Sometimes people who question your decisions have good intentions. They may even have expert advice that could help you improve your situation. As helpful as they want to be, your decisions need to come from you. You get one chance to live your life, and it’s up to you to make it count.

As a person who has decided to take a non-traditional career path, I’ve found myself constantly defending my decision and explaining to people that no, it’s not totally crazy. The thing is, I’ve worked at three long-term full-time jobs. I tried the traditional path, and guess what? It wasn’t the easy street, and I didn’t have the security that people keep telling me to seek out.

Just as some people work long careers in the same industry and retire in comfort, others struggle to land a career or find their skills rendered useless by the marching progress of technology. The truth is, there is no perfect path that we can all follow to success because life holds no guarantees. All a person can do is work hard and find the best in the situation.

Only you know the best path for yourself at this point in your life. Go confidently in that direction and know that no matter what you decide, there will be room for regrets. If you listen to your own voice, however, those regrets will be fewer. If you find yourself faced with defending your choices, here are a few quotes you can use to stay strong:

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have always imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs

“Never be afraid of failure or disappointment because those are just temporary experiences on the path to your dreams coming true.” – Doreen Virtue

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.” – E.E. Cummings

“The cost of not following your heart is spending the rest of your life wishing you had.” – J. Paulsen

“Dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

“We may place blame, give reasons, and even have excuses, but in the end, it is an act of cowardice to not follow your dreams.” – Steve Maraboli

“As soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning.” – Barbara Sher

“To practice any art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

This article also appears on the website http://www.mindfulcurvylife.com.