Is pursuing your dream practical in this economy? Many will say no, but I say, there has never been a better time.  This is a time of survival, but also of reinvention, of learning, of finding your passion and living it every day.  When you make a decision about your career, your job, your means of income, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration besides the salary.  Things like, how many hours will you be working, how many will you be commuting, what kind of flexibility will you have to do the important things in life (like your child's school play or field trip, attending to sick relatives, etc.), will you be happy and excited to get up and go to work every day, will the stress outweigh the salary and benefits, how much will you really be making when you weigh all the cost factors, including your health?

These are some of the questions I have had to ask myself over the last few years, and especially over the last few months.  They are not easy questions, mostly because you feel so guilty if you don't answer them the way everyone else thinks you should, or even the way YOU think you SHOULD.  But who made those rules?  What happens if you don't follow them? Whatever happened to 'do what you love and the money will follow?' 

Now I am not suggesting that you just quit a good job and run off and join the circus without a plan.  Starting a new business or career takes some planning and maybe even some education.  It is important to research everything about your dream job, especially the stuff you don't know.  Find experts who are willing to help, to answer questions for you, or search online, there are tons of free articles about every aspect of almost every job or business.  A few important things you need to think about if you are starting your own business:  Will you have employees? Will you need to lease an office space, do you know how that works?  What accounting system will you use?  How will you market and advertise your business?  Where will you find customers (if that applies)? How will you finance this business?  What type of legal entity should your business be?  What state, local and federal taxes and laws will apply to your business?

I believe that if you are passionate about something and you seriously plan for it, you can and will make it work.  When you are excited and passionate about something, people can see it and they get excited too.  Find a way to live your dream, life is short and I think we have all learned that money is not everything, but it is necessary for survival, so find a way to make it, doing something you love.

As always, if I can be of any assistance to you in answering the questions above or helping you find the answers, don't hesitate to contact me.  Happy dreaming........