Do you wonder if your dream is worth it? When it’s out there, exposed?  What is your biggest fear?

I am learning that one of mine is to be known. I like deep one on one conversations. I like small groups. I’m not a fan of large parties or a ton of attention. I prefer written communication to verbal unless I’m speaking to a captive audience and asking others questions.

The upcoming release of my book, “The Birth of a Dream Catalyst: Unlocking the Dream from Within” has been creating an odd combination of excitement and terror. I recently realized why…

Implementing our dreams and the thought of being known leaves one feeling exposed; feeling vulnerable and emotionally naked. Why? Because all dreams contain a part of our soul and once it’s out there we can’t take it back yet.

Why in the world would someone do this to themselves? Why would an introvert – or anyone for that matter – want to be this exposed? Is claiming your dream really worth it? 

Only you can answer that question. My answer is “Yes”. For me, my passion to help woman care enough about themselves to discover and claim their dreams is bigger than my fear of being exposed but that doesn’t mean that facing this fear is easy…

To get help on this leg of the dream journey I enlisted four women who have gone before me. Four woman who’s passion surpassed their fear of being known. Here are 7 reasons your dream is worth it that I want to share:

 1. It’s your story – your dream. Don’t let fear take that away from you.

“Yes, it was scary, but every time I got a frisson of fear I tried to remember what Frank Quinn was always telling me. “Susan, believe in yourself. You are the person writing your story.” – Susan Boyle

 2. You have more to lose by not trying then you do by going after your dream.

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” – Helen Keller

3. Every failure is a step closer to your dream.

“I talk about the benefits of failure – simply because failure means a stripping away of the inessential – I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was and began to direct all my energy into the only work that mattered to me – the one arena in which I truly belonged – I was set free…”  –  J.K.Rowling  

4. God made you for a purpose – your dream doesn’t have to make sense to others only to you & God.

“When I look back over my life it’s almost as if there was a plan laid out for me – from the little girl who was so passionate about animals who longed to go to Africa and whose family couldn’t afford to put her through college. Everyone laughed at my dreams. I was supposed to be a secretary in Bournemouth.” – Jane Goodall

 5. If you don’t believe in yourself it doesn’t matter if anyone else does. 

“There are enough people in the world who are going to write you off. You don’t need to do that to yourself.” – Susan Boyle

6. Your dream has a larger impact than you can imagine but you’ll never know if you give up.

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” – Helen Keller

7. Hold tight to those who support you – those who “get” you.

“My family has very strong women. My mother never laughed at my dream of Africa, even though everyone else did because we didn’t have any money, because Africa was the ‘dark continent’, and because I was a girl.” – Jane Goodall

Your dream is worth it.  Own it.