it's early in the morning or late at night, your doubts are largely a result of fatigue. Honestly, I ignore any thoughts I have at these hours, as they're usually very negative.
3. Address the conscious concerns: if you have doubt during the day, it's likely a serious problem that needs addressing.

The solution to this problem? Substitute the noise.

If your peers fail to believe in you and constantly present you the ticket to the sidewalk, it's easy to accept this dismal fate. Where people go wrong is in accepting the belief that this is inevitable and that we all need to work for the weekends and dread Mondays. So instead of allowing this doubt to ruminate through your head, take action against it. The following has continued to work wonders for me:

• Listen to podcasts and watch YouTube videos from those who have achieved their dreams.
• Read books about how you can too.

The books in particular have done me wonders. I wasn't always an avid reader, but now reading is my outlet. Those words are like the mentor I've never had. They fill my mind with ideas, dreams, and possibilities. Books remind me that one day I too can be successful enough to share how I achieved my goals.

I know what you're thinking: how does this kid have any qualifications to speak on this? He hasn't fulfilled his dreams, he's barely had any "real" work experience, and he hasn't lived long enough to understand what responsibility looks like.

Yes, all of this is true. However, I believe that my perspective is necessary. We can all agree that following your dreams is possible. It's never been impossible, but so often people follow the norm and join this limiting lifestyle. Of course, I've fallen victim to this too, but if we can all agree that it's possible to follow and live out our dreams and that it's just really difficult, then let's begin to think about how we can reshape our perspective.

A New Perspective

If I could choose one person to have by my side at all times, it would be my 8-year-old self. The average person loses faith in Santa Claus at around 8.5 years old, but I was a bit later. I have and always will be a dreamer, except now I want to be the dreamer who makes his stories come to life. At age 8, I would've told myself to keep going and believe in myself because I had what it took to forge my own reality. And when you're 8 years old, everyone is supportive of your dreams. It's when you become an adult and seek to seriously pursue these aspirations that others pull you down—a result of the sorrowful life they chose to live. It's not that these people aren't capable of building the life they have dreamed of, but because they have never actually tried to begin.

I wish for you to also think about the life you have always dreamt of living. Is it truly impossible, or have you never actually taken the steps to try to achieve it? I would predict that for most, if not all, it's the latter.

There is light in all of this. Your dreams have never really gone away. Those emotions, that hope you've buried deep inside you—it's still there. We both know it.

So how can I help you? Why am I even sharing this in the first place? Sure, I haven't accomplished my dreams, but others have. And sure, I can't give you financial advice, but I don't have to. You don't need some stock market secret, some retirement fund, or any hacks at all. All you need right now is to get started. All I want to be for you is that voice—that small bit of encouragement, the person who knows you have it in you, and the person who wants you to go get it. I know you can. I truly do believe in all of you. It brings tears to my eyes knowing most of us will give up—trade the one life we were granted and waste it. Waste that passion, that strength, that love you have for life, all for a story someone else wishes you to live. Start living for you, and before you know it, you'll have lived for all of us.

This may all seem silly to some, a bit corny, even cringey. But those thinking this are those who have already succumbed to the draining life around us. If you want to talk, you know where to reach me. I'd be happy to chat and share how you, too, can chase your dreams (or at least what's working for me). Don't give up. Don't let them convince you it's too risky, because the real risk is not taking a chance on yourself in the one life you were gifted to live. There's a long road ahead, but that's the adventure in front of you. Go learn. Go change the world. Go get started.

Talk soon.
- JR

"I'd rather live in regret of failure than in regret of never trying." — MJ Demarco