We humans talk a great deal about pursuing our passions, living life to the fullest, and realizing our dreams, don’t we?

Part of the reason we talk about dreams is because the very nature of possibility is incredibly exciting. It lights a fire inside of every one of us and makes us think “Yeah, I could do that!” We love stories of people who walked away from the expected societal norm of the 9-5 job that fulfills the bank account but not the soul, and goes out and carves her way through to the other side and comes out an independent, successful small business owner.

She defied the odds and is now living her dream.

Why do we see it from that perspective? The one where the person straps on courage and literally fights to create the life she dreams of living? Why isn’t turning one’s dream into reality the norm and not the exception?

Perhaps it’s time to get clear on something. To paraphrase the poet, Mary Oliver, we each have “…one wild and precious life”, and to spend it day in and day out working in jobs that are unfulfilling, energy-sucking, and turn Monday mornings into dreadful jokes, seems, well, just as crazy as saying “No” to the life you want to be experiencing.

What is your dream worth to you? What are you willing to surrender to and let go of in order to let something more worthwhile in?

Ask any small business owner what they have given up and the list will run something like this:

Peace of Mind. Sleep. Vacation. Sleep. Sick Time. Sleep. Regular Paychecks. Sleep. Disposable Income. Sleep. Bad Bosses. Office Politics. Yeah, Sleep. Long commute. Sleep. Eating Out. Shopping Malls. Sleep. (You get the picture).

Then ask them what they have gained and the list will run something like this:

Courage. Humor. Accomplishment. Adventure. Purpose. Sense of Self. Eagerness. Positive Outlook. Experience. Inner Strength. Openness. Knowledge. Magnificent Mondays. Life Love.

Small business owners work harder and longer than they ever expected. A 17-hour workday is a breeze compared to the number of all-nighters they pull in the first couple of years. They acquire skills they never thought they would need – chief medical officer, weight-lifter, counselor, accountant, chemist, and even part-time construction worker. They put professional jugglers to shame. They become intimate with the many uses of Gorilla Glue, duct tape and packing peanuts. They know how to upcycle, recycle and repurpose with the best of them. They know the UPS guy’s family history. They become problem-solving heroes. (Yes, capes are involved.) They embrace the dark side of their humor and revel in the light side when it shines through. And they know where to get the best damn coffee in the neighborhood.

They run on fumes and inspiration. They don’t crave praise, they crave encouragement. They seek motivation and ingenuity. Offer useful feedback, not criticism, and they will bend over backwards to make you happy.

Small business owners are doing the dream. They have the physical and mental callouses to prove it. They understand that committing to their purpose meant surrendering all of society’s norms and stepping out of line and saying “I’m going this way instead.” They are willing and able to sacrifice all of the usual comforts of a biweekly paycheck because they have seen the horizon of their future and it isn’t empty. It’s chock-full of their life, of getting up on Monday morning feeling great because they are about to go do work that means something to them. Even if that includes slapping labels on 1500 candles for a wholesale order that needs to be delivered by noon; or hustling out into the world before the sun is up, after sleeping only 4 hours, because it’s time to make the doughnuts for their earliest customers.

They do this because they know that if they didn’t, they wouldn’t feel alive. And secretly they wish every person could experience this crazy, heady mix of exhaustion and exhilaration.

Dreams are delightful. But doing the dream is better. Doing the dream is living life’s purpose.

Those quotes we love to share on social media are genuinely meant to make people consider what it would take to bravely step out of that “Monday Mornings Suck” line and into something far more challenging and fulfilling than they ever thought possible. Because when a dreamer becomes a doer, all of us reap the benefits of their passion. So the next time you see quotes about dreams, understand that small business owners love them for a whole host of reasons: inspiration, a sense that somebody is on their side, a much-needed laugh, encouragement, and a signal that, yes, they were right to follow their hearts.

When you shop from a small business owner, ask them about their story. The reason they love to tell it is that they hope, on some level, to inspire someone like you to get out there and go after the life you really crave. Let them.

Do the dream, baby, do the dream. Go be the small business owner, the entrepreneur, the person who walks outside the line. You’ll find that what you surrender is nothing compared to the benefits you reap by living your one wild and precious life.