By Lauren Schwab

Life is full of choices. When we are young, choices are often made for us. We can accept them and as we grow older decide this was our lot in life. On the other hand we can decide we are meant for more. The U.S. is known to be the land of the free, where you can be anything you want to be. Many times we view thing as limitations from following our true desires. Time, money, age, geographical location, family and friends. When it comes down to it, these can only be excuses for so long. I believe we all have the power to create the life we want. Depending on what you want to do and you current circumstances, it may take a long time to get where you want to be.

Besides our own fears being in the way, we often have to deal with other people. Others will not fully understand you own dreams. They may question you, think it’s not possible and not understand why you don’t just want to have an easy and normal life. Most likely, anything worth doing in your life will not come easy. I have seen my dad work hard to build his dream of farming from the ground up. He often says he shouldn’t have made it. With faith and perseverance, it is possible. There will be mistakes made and lessons learned when you start to make change happen in your life. Most people regret the things they didn’t do when they had the chance rather than the things they do.

I challenge you to imagine what you would want your life to be if you had no limitations. Would you move? Travel? Change careers or start a business? Go after love with no fear? What would you do? Usually what captivates your mind the most is an indicator of what you should go after. Also, think about what you enjoyed when you were younger. I remember as a kid I wanted to be a country music singer. Later I realized I don’t have the voice for singing, but I developed a love for journalism and interviewing country music singers on their own dreams and music.

While it can be easy and comfortable to stay in a situation, you have to live your own dreams. No one else is living your life. You have to trust that everything happens for a reason and even if you feel like you’ve wasted time and aren’t where you should be, trust in the process. What can feel like a setback, could be you setup. We often have to go through trials before we can live a life of treasure.