To go for it, or Not to go for it?

"JUST GO FOR YOUR DREAMS!"

We've all heard the phrase from a well meaning friend or a parent on the sidelines. But THEY aren't the one's living our life. We are!

With any goal or dream we have in life, we have sooooo many decisions we can make. It's not as simple as "Just go for it!" Or is it?

Now I'm not saying we should just become a "Yes" person and jump blindly into situations. Just stay with me here.

Second guessing and rethinking are normal adaptations. They can:

• Keep us safe

• Allow us to think about the situation more

• Help us choose empathy with another

• And on and on

But often, we are just scared. Maybe we're scared of what someone else will think or scared to hurt another's feelings. Maybe we're scared that we'll fail or of what failing will "mean" about us.

Despite the fear, I think most of the time, we know what's right. We can feel it in our gut. Now there will be mistakes along the path in life, but mistakes often teach us what we need to learn and lead us to where we want to be. I've regretted just about every bad decision that I've ever made, in the moment (Or right after). But looking back a year later or 10 years later, I see how they've shaped me. And in every instance, for the better.

Let's talk about how to apply this in our life. Is there anything you've always wanted to do, but haven't because you're afraid of a "potential" outcome? Say like starting your own business, writing a book, or taking extra ME time without your children, for examples.

Now each of those will definitely have their ups and downs.

• Starting a business takes money and lots and lots of time!

• What happens if you write that novel you always wanted and no one seems to want to publish it?

• Taking time for yourself away from your kids means someone else will have to step up and help out.

But try and look down the road.

• 5 years into your own business and you are having fun working for yourself and feeling fulfilled in life instead of stuck at that dead-end job that you never even liked.

• Someone will eventually pick up your book if you put enough into it plus you got to feel what it was like to work so hard and complete something all the way to the end. (As a kid, I got a chance to talk to author Bill Wallace and he said he sent his hardcopy manuscripts to over 100 agents before anyone bit.)

• Your kids will see that you saw yourself as an important human being who needs a break sometimes, and they will feel empowered to emulate that quality as they grow up.

Not everything is going to workout all the time. Life is real and important with dreams and goals coming and going. But in the words of Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus series, "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!"