The scary truth about chasing your dreams is that it comes with taking many risks. Whether you are asking someone out, changing majors, or starting a new job; it will be tough. However, no matter what you face, if the goal is important to you, you should be willing to do whatever it takes to reach it.

Here are five consequences to taking any risks that you have to be prepared for:

1. You will fail, a lot!

Yes, I know it is extremely annoying to fail at something over and over again, but you must look at those failures as learning experiences. “All people fail at certain instances in their lives, the only thing that makes them different is…how they manage to stand up or how they choose to fail again.” You live and you learn and that’s how you grow.

2. People will make fun of you.

Honestly, they are probably just extremely terrified to achieve their goals, so they just make you out to be the odd ball for going after yours. However, keep in mind that at the end of the day, you must please yourself and they are your choices to make. Don’t make the wrong one and let the “What if…?” haunt you forever.

3. You’ll lose friends.

Why? Because they just don’t get it. They don’t like the changes and they liked you better when you weren’t pursuing your goals. That way nothing ever changes. Yet, no change equals no progress and being ambitious often means being lonely. But really if a person doesn’t want you to be happy, can you honestly call them a friend?

4. You will be put in situations with zero clarity.

Taking risks often means making tough decisions with no guarantee of a payoff. Before attempting, just ask yourself these three questions: “Do you think it will work?” “Would you regret it if you didn’t try?” “Will you be able to survive even if you fail miserably?”

If you can honestly answer yes to all three of these questions then you know what you should do.

5. You’re going to have to do things that make you uncomfortable.

Putting yourself out there in any way which usually feels awkward. In that case you should do it anyways, power through. However, there is a difference between doing something that feels awkward and doing something that feels just plain wrong. If it’s the latter, don’t do it. But putting yourself out there and feeling awkward about something is how to go about getting what you want out of life.

Expect these five things on multiple occasions and now decide if it’s something you still want to pursue. Keep in mind and remember that really big things in life involve a bit of risk. Don’t always get caught up in playing it safe.