Ravi Vora

The anxiety of throwing away your worries and your past to follow your dream is tremendous. But, the benefits of taking that first big step are worth it tenfold.

Once I took the big leap, I realized the amazing feelings it gave me to be doing what I’ve always wanted to do. Not very often can you find these feelings. In fact, sometimes the only way to feel them is to make a big change in your life to follow your dream and your heart.

1. Feeling free. It is absolutely the most liberating feeling I’ve ever had to just get up and move in order to pursue my dream. Not only does it relieve any worries of where you’re from or where you’re going, most importantly it reveals a part of you that is truly free. The part that sees a road sign that says ‘Memphis’ and thinks, “Hey, I could turn here and just go, and it wouldn’t even matter.” You realize that you’re really you. You’re not tied down to a place, a job, a past, or a future. You’re tied to your dream and wherever that takes you.
2. Feeling fulfilled. Having a feeling of complete fulfillment is insanely invigorating. You feel like you can take on the world, nothing negative can happen, and you’re ready for the ride of your life. It’s difficult to describe, but think of it like being 8 years old and wanting something for Christmas so badly that you ask for it every day for an entire year. Then, on Christmas day, there is your pony; there is your Ghostbusters car; there is your puppy; there is the thing you’ve wished for and wanted and said you would want for nothing else in life if you got that one prized possession. Now multiply that feeling by 100.
3. Having no regrets. Everything you’ve ever done has led up to this moment. And in this moment you are exactly where you want to be, and nowhere else in the world. You’re at the brink of an adventure – no, THE adventure of your life. No matter what happened in the past, good or bad, it has all given way to put you where you are right now. And you wouldn’t trade that for the world.
4. Being truly happy. Without a doubt, ear-to-ear grins, warm fuzzy feeling inside, just plain happy. Not a fake happiness where you’re thinking to yourself, “things could be worse.” But the kind of happiness that comes from finally doing something you’ve always dreamed of. The anticipation of success feels incredible. It all came to me when I was driving with the windows down on Route 66 listen to oldies music. I realized that I couldn’t be happier if I had achieved my dreams already, or had someone give me a million dollars. It’s the genuine happiness you can only get from following your heart and living your dream.

How often have you felt these? For me, it was very rarely. Now, how often have you felt all of these all at once? Yeah.

Even if I was happy I had a lingering feeling of regret that I wasn’t fulfilling my potential, wasn’t doing what I wanted to do but was doing what I thought I was supposed to do, or was just not as happy as I knew I could be.

If you take that first step and start to pursue your dream, you’re bound to get these immensely satisfying feelings. They will all rush at you at once and you will get this big dopey grin across your face as you walk down the road without a care in the world. That’s when you’ll know you’re doing it. You’re really doing it.