I had coffee with a lovely budding entrepreneur.

She has been trying to stick it out with what she calls her soul-sucking cube job while dreaming of starting her own online business.

“Belinda, am I being ridiculous for wanting something different?”

She asked me this as her eyes well up with tears.

And my mind went immediately back to the days when I had what I also referred to as a soul-sucking cube job.

Every morning I would get to the back door of the office, punch in the code and as I turned the handle I’d think, “When I walk back out this door, I’ll be 8 hours and 45 minutes closer to death.”

Seriously.

And I was trying my best to accept that fate because who gives up a steady job with benefits to pursue a passion-based business?

Who would give up a company-matching 401K?

What woman would do something so reckless?

So sitting there in coffee shop across from me, I saw myself a few years back.

“No, you are not being ridiculous. You’re allowed to be successful in work that lights you up,” I told her firmly.

I’ve done it.

I help other women do it.

Believe me when I say you CAN have the life and career you want.

But it’s not enough to dream big—we have to dream big AND take action.

Because, as my friend Caitlin says, you can’t think yourself into solutions.