Taking action towards a dream of yours can bring up all sorts of emotions! Whether you’re about to start a business, begin writing a book, start speaking on stages, move across the country, or change career paths, change can be scary.

You might feel excitement, anxiety, fear, or confusion. Maybe even a mixture of everything. Whatever you’re feeling as you’re moving towards a new dream: Know that it’s ok. Your feelings are normal!

After all, you’re probably about to do some things you’ve never done before. Your brain doesn’t know what to expect and the unknown can be scary- so welcome all feelings and know that they are all part of the process.

I wanted to write this post for anyone who is struggling to find courage as they are moving into a new dream- whatever that may be. Whether you are changing careers, starting a business, enrolling in school, writing a book, or moving to a new place, I want to help you find the courage so you can move forward with clarity + confidence!

If you’re new here, hi, my name is Ashley Rachel and I’m an intuitive mindset & transformation coach and the founder of Lovely Holistic Living. My mission is to help women awaken their inner-wisdom, release stress & overwhelm, and love & accept themselves fully.. so that they can live in alignment with their soul’s purpose! You can learn more about me and my work at my about page.

Here are 5 tips to help you move towards your dreams with courage, clarity, and confidence:

1. Visualize your future & the possibilities

Visualization is a powerful tool and it’s one of the best ways to manifest the reality that you desire. A few years ago, I had a really great honor to sing the national anthem at a major league baseball game in front of 30,000 people. Usually when I tell the story people ask me, “Weren’t you nervous?!” It sounds crazy but I wasn’t really that nervous. And a big reason I wasn’t was because of visualization.

For years as a kid, I loved singing and I would visualize myself on stage singing in front of thousands of people. I would dance and sing into a microphone in my bedroom all the time and I imagine I was doing it for real.

During the weeks leading up to the performance, I continued to visualize. I imagined the crowd roaring with cheer and I pictured myself standing at home plate, feeling on top of the world.

Visualizing my dreams coming true was so helpful because it gave my brain evidence that it was possible. A lot of research shows that our brains can’t really tell the difference between real-life and visualization. When you visualize something over and over, your brain gets comfortable and used to the scenario.

This gives your brain evidence that what you want truly is possible, helping you feel more at ease and more courageous!

2. Mindfully check-in with yourself

Something that I love teaching my clients about is mindfulness. Being able to check-in with yourself throughout the day, by bringing awareness to your thoughts, feelings, and energy is KEY when moving towards a new dream.

Without having this mindful self-awareness, you might end up taking actions that don’t feel aligned. For example, when I decided to become a mindset coach, I had to bring a lot of mindful awareness to how I was feeling each day.

I did this by asking myself questions like:

• “What do I truly want in my life?”
• “Who is the woman I want to become?”
• “What is my soul’s purpose?”
• “How do I feel about coaching and what do I want my coaching business to look like?”

If I didn’t have mindful self-awareness, I wouldn’t have been able to answer those questions because I’d probably be feeling detached from myself. When going after a new dream YOU, as a person, are the most important component to the equation.

If you’re not happy, if you don’t feel aligned, if you have internal resistance to working towards your dreams… it’s going to be really hard to be successful.

To become more self aware, I highly suggest starting a journal practice or a meditation practice! I have a journal bundle for anyone looking to start a healing journal practice in their life. You can find it HERE.

3. Get support and seek community

Gaining support and community is so important when going after a new dream! When I first started my blog, I had this attitude of “I can do it all on my own!” But when I signed up a blogging course and became a part of the Facebook group, I realized I was so wrong!

Having a community of people who “got it” was so comforting! And just being in the energy of others who were doing what I wanted to do really gave me a boost of confidence and courage.

As I said with visualizing, our brains need to have evidence that something is possible. Being around others doing what you want to do is a great way to show your brain what’s possible! So join Facebook groups, hire a coach, listen to podcasts, and read books to gain support and community. Trust me- it makes a huge difference!

I offer 1:1 coaching and mentorship for women who are on a journey towards finding themselves, their power, and their purpose! You can find more information about my private coaching here.

4. Learn to trust yourself and your intuition

Learning to trust yourself and trust your intuition is SO important when going towards a new dream. It’s easy to get caught up in comparison, external validation, and wanting to please others around you. You might even get stuck in a thought like, “I have to do things exactly the way someone else is doing it because they are successful.”

Let me just tell you: There are a million different ways to become successful and there isn’t just one way. You HAVE to do things a way that feels good to you.

If it doesn’t feel good to you, it isn’t going to work. That’s a lesson I’ve learned over and over during my journey of learning to trust myself and follow my heart! So spend some time looking within, asking yourself what you want, and trusting your intuition. You are so much smarter and capable than you probably realize!

5. Ask yourself, “If not now, then when?”

It can be hard to find the courage to go after a new dream. Fear is really normal and if you’re scared, that’s probably a sign that you’re on the right path. The key is pushing through the fear anyway while trusting that things will all work out exactly as they are meant to.

You might be tempted to push your dreams off or say things like, “Well, once I take that course or get that certification, then I’ll be ready.”

But if you’re waiting to be ready, then you’ll probably never get there. Clarity often follow action. I’ve learned that as long as I put one foot in front of the other, the steps will appear. I don’t need to have it all laid out right now.

So be honest with yourself and take the leap! You’ve got this!

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