If you read here at the site or check out my videos, you’ll find I talk a lot about “Happily Ever After” and “following your dreams.” Every coach, guru, and motivation speaker has their take on success. Happily Ever After is my version. I want to define what I mean by both so everyone’s on the same page.

First, I don’t want to get a bunch of hate mail blaming me because their wife visited my site, then “followed her dreams” to “Happily Ever After” and ran off with the barista at the local coffee shop. Yeah, no. That’s not at all what I mean or encourage. Thoughtless behavior impacts those we love and have made commitments. It has no place in an intentionally lived life.

More importantly, I don’t want you to think I’m out of touch with reality. Dishwashers break, people get sick, and unpleasant stuff happens. Some of this leaves us very unhappy. Life is not a movie where difficulties are resolved and neatly packaged in the space of 123 minutes.

Although I am a hopeless romantic who is happily married to my Prince Charming, life wasn’t always happy or charming. There were a few years my dream was simply to make dinner without much pain. And some days, the grief and sorrow of family relationships nearly buried me.

Today, when I giddily talk of Happily Ever After, it’s because I’ve lived the alternative. I’ve seen both sides. I know the journey I’ve taken to get where I am now. It hasn’t been easy, but it was worth it.

To clear the air before it becomes murky, I’ve written a two-part series where I explain what I mean when I talk about dreams and Happily Ever After for writers. I hope it gives you something to consider.

Part 1 and Part 2