Dream Chaser

Talk about a whirlwind of a week!

It's only Tuesday and I'm already out of breath...it's crunch time with only 

THREE DAYS LEFT OF CLASSES.

Yes, you will be hearing that countdown everyday this week :)

.

via

Today, I'm gonna get a little personal.

Not like in your face, all up in my business personal...

more like sharing my heart personal! Beware: this post could

get a little bit wordy ;)

4 days ago I was sitting at my dining room table, doing homework...pretty normal.

Then all of the sudden it hit me that I am about to be finished with school.

I started thinking about my goals post-college:

Take a year off, volunteer, go to grad school, work in a school

And then it happened...I freaked out. Straight up panic mode.

So what does a girl do when she enters this state of mind?

Call the boyfriend & the best friend of course!

I called Adam first and then Brittany basically telling them

that I am terrified about my future and that I'm dreading it.

I've always struggled with deciding what to do after college.

I know the "safe" thing to do is to get a 9-5 job that pays well & is stable.

WELL guess what...that's what I planned on doing.

And I tried to sway myself into thinking that was the life that I wanted.

But now that the time is nearing, I realize that it's not what I want at all.

At least not right now.

via

You see, I've had this dream, this passion, this desire to do something 

since I was about 17 years old. But for some reason I've always been scared

to go after it. It's nothing crazy, but I let fear get the best of me.

I was afraid that this wasn't what God wanted me to do.

You know what Adam made me realize...that as long as I'm honoring God & giving Him

glory, going after this dream will be just fine. :)

via

I was raised to think that I had to have a high paying, safe job.
That I should put in my 8 hour work day, miserable or not, and then go home
and enjoy my time there.

That's the way some my family thinks...and that's okay.

But that's not really how I think.

I can honestly say that I would rather be doing something that I am

passionate about every day and barely getting by than waking up to go work

at a job that I loathe while rolling in the dough.

SO.

That dream I was talking about.

I want to go into the field of health & fitness!

I'm sure by now you know that I'm pretty passionate

about health & fitness. I have been since I was 17.

I choose to live a healthy lifestyle and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Through all of my ups, downs, twists & turns...my passion for health & fitness has

been steadfast. 

Why not pursue something that I love?!

Since I was 18, I've had the dream of one day opening

up a fitness studio for women. I have very specific goals & plans for the studio,

but I won't go into all of that. So that is my long term goal :)

via

For now, I want to get certified to teach group fitness classes & to be a personal trainer.

That way I can start somewhere and get involved in the industry.

When I told Brittany she said, "Jess, this is the one. This is so you!"

My grandma said, "I've been waiting for this. I've wanted to you to figure out on your

own that you should work in the health/fitness field."

Even my granddad was on board...and that is a HUGE deal, because he's

always encouraging me to go into sales/corporate business.

I already have these gems on my bookshelf...

See, meant to be ;)

I want to thank a few lovely ladies who have helped/encouraged me

in pursuing this dream...some of them without evening knowing it!

Ashley @ After Nine to Five is always posting encouraging posts that make

me think I can do anything. That make me want to drop what I'm doing and chase my dreams!

Leigh Anne @ Hart to Heart has answered SO many questions for me about

getting certified. She's going through the process herself right now :)

Lindsay @ Trial by Sapphire is my support system. She is my blog big sister & 

I can always send her panic emails knowing that she will console me via the web.

#callinglindz ;)

Erin @ Sweetness Itself for her positive and uplifting posts & attitude!
I loved her post on wishful dreaming! And I just love her outlook on life in general :)
.


 I want to encourage you - if you have something that you want to
do but are afraid for one reason or another...JUST DO IT!
You can make anything happen that you put your mind/heart to...I just know it.

via

If you made it this far, thank you for reading :)
I am so excited for this journey!