Living my own dreams and encouraging others to live theirs is one of my passions in life. But I don't want my zeal for life and living dreams to be misunderstood. When I speak of "giving things up" and "making sacrifices" to follow our dreams, it doesn't mean giving up and sacrificing the important things in our lives. For me... God, family, and my responsibilities in life are simply not options for the chopping block.
-- My faith is very important to me. I'm far from perfect, but I do try to put God first in all things in my life. I believe God has given me my dreams to follow, but I always compare the things I desire in life with the Word of God. And I always leave room for God to change my direction and dreams according to His will for my life. I pray and seek for Him to lead and guide me through this life He has so graciously given me.
-- Family is also very important to me. My husband and I have been happily married for 30 years now, and we are faithfully committed to each other to spend the rest of our lives together. I have also spent the better part of my adult years giving birth to and raising 6 wonderful children. This has been, and continues to be, my family dream. And any other dreams I pursue are contingent on making sure they work with our family life. Some dreams I am blessed to be able to pursue with my family. Other dreams I can pursue alongside my family responsibilities. And some dreams must wait for another season in life after all of my children are grown, simply because I do not want to take too much time away from my primary responsibility of being "mom".
-- And I also take my responsibilities in life seriously. We all have those we cannot avoid. But I am also careful not to take on more than I need to. I try to keep things simple, so that I can have some time to follow my dreams in addition to those things I must do.
I just wanted to clarify things a bit. That while I feel it's important to follow our dreams in life, I don't mean we should sacrifice anything and everything for them. Following my dreams in no way means to neglect or abandon my faith, family, or responsibilities. Achieving and keeping balance is the key to living our dreams with the other important things in our lives, not without them. :)
