After a particularly hellish day at work, have you ever fantasized about waltzing into your boss’s office and telling her to “take this job and shove it?”  Or better yet, picking up your purse or briefcase and simply walking out, computer still humming, unopen emails still beeping?  As a long-suffering member of the legal profession, this thought has occurred to me more than a few times. 

The reality, however, is like a bucket of cold water thrown in your face.  Most of us cannot afford to leave our day jobs, even if we’re convinced we have a million dollar idea.  Who’s going to pay the mortgage, put food on the table, and put clothes on our backs?  But, alas, there is still a way to pursue your dreams.  Not surprisingly, it involves a bit of sacrifice.  The title of this post, appropriately enough, I heard from a frequent guest on the Donny Deutsch show on CNBC, “major in reality, minor in your dreams.”  This is more the reality for most than those 20 something billionaires who started their companies out of their dorm rooms (e.g., Dell, Google).  When you want to pursue a business idea, but feel trapped in your job, turn that mental attitude around from a negative to a positive.  Instead of nashing your teeth about how much you hate your job and how you would like to quit to start your own business, use your job as motivation to get off of your duff at home.  I’ve heard all the excuses - “I never have time.”  But let’s face it - most of us have more time than we think.  Instead of watching endless episodes of “CSI” or Netflix’ing (is that even a word?) the latest releases, use some of your leisure time to start researching your idea and taking action.  Becoming self-employed is not an all-or-nothing proposition, especially when you have a mortgage, kids to feed, and a thirsty SUV.  But take the aggravation at your job as a serious incentive for you to do those things you’ve always wanted - write a screenplay, train to become a masseuse, build a widget that stops nosebleeds, whatever.  Just do it!