Photo by Emily M.

According to Webster’s dictionary, the verb “dare” is defined as: “To have adequate or sufficient courage for any purpose; to be bold or venturesome; not to be afraid; to venture.”

Daring to follow your heart is not an easy pursuit. It may require,

• an honest and careful consideration of family, career, and finances;
• the courage to venture onto paths you may not have set foot on before;
• decisions which are generally considered uncommon; as well as,
• overcoming limiting beliefs about yourself, i.e. “I’m not good enough!” and “I will not make it.”

It is important to note that there is a clear distinction between following your heart and acting on impulse. Following your heart involves self-reflection and acting on impulse does not. Following your heart is not about quitting your job and figure out what you want to do next. It’s not about buying a plane ticket, traveling the world, and dealing with reality once you get back. It’s not about pursuing someone else (when you are in a committed relationship) simply because you decided to “follow your heart.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” -Steve Jobs

Last year, I quit my job working at a major Business School in California and moved to Italy. My heart was directing me to take some time off to travel, explore, and reflect. I rented an apartment in Tuscany to enhance my Italian language and travel the country to discover, experience, and photograph 33 cities. I was motivated by my zeal for adventure, knowledge, people, and culture, combined with a sincere desire for personal growth and life-changing experiences. In many circles, this is considered an irresponsible/unusual move, that may produce concerns and fear. Convinced to follow my heart, I entered this journey with an open mind and heart.

Before making the move, I drafted a plan that allowed me to continue serving clients through Leadership Fuel, the coaching and consulting practice I began in 2006. This plan included the necessary arrangements to support my clients remotely while living abroad.  I now have an established organization that serves and supports professionals, entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders all over the world; in places such as China, Argentina, France, Indonesia, Canada, and United States.

So, how did I achieve this? What made this happened? Nothing special. I am not different from any of you. The difference was I dared. That’s all it took. I dared to follow my heart. I dared to make mistakes and learn from them. I dared to do what makes me come alive while acting responsibly, keeping my integrity, and being true to myself. Was I sure it was all going to work out exactly how I planned it? Of course not, but I am happy and satisfied how it all turned out!

You may be thinking, “What have I wanted to do for so long, but lacked the courage?” “What would it take to trust my heart?” “What’s at stake if I only dare?”

I don’t know what your heart is telling you now. Maybe you feel it is time to take a leap of faith and dare. If that is the case, congratulations! Let me support you in this process. As your personal coach, I will help you gain clarity, define priorities, plan responsibly, take action, and assure you stay on track.

Daring makes most things in life possible.

When you dare to follow your heart, you dare to be true to who you really are.

Related posts:

1. Follow your Heart: Challenge Whatever Holds You Back
2. Learning from The Dancing Guy
3. The Heart of the Entrepreneur: to Undertake
4. Four Questions to Sharpen your Vision and a Reminder to Count Your Blessings
5. Daylighting