Farideh Ceaser began her music career by singing on top of coffee tables when she was just two years old. She released my first solo album at 20, and another at 24. Eventually, though, her music career felt like knocking on door after door with none of them opening. It got to the point where she just wasn’t having much fun.

Mallika Malhotra began her photography business as an offshoot of motherhood. She had family across the country who wanted to share in every moment of her children’s lives, so she made sure the milestones were all documented. It wasn’t long before her friends started asking her to photograph their children, too.

The dread of the real world was pressing down on Laura Simms while she was in college. She decided she’d hate herself if she didn’t try to make a career of acting. The Knoxville, Tenn. native started out loving the L.A. shuffle. She was driven, committed, and swore she’d never be one of those people who blew up their dream and moved back home to nowhere.

Growing up, Angela Greaser learned that you graduate high school, go to college, get a job, then work your way up in the company. That was the right thing to do. Doing your own thing wasn’t the right, safe, and stable thing to do.

After college, Nailah Blades Wylie landed a dream job with a great salary, a corporate credit card, and a company car. It didn’t take long, however, for her to realize the job was more of a nightmare than a dream.

Melissa had spent the first part of her life following a scripted path, doing what was expected of her. That included marrying someone she thought she should.

Whenever deciding on a path to take in life, whether it be financial, education, or otherwise, the one thing most people recommend is to follow your heart. Do what you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. What happens if we forget why we decided to follow that passion? Today, Tonya shares what led her to quit all income generating activities in order to get back to her joy.

One of the biggest ways we hold ourselves back from being happy is fear of leaving. We feel that because we’ve spent X amount of years in school, a relationship, a job, etc. that we owe something. The only thing you owe to yourself is your own happiness, despite if other people agree or not. Susana Cresce talks about why she gave up the dream job right out of college and advice on moving past our fear.

Do you ever have the urge to pursue an idea or dream? Do you ever hold yourself back by whispering to yourself that you’re not smart, pretty, or talented enough?

The majority of us, if we’re lucky, have warm memories of one (or more than one) teacher that really made an impact on our lives. Regardless of the subject they taught, to this day we still remember the lesson(s) that resonated with us.