How to Follow Your Dreams When You Don’t Have Money

“How can I follow my dreams if I don’t have any money?” is a question I’m asked often.

It was one of the questions that plagued me back in the day when I had less than $900 in my bank account.

At the time, I was too busy trying to keep food on the table, a roof over my head, and a shirt on my back to answer it.

As time passed and I started putting together a plan to pay off my debt, I began thinking about how I would very much like to follow my dreams but simply wasn’t in the right financial space to do so.

How to Follow Your Dreams When You Don’t Have Money

Whichever way you look at it, however noble, fantastic or innovative your idea is; you simply will not be able to get it off the ground without money.

When you have to worry about things like rent, food, clothing, and all the other nitty-gritty of everyday life, there will be a disconnect from the creative part of your brain.

This disconnect will prevent you from dedicating all of yourself to pursuing your passion.

In a ripple effect, when you’re unable to dedicate yourself, self-doubt creeps in and you will begin to think/believe you’ve made a mistake.

Is It Worth It Chasing Your Dreams?

If your dreams have direction, purpose, and a plan in place to make it happen, then yes it is 100% worth it chasing your dreams.

If you sit in one corner all day dreaming about what you want, that’s not really dream chasing. You need a plan. You can’t gung-ho it.

Making your dreams a reality is all about your attitude, sense of perseverance, and the plan.

Given this scenario, how then can you pursue your dreams without any money? The answer is quite simple and doesn’t involve a balaclava and an assault rifle.

3 Ways to Follow Your Dreams if You Don’t Have Any Money

1. Work, Save Towards It, and Test

Figure out how much money you need to launch yourself off the ground, prepare a timeline and start working towards that timeline by doing one or more of the following:-

  • Saving money
  • Investing money
  • Working other jobs to make extra money
  • Trimming down the non-essentials in your life

It took me 3.5 years to achieve this. When I finally launched, it was with peace of mind and no debt. Since I didn’t have to worry about money for up to a year and more if necessary, I threw all of myself into pursuing my passion.

If you are really worried about following your passion when you eventually have enough money because you’re scared, test your idea.

Do this while you’re still employed and carry out a soft launch to see how the market reacts then tweak as required.

Either way, there’s no easy, comfortable, guaranteed path to success way to follow your passion. There will always be an element of risk involved.

2. Find a Business Partner

This is a variation of option 1. Even when you figure out how much you need to launch yourself off the ground, the figure could still be too massive.

Trying to generate it on your own could take forever. In this case, the next best solution is to find a business partner.

I had this option at some point while I was saving but I wasn’t ready and I didn’t feel we had the same goals.

It’s important to note that in trying to find a business partner, you need to align yourself with someone that’s on the same journey as you are.

If you don’t, it can turn out to be a very be costly mistake somewhere down the road – mentally, emotionally, and financially.

3. Find Someone or an Entity to Fund the Idea

Find someone or an entity to fund your passion. If you have a kick-ass business plan and believe your idea is something that can really make a difference in people’s lives, run a crowdfunding campaign.

If you’re able to inspire people to invest in your idea upfront, this is the best and lowest risk-free way to achieve your goals. 

EquityNet is a crowdfunding platform that enables you to connect directly with accredited investors and raise capital of $100K to $100M with no commissions. 

I will upload a review of EquityNet shortly. In the meantime, you can learn more about this crowdfunding platform HERE.

With this type of funding in place, you’re free to throw all of yourself into your idea and implementation.

Just Because Your're Broke Doesn't Mean You Can't Follow Your Dreams. Read This if You Don't Believe That

4 Things to Avoid When Following Your Dreams

1. People Who Try to Discourage You

Some people are a personification of the word “negative”. They find fault in everything and make it their business to complain about everything.

It’s imperative to avoid people like this. Even if you have an iron will, listening to people like this whine on and on and on can be a source of negative energy. Work actively to keep people like this out of your life.

2. Discouraging and Doubting Yourself

A little bit of self-doubt isn’t so bad. A lot of it means you will start seeing problems where there are none and making issues bigger than they are.

Surround yourself with positive inspiration such as these Wall Art Posters. They can prevent your mind from descending into self-doubt and telling yourself you can’t do it.

3. Waiting for Miracles to Happen

Nothing is ever going to come to pass if you sit on your behind waiting and praying for a miracle irrespective of your faith.

Faith is great. Faith without action is wasted faith. Get moving. If something stands in your way, find a way to build a bridge and climb over it.

4. Comparing Yourself to Others

The fastest way to destruction is by comparing yourself or your success to others. Everybody’s journey is different. Everybody’s road is unique.

You don’t know what their lives are or what they’re up against or have been up against to get to where they are.

Let their journey inspire you on your journey but never use it as a yardstick to measure your own success or journey.

At the end of the day, when it comes to pursuing your passions, make sure you’re pursuing them for the right reasons and not because you want to make money, primarily.

Launching a business with the primary goal of making money won’t get you far without compromising your integrity and/or ethics.

Desire, drive, passion, and focus are more important than all the money in the world when it comes to following your dreams.

Succeeding at climbing and conquering a mountain feels way better than the money that comes from it.

motivational and inspirational posters

Anna gave up her 9 – 5 to implement her life plan after paying off over $40,000 in debt. She started The Writer Entrepreneur to share her journey and encourage other people to pay off debt and pursue their life plans. She has been featured on HuffPost, YouQueen & Fitnancials among others. Learn more about Anna HERE.

This post may contain affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase through those links. Read full disclosure HERE.

8 thoughts on “How to Follow Your Dreams When You Don’t Have Money”

  1. Thanks for the post, Anna.

    You had written, “When you have to worry about things like rent, food, clothing and all the other nitty-gritty of everyday life, there will be a disconnect from the creative part of your brain. ” That is so true! For years and years I have experienced that very thing. So, what I have been doing is taking each goal and breaking them down into small, achievable parts so that I can see progress towards what I want. I have many distractions, but it’s great to be able to look at my list and see things I have completed, which then, encourages me to move to the next steps.

    Keep up the good work.

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