You know the saying “it takes a village to raise a child”? Well I would also say that it takes a village to follow your dreams. There are a lot of people that helped motivate me to quit my mundane corporate job. Although I was passionate and ready, when the majority tells you to stay and fit in with society, going against the grain is difficult to say the least.

And though I am not receiving any Pulitzers anytime soon, I have done better than I expected in a surprisingly short period of time. For that I have a lot to be grateful for and a lot of people to thank. So if I was standing on the podium now, giving my, “I’d like to thank the Academy speech,” I’d start off by thanking my husband, my friends and family that support me, my coach Jaqui, fellow freelance writers and all the books that have pushed me from maybe to, “Yes, I can!”  I thought I’d leave a list of resources for those of you looking to take your own leap into dreamville.

1. A great book for helping you find your dreams and then giving you the courage to follow them: Martha Beck, “Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live“
2. Helped me to discover what kind of artist I was and how that effects the best career for me. Great for other creatives out there: Carol Lloyd, “Creating a Life Worth Living-A Practical Course in Career Design for Artists, Innovators, and Others Aspiring to a Creative Life.”
3. Strengthens your intuitive muscle: Thomas Moore, “A Life at Work-The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do.”
4. Helps you to create a plan to escape from the corporate jungle: Michelle Goodman, “The Anti 9 to 5 Guide-Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube.”
5. This book gave me hope that I can do it on my own, that there were others going through the same ups and downs as me and that we could all come out alive, happy and successful: Kristen Fischer, “Creative Self-Employed-How Writers and Artists Deal with Career Ups and Downs.”
6. Absolutely loved this book. It was one of the first books I read about helping me rediscover my dream to be a writer: Barbara Sher, “I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was-How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It.”
7. Great book for women entrepreneurs: Lauren Bacon & Emira Mears, “The Boss of You: Everything A Woman Needs to Know to Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Business.”