We’ve all heard about (and probably know) women and men who take that risk and leave their day job to pursue their life dream(s). It’s scary and requires courage but it’s always worth it and in the end brings us much more happiness and fulfillment than drudging it out in a career that keeps us from following our pure potential.

Last year, Thalia Plummer, (photo taken by Amy Mcmullen www.amymcmullen.com) founder of Premiere Events Portland left her corporate day job to start actively pursuing her dream as an Event Planner and Writer. In interviewing Thalia for I Dream Stories, I recognized similarities on our path and was curious to find out more about her dream, obstacles she’s faced, how she’s worked through the icky moments and what advice she would give to other dreamers.

When I asked Thalia what her name meant, she knew it was Greek and thought it had something to do with abundance and happiness.  I did some further research and found that her name refers to THALIA the Greek Goddess of festivity and rich, luxurious banquets. Coincidence? I think not. That’s just confirmation she’s on the right path, imho.

Here’s more from Thalia:

I’ve always wanted to write and that’s how my dream started many years ago. My dream is to consult and write about Event Planning, in service of a larger audience that is looking for green and sustainable resources.

I was involved in the field of Event Planning in a corporate environment for 10 years and left late last year to follow my dream of combining my passion for writing with my skills as an Event Planner. What I experienced in a corporate setting was that working very hard could get me to a certain level of success but at the end of the day I didn’t find a lot of satisfaction. I felt like I was working on someone else’s dream. Part of what I loved to do was planning and creating strong happy relationships with clients, no matter what their budget. I enjoyed facilitating and supporting the client’s vision of their special event.

As my dream started to evolved so did my blog, also called Premier Events Portland - A one-stop shopping resource for green weddings and sustainable event planning in general.  What I found after spending endless hours on the Internet researching green resources in the industry was that there wasn’t a lot available and I saw a need. I’m eager to write about things like sustainable fashion and if I consult for corporate clients, I want it to be green. Suddenly my dream started taking on a life of its own and its exciting.

The major fear that comes up for me is around money. When you step out on your own, you don’t know if you’re going to have a guaranteed income. However, I have faith in what I’m doing. It feels right to me. I take opportunities as I see them. I network a lot. I put myself out there. I use my intuition and look for signs to guide me and things just happen to work themselves out. Two days after I quit my job, I met someone who I ended up collaborating with and that brought me to a new level. Time management is key as is focusing on what is important.  Everything is a balance.

What advice would I give to others following the same path? Don’t be afraid of hard work or putting all of your money into your project. Have faith that if it is really what you’re passionate about and what you’re meant to do, then it will work out. I found that talking to others about my fears is a powerful way to release them. Portland, for example, has such a wealth of resources to help entrepreneurs and they want you to succeed.  There are always opportunities to collaborate and receive support no matter where you live. All you have to do is ask.