A True Story of Taking Risks and Pursuing Dreams

I believe in encouraging people to pursue their dreams. Even when that means watching my son and daughter-in-law relocate halfway across the country!

While I’m sad they’re not longer close enough to visit regularly, I’m proud of them taking the initiative to pursue their dreams and glad they have the opportunity to broaden their horizons by moving from Philadelphia to Denver

Their story illustrates several principles that are important for those attempting to achieve big dreams. Here are a few that helped their dream come true…

5 Key principles for achieving big dreams

Listen to your heart.

While neither of them grew up near mountains, they are both active people who love being outside. Every apartment they’ve lived in was chosen, in part, because it was close to large parks spaces where they could enjoy nature. They both value the soul-feeding benefits of walking, biking, or running in natural spaces. On recent visits to Colorado, they felt drawn to the mountains. That desire grew over time. Instead of pushing their dream to move to Colorado aside as impractical they listened to their hearts and figured out how it might be possible.

Consider the risks and possibilities.

This was not an impulsive decision. The couple carefully considered important factors like jobs, and housing. They balanced their desire for access to the mountains with practical considerations like available jobs. My son’s company had an office in Denver. If he could get approved for a transfer, they could move knowing they had at least one source of steady income, and my son could stay with a company he loves working for. Once they moved, they were confident my daughter-in-law could find a job in her field of Occupational Therapy in a city of that size.

Persevere, but be willing to adapt.

After some promising discussions with his superiors, my son was eventually told a transfer to Denver would not be approved. The couple was disappointed. They could have grown hard-headed, quit both their jobs and moved anyway despite the risks. They could have given up entirely.

Instead, they chose to adapt. They changed their plan to a different-but-similar dream: moving out of a small apartment into a house with a yard. No mountain view, but at least they’d have a bit of elbow room and a place for the dog. They began the hunt for an affordable house before their lease ran out…

Be ready when the opportunity presents itself.

And then—unexpectedly—the company policy changed. The door to Colorado was open once again. By this time their current lease was ending soon, so they didn’t have time to dither. They quickly found an apartment, began the search for OT jobs, and started arranging the logistics of a cross-country move. Because they had already done the research and the soul searching, they were able to act immediately and decisively. They didn’t have to waste energy on big-picture decisions, so they had bandwidth to take care of the details. The pieces fell into place.

A lifestyle of minimalism helps.

Through a combination of personal choice and living in small one-bedroom apartments, they have adopted a minimalist lifestyle. That meant, when it came time to pack up their belongings, there wasn’t an overwhelming pile of stuff to sort, box up, and schlep to their new home. On top of that, they were willing to give several large pieces away, making the actual move even easier.

They have been intentional about not letting stuff bog down their lives, and it made their dreams easier to reach.

I hope this story encourages you to give serious consideration to pursuing your dreams, even if they seem as impractical and frivolous as picking up stakes and moving to a bucket list destination. Who knows what you might be able to figure out if you give it a shot.