What was your big dream, and what inspired you to go after it?

The big vision I held that I couldn’t stop dreaming about was becoming a successful soulpreneur. I believed it was possible for me and I knew it was only a matter of time, but it still felt like another lifetime away.

I craved the freedom to fill my schedule with the variety of things and passions I came to love over the years. This entrepreneurial dream morphed when I found Life Coaching. It was the missing piece of my multi-passionate puzzle.

Did you always had this dream?

I wanted to become a full-fledged entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. The dream evolved – as I did – over time from a brick and mortar business to the latest iteration of a sustainable creative entrepreneur. As an internationally certified Life Coach, I support and empower both women and men to uncover true alignment with themselves and throughout their lives.

What was one of the first thing you did to get you started?

One of the very first steps I took toward pursuing this dream was enrolling in a class focused solely on Entrepreneurship during my senior year of high school. I went on to study and graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Management with honors to boot. I was pulling double duty throughout high school and my undergraduate studies as I worked my way up the ranks in various full-time retail positions, always with the hopes of taking my career to the next level.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in working toward achieving your dream?

I think it’s safe to say that any creative or entrepreneur deals with their own inner critic on a regular basis. Whether it’s with the far-fetched ideal of perfection or the notion of not-enoughness. As if that isn’t enough of a beast to wrestle, I also had to release and detach from people’s opinions and perspectives about my life and the way I chose to live it. It was imperative that I weed out the voices and attitudes from those people who ultimately didn’t support me and weren’t vital to my forward momentum. And, when you learn to be discerning, you begin celebrating yourself instead of relying on others for praise.

What do you wish you would have done differently? What would you warn others about?

There’s a big part of me that wishes I would have leapt and left my day job sooner to fully and wholeheartedly pursue creative entrepreneurship. With that being said, the biggest piece of advice I can offer is that there isn’t an exact equation or ‘right’ series of steps to follow. You’ve got to figure it out for yourself and your life.

Would you say you’ve achieved your big dream yet?

Yes! And I know it’s also only a matter of time until another level or bigger dream appears and it’ll be completely up to me to choose whether I grow with it or not.

What do you think helped you achieve it?

There were a number of things that helped me finally transition from an employee to an entrepreneur. Seeking out and developing an unwavering support system was hugely beneficial, but the belief in myself had to come first and foremost or I never would have jumped. I had to arrive at this place where I was more confident with my abilities and the work I wanted to share with the world and less concerned or worrisome of the unknown. And here’s the truth of the matter: the pleasure and pride I have for the work I now put out into the world as a writer and a life coach is more important than any opinions or critiques.

What’s the best advice you have for others who want to follow their big dreams?

The only piece of advice you need is to be relentless in paving your path! There will always be someone who has something to say if you’re looking for it so make things easier on yourself and stay focused on what actually matters. You are going to have challenges and obstacles come your way so you’ve got to find the thing worthy of your time and your fight.

Christine embodying soulful, unconventional courage

More about Christine – thrivingadventure.com

Equal parts explorer, writer, and life coach, Christine has a penchant for sharing her real (read: human) journey while encouraging people to reclaim ownership and reignite courage so they can live out the adventure of a lifetime within their own lives.

You can learn more about Christine’s work on her website.

You can follow Christine’s journey, and adventures on instagram @christine.barnes and read her thoughts, and insights about living an unconventional creative and courageous life on medium @hellochristineb

Christine’s favorite quote:

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.
– Mary Ann Radmacher

Christine’s big dream for the world:

To encourage and support women and men to live the adventure of a lifetime within their own lives! We all have the ability and power to live our best lives regardless of our backgrounds, our locations, or the paths we choose to pursue and I’m committed to making this less of a far-fetched idea and more of a reality.

If you want more inspiring stories, I’ve got great news for you! This story is part of an interview series, you can find all entries here.