Previously I had written a blog about Jarryd Hayne and his decision to leave the NRL Parramatta Eels, to move to the US and pursue his dream of playing in the NFL.

Whilst the story last year had generated a lot of negative backlash, I was intrigued to see what would happen to someone that decided to follow his dreams. Jarryd was quoted as saying “I never want to limit myself out there. I want to give myself every opportunity to climb a mountain from the bottom.”

When I turned on my TV earlier this month, a news headline detailed how Jarryd had been officially signed to the San Francisco 49ers on a three-year contract. Jarryd said after the deal was announced that “I know it’s going to be a huge mountain to climb. I’m excited, nervous and everything goes along with such a big move.”

I was delighted to see that taking the risk had paid off for Jarryd! It just goes to show that if you are dare to dream, and take that leap of faith that it can pay off. For Jarryd, it was all about the challenge and wanting to achieve his personal best. He didn’t care about the money he was making in Australia and the fame, he wanted to conquer his goals.

What I believe this teaches the rest of us, is to not be afraid of a challenge and to not be afraid to follow your dreams. Too many of us are afraid of the unknown and never dare to entertain the idea of perusing our dreams. Sure, there will be times that you fall short, but at least you can look back and say you tried. Persistence and hard work eventually pay off.

Written by Natassja Ford