Following your dreams is hard work

I always used to wonder why people settled for less than what they really wanted, why people worked jobs they hated for years and years, instead of pursuing what truly made them happy.
I've been in the process of writing and getting ready to publish my first book for only a few months now and I already have the answer. Following your dreams is hard work. Venturing out of your comfort zone to do something you really love takes a lot of effort and can be so overwhelming.
I was telling my family about my book over the weekend and one of my sisters was asking all sorts of questions. Do you need a publisher? If you publish it yourself how do people know it's there? How do you market your book so people will buy it? Are you going to make money? Good questions sister, good questions.
I am planning on self publishing on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, etc. That part used to seem hard and scary but no, I've decided the publishing part is easy. The marketing part, not so much.
Not only am I over here writing away trying everyday to meet my goal of adding 1,000 words, so I can finish the book this month, but I also spend every spare moment reading articles about social media and marketing and how to turn traffic into sales and how to build my following. I need a website and a landing page to gather emails and a social media strategy and money to fund it all.
When I'm not stressing about marketing, I'm worrying if anyone will even like my book and when I'm not doing those things I'm working full-time, running a household, being a mom and a wife, trying to find time to workout and see friends, and feeling like I'm failing at everything. It is a little overwhelming to say the least.
I'm sure my family and friends think I'm crazy and are probably more than a little tired of listening to me go on and on about my book but I'm not giving up! And even if it means I miss out on a little sleep it is worth it and I've never been happier. Because as scary and hard as following your dreams is, the alternative isn't any better. Even if I never make one penny from writing books, it makes me happy and has always been my dream and that makes all of the stress and late nights and early mornings and feelings of inadequacy worth it.
Find what makes you happy and go for it! Don't waste another minute being unhappy with your life.