Go to school. Graduate. Go to college. Find your passion. Pursue it. Get a degree. Live it.

Easier said than done.

Growing up, we all had the idea of our dream job, our dream life, and what we wanted our future to look like. If you’re like me, you still dream of that at 19, 20, 24, or however old you might be, but things might be a little different than they were when you were young.

When I was 17, that dream for me was life inside the music industry. Music has always been a big influence in my life, and it goes deeper than just vibing well with lyrics and a good beat. It’s a feeling deep in your bones that makes your heart beat faster – a feeling that tugs at your very heartstrings. I felt at home the second I set foot in Nashville. The thought of moving there to work behind the music scene made my heart skip a beat. Figuring out what made it work, how to represent it, and how to sell it appealed to my personality type so much more than being on the forefront, and I lived for it. I researched. I planned. I plotted. I made sure to remind myself everyday what I wanted to achieve until it was done - but life had a different plan for me.

I came to college seeking a degree that would launch me down Music Row. I pursued a Public Relations degree with a minor in Business. I told myself every day I was happy with my choice, but I wasn’t. I was miserable my first semester with the uncertainty my future career choice held. I allowed myself to believe I didn’t have it in me, but the truth was I just wasn’t content. Certain things took place in my life over the course of that year that made me completely lose desire for what I loved. I didn’t want to give up on the dream I had aspired to achieve for the last two years of my life at that point. I didn’t want to give up – but God had a different plan for me and called me somewhere that needed me more.

Perhaps your dream wasn’t quite like that, but you get the gist of it. I had a plan for the future, and God pretty much gave me one big “nope” before sending me on my way to find something else.

It was hard coming to the realization that what I wanted out of life wasn’t exactly what God wanted. We can plan for the future all we want, but if our plans don’t align with God’s, He’ll make it known. It can be hard, waking up one day with the feeling that you aren’t where you’re supposed to be. We’ve all probably given up on some kind of dream at some point in our life, but that doesn’t mean we failed. We had the courage to take an absolute leap of faith and trust that God would guide us along the way. He’s done just that for me, though it’s called me down a path completely opposite of what was originally planned. That’s okay. I am happy with my new life course (sometimes frustrated, and still a little uncertain, but happy). I struggle with many things my new dream has provided, but despite how hard it gets, I still come out it wanting to do more and wanting to get further. It can be like that for you, too. Maybe you’re like I was – stuck with deciding if your “dream” is really for you. All I can tell you is to listen for the things God tells you. It won’t be subtle. When you know, you’ll know. You just have to take a chance and know that it’s not wrong to let go of a dream in pursuit of another.

My heart often longs for that dream from my past, and I’m reminded of it every time I set foot within the city limits of Nashville. I still intend to try my best to still call the beautiful Music City home one day, just not in the way as originally planned. The only way I get through the heartache is in the comfort of knowing that God wouldn’t have led me away if it wasn’t what was best. You don’t have to understand why it may be necessary to give up a dream, because He does.