Explaining what I do for a living goes something like this:

“What do you do?”

“I’m a writer.”

“Oh, what kind of writing? Books?”

“No, articles for magazines and blogs.”

“Interesting, so how do you pay the bills?”

“With words.”

Whenever someone asks me what I do I get a little bit nervous. While I’m happy and excited to be following my dream, I hate having to explain or justify it to others.

For years I shied away from calling myself a writer, despite putting pen to paper since I was young. Even though my undergrad and grad school years were spent studying the writing craft, I still didn’t own the term. I felt embarrassed and like I really wasn’t a writer because I hadn’t been published yet.

But little did I know I was discounting my experience and crushing my dreams.

By not OWNING what I loved and wanted to do, I was inadvertently telling myself that my goal in life wasn’t even possible.  I mean, if I couldn’t take myself seriously as a writer, who else would?

Can you relate?

How often have you shied away from embracing your dream of being a PR person, a chef, a writer, a director, or something else because deep down you felt it wasn’t possible?

Back in July I interviewed spiritual guru and Oprah’s homegirl, Iyanla Vanzant. As I was telling Ms. Vanzant about my journey and the fact that sometimes it’s difficult to pursue my dreams because of fear, doubt, and all of the other things holding me back, she stopped me.

She reminded me that I needed to OWN my fears, my doubts, and my dream. Instead of speaking in vague terms about what I wanted, I needed to confidently stand in my mission (to write and inspire others), because that is where my power lies.

Pursuing your passion in life can be scary, but sharing that dream with others can be downright frightening.

Too often we minimize our goals because we are unsure of them or because they seem too big to really achieve. But how do you expect to reach them if even putting them into words scares you?

All I can offer is this: On the journey to your dreams, take your fears along for the ride.

While fear and self-doubt are normal parts of the journey, you can’t let them stop you from pursuing your goals. In the end, your success depends not only on how you worked toward your goals, but also how you overcome the challenges that tried to block your way.

Do you have troubling OWNING your goals? Please leave a comment telling me about your experience. 

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