Take The Risk

We all have dreams.

Ever since we were little, we let our imagination run wild with endless possibilities. We played make-believe without limits, dragging every couch cushion onto the floor to cross a river of burning lava (sorry Mom), or turning cardboard boxes into entire kingdoms. Nothing felt unrealistic. Nothing felt embarrassing.

We also had dreams of who we wanted to be. A vet. A ballerina. An astronaut. A garbage man. Whatever it was, we said it out loud with confidence and zero hesitation. You didn’t overthink it. You didn’t worry what anyone would say. You just knew. And no one questioned your certainty when you told them you’d be a professional soccer player playing for Italy in the next FIFA.

What’s interesting is that even now, as adults, we would never look at a child and say, “That’s unrealistic,” or “You should probably choose something safer.” We encourage them. We protect their dreaming.

So… what happened?

See somewhere along the way, as we grew up, we started caring more about outside opinions. And two of our closest companions… fear and judgment, slowly crept in.

Dreams of starting a business, traveling the world, switching careers, or building a life that actually feels like you get quietly shoved under the rug. We become more concerned with disappointing our parents, standing out from our friends, failing publicly, or being told that what we want is “too hard” or “too risky.”

So instead, many of us choose the path that feels acceptable. The path that makes us feel “worthy.” We chase stability, titles, and paychecks, often at the expense of who we really are. Fear gets louder as the future approaches…bills, buying a home, savings accounts, the idea that happiness comes after a certain salary. And before you know it, you’re sitting at your desk in an office wondering how you ended up here in the first place. (If your dream is corporate life, truly there is nothing wrong with that and I am so genuinely happy for you.)

But for many of us, the inner voice never fully goes away.

It whispers reminders of that dream you once had. And most of the time, we shut it down with excuses: “it’s too late”, “I’m too old to change careers”, “I don’t have the money”, “I need to be realistic”, “I should focus on saving.” Or maybe you do take a small step forward, only to burn yourself out when your 40-hour work week turns into 60 hours and there’s no energy left for you to enjoy creating the thing you love because you feel rushed and overworked.

The environment we grew up in breeds fear. It panics at the idea of choosing a different path. It gives you glares for going back to school in your 30s, for changing careers, for taking a loan to take a risk on yourself. For believing in something more.

But would you ever tell a child they’re dreaming too big?

No.

So why are you telling yourself that?

Trust me, I know how scary it is to step outside the norm. I know the financial risk feels overwhelming. But at the end of the day, what feels heavier: taking a chance on yourself and seeing where it leads, or carrying the weight of a dream you never gave yourself permission to try?

You’ve probably heard some version of this before. So maybe the question isn’t what should I do?Maybe the question is: what am I still afraid to let myself want?

Write it down. Dream big. Let yourself be loud about it, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.

And if you’re not sure what that inner voice is trying to tell you, it might not be because you don’t have clarity. It might be because you haven’t given yourself the space to hear it yet. Sometimes the first step isn’t action, it’s learning how to quiet the noise long enough to listen.

Remember this: you are never too old to choose yourself. Ever.

This year, I’m choosing to take a risk on myself. Not because I know it will work out, but because I know I’d rather live a life aligned with who I am, my dreams, and the message I feel called to share from the universe rather than spend my life wondering “what if.”

Yes, there’s always a chance it may not work out.

But what if it does?

I believe in you.

Xo.

Cass

P.S. (If you spot a spelling mistake, even with spellcheck, let’s call it character… it was written from the heart, not perfection)