When my fashion school funding fell through, I went to business school. Yet, even after 20 years, I still think about that technical training—training that, in many ways, keeps me from fully realizing my fashion designs. I am just about finished with my first semester of my doctoral studies in Fashion Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation.

I find myself looking at fashion design programs and wondering if I should switch. I can always return to my doctorate later if I decide, but right now I want to become a Royal Dressmaker and design and make the most beautiful fashion with my own hands.

I feel like I am reliving a familiar choice: to remain on the periphery of my fashion dream or to lead the charge of it. I am 42 years old, and in this moment, I am deciding whether I can fully take charge and truly go for it. Time has shown me that this dream is still very much alive in my heart.

What would you change today that should have been changed long ago? Is there a bold shift you could make to bring yourself back on course—toward your truest and most brilliant self? What would that look like, and could you take the first steps in the next two weeks to change the course of the coming year?