If you've got a dream, chase it.

Background: I left Corporate America in early 2022 to pursue my dream.? I left the industry I had built my 20+ year career in to start my own wine label - sourcing, producing, and bottling all my wine in Sonoma/Napa, CA, and will be opening a Tasting Room in mid-2024, here at home in West Chester, PA located in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

If you’re a country music fan, this Cody Johnson lyric may sound familiar to you “If you got a dream, chase it, 'cause a dream won't chase you back.”? Every time this song comes on the radio it’s a friendly reminder of my daily purpose and the journey I’m on.?

I recently found an article stating that 98% of people die without reaching their dreams. The author provided reasons for why and a couple jumped out at me…

• It’s too hard
• I’m too old
• I’m too busy
• Other people think I shouldn’t/can’t
• It’s not realistic
• I’m afraid

It’s been one year since I started chasing my dream and will tell you I have had to overcome every one of these and I am confident that they will continue to show up as hurdles I need to jump over in my head.??

It’s too hard - yeah, it’s hard because if it was easy everyone would do it.? If you’re starting a business that’s anchored by a new concept or idea that you’re looking to bring to market - it is hard. Although I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, I’ve never started my own business, never had to raise capital from friends and family or lenders, never worked in a vineyard, never produced wine, never leased commercial real estate, never have I ever…but that doesn’t mean I can’t.? So hit me with your best shot, and bring on the hard stuff, I’m ready.

I’m too old - Truth be told I’m in my mid-40s, have a loving, supportive husband and together we have 3 kids ages 16, 13, and 11.? Many of you may think I’m young and others reading this may think I'm old, but it’s all relative.? Like I tell my parents, 70 is the new 50, and 80 is the new 60.? You’re never too old or too young to chase your dream.? While making the final decision to chase our dream - my husband and I both said to ourselves “if not now, when? Let’s just do it.”

I’m too busy - Life is always busy, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional.? In today’s world, we are constantly being hit from every angle with too much information, too many activities, and not enough time.? It’s all about what you prioritize.? Anything is possible. You just need to have a realistic expectation of what life will look like in your new world and what sacrifices you need to make as you work towards achieving your dream.? Pre-COVID I was traveling 3-4 days a week (and by the way, so was my husband) - I missed chaperoning field trips, volunteering at school, watching sports games, taking care of my kids when they were sick, etc. At the time, I had a full-time Nanny whom I used to joke with that she was my stay-at-home wife, but in all sincerity, our household would not have operated without her.? Taking on this new venture meant that my typical workday would experience a huge shift moving from presenting in F500 Board Rooms to pouring wine in a Tasting Room. I will be working odd hours including Friday and Saturday nights.? And…to make things worse, the Tasting Room is now planned to open shortly before I am dropping my first kid off at college. My husband and I needed to think long and hard about what this dream was going to take to bring it to fruition and what sacrifices our family was going to have to make.? We even spoke to the kids about what our pre-COVID life was like, what life is like now and what it will look like in the future.? My kids always amaze me and their reaction was more supportive than I thought.? So, yes my life was already too busy but I ultimately decided to shift time towards being busy chasing my/our dream.

Other people think I shouldn’t/can’t - this is a big one and I feel like a fool.? As a start-up entrepreneur, you come up with an idea that you think is going to be successful, right?? You sit back and think your entire circle of friends and family are going to be excited for you and support you in this new endeavor.? This is not necessarily the case.? I was listening to a podcast last week featuring James Clear, author of the book Atomic Habits, a book sitting on my nightstand that has sold over 10 million copies and is a #1 NY Times bestseller.? He said it perfectly as he reflected on his experience starting his journey as an entrepreneur “It takes a lot of courage to branch out and be an entrepreneur.? When I did it the first time 8 years ago, it was surprising the people that I thought were going to be so ambitious and excited about it and say ‘oh, this is so great’ - they just didn’t say anything.? And then other people that you never thought would be your greatest fan were texting you and saying ‘this is awesome, keep doing it’.? It’s just so funny to see where that support comes from.”? For me, this has been the most eye-opening experience - people who I’ve been close with for years, who I thought would be most supportive say nothing, don’t respond to me, remain silent, and don’t seek to understand what I’m building as if this isn’t happening. Then there are others who have come out of the woodwork excited about what I’m doing and are supportive beyond belief.? Because it’s so close to the heart, this has been quite honestly the hardest one for me to overcome, because as much as people say it’s not, it is personal.??

It’s not realistic - I remember my younger brother coming home from college back in the early 2000s and showing me this thing called Facebook.? I thought it was stupid.? This was never going to be a thing. I didn’t think it was realistic that this online platform was going to be the way that people would meet each other, socially interact with each other, and certainly never thought it would be what it has become today.? I wonder how long Mark Zuckerberg's list of non-believers was - I'm going to guess a lot longer than mine. If we didn’t have people challenge the status quo and transform “it’s not realistic” to “real” then we wouldn’t have what we have today and our future generations certainly won't have what they will.

I’m afraid - I believe fear is the biggest enemy you have from achieving your dream. I’m not afraid.? I’m not afraid of trying new things. I’m not afraid of failure.? Why?? Because I'm not afraid of taking a risk. I’m not afraid to admit I’m wrong.? I’m not afraid to seek to understand.? I'm not afraid to ask questions. I’m not afraid to learn from others.? I’m not afraid to pivot.? I’m not afraid to leverage subject matter experts.? I’m not afraid to hire people on my team that know more than me.? I'm not afraid to make hard decisions. Is there a chance I’ll fail?? Of course.? There’s always a chance.? But what if I succeed?? If I don’t go for it I’ll never know and I don’t want to be on my deathbed looking back and thinking, “What if?”? Just to say it - I’m not afraid. I’ve got this.

To recap -?

• It’s too hard → Yes it’s hard.
• I’m too old → No, I’m not.
• I’m too busy → Correct, I’m too busy pursuing my dream.
• Other people think I shouldn’t/can’t → Yes, they do. But, a huge shout out and thank you to the Naysayers - you are my greatest motivation.
• It’s not realistic → Only until I make it real.
• I’m afraid →? No I’m not.

In closing, I am going to be the 2% that reach their dream in their lifetime.??

There, it’s now officially in writing.

What’s your dream?? Will 2023 be your year to start your journey to become part of the 2%?