Allow yourself to dream big for 2015!
And build the foundation as you go.
Category: Dream
…and you can still have a great experience
Have you ever wanted to fully experience something, but for whatever reason, not been able to experience it in the way you pictured it?
Last year at this time I wanted to be in Asheville, North Carolina, with everyone else in the program I had just joined. It was the first retreat for most of us – the energy and excitement was high.
And I chose not to go.
I could say I couldn’t go, but it was a choice I made. I chose to stay home and honor other commitments.
And I really felt like I was missing out on an important experience.
I really wanted that experience and one of my intentions for the program was to be engaged and participate. This showed up in different ways – participating on the forum, listening to the training calls and being on every Q&A call I could be on, even when I didn’t have a question.
So, I looked for other ways I could still be engaged and participate in the retreat. Thus, the Google Hangout idea was born – I’d have my own version of the retreat at home!
The videos and exercises for the retreat were posted a week or two later and I reached out to the group looking for other people who couldn’t attend and wanted to do it virtually with me.
We watched the videos on our own, did the exercises and then came together for about two hours each for two days. A total of four people participated, three people each day.
It was great! We all received some great feedback on the exercises and were able to provide feedback for others.
What’s my point?
Sometimes things don’t go as planned. You can’t go to the event, the goal isn’t met or priorities change.
And you can still have a great experience.
Think back to the last time something didn’t go the way you wanted it to.
- What was your intention?
If you didn’t have one, what were you hoping for? What would reaching that goal have meant to you? - How can you honor that intention? How can you still experience that?
What can you do, even small toward that? (Small wins are still wins!) And what can you change or modify going forward based on this experience? - Do it!
So many times we think about the small things we could do for ourselves, but don’t in favor of other “important” tasks. I encourage you to take some time out of you day or week to honor yourself and your intention. Just because something doesn’t happen the way you thought it would, doesn’t mean you can’t experience it another way.
How do might you apply this? Share in the comments below!
Do You Have Castles in the Air?
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. – Henry David Thoreau
I have always loved this quote. I must have come across it when I was in high school, because I remember thinking about it then. In college I started a quote journal, and it’s the very first quote I wrote in it.
It’s funny how some quotes stick with us. The meaning changes, sometimes significantly and other times only slightly, as time passes.
For me, the meaning has only slightly changed. It’s become more of a concrete quote. And I realized it applies wonderfully to my life and business now.
You see, I love, love, LOVE setting goals, creating strategies to meet those goals and planning out the details of those strategies. I think it’s a lot of fun.
I was doing this for myself at the end of November when I realized that dreams and goals are the castles in the air. Sometimes they’re really cool and fun, but look a bit unattainable. How the heck do I get there?
The strategies and plans are part of the foundation, not all of it, but a very important part. They’re like the bricks of the foundation.
What’s the stuff that holds it all together and prevents it from falling over? That’s the work. When you follow the plans and do the work, you’re putting the mortar between the bricks. You’re laying a strong foundation.
Building on last week’s topic, don’t become discouraged if things don’t exactly go as planned. Sometimes those failures make the foundation even stronger or the foundation is now able to support a castle (or dream) that is even better than we previously imagined.
What are your castles? What dreams do you have for your life and business that you’re laying the foundation for? Share below!
photo credit: bolandrotor via photopin cc
Are You Acting Without A Dream?
Have you ever started doing something and then wondered why you’re doing it? I’m not talking about walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there or checking your email and forgetting you wanted to send a note to someone.
I’m talking about having a plan and acting on it. You’re a few steps in and suddenly you wonder: why am I doing this, how did I get here? This isn’t helping me get closer to my goals.
Sometimes it’s the shiny object that distracted you, sometimes it’s a goal that you suddenly realize is actually someone else’s (and not yours), and sometimes it’s the fear that if everyone else is doing it you should be too. However you got there, you find yourself doing something that isn’t really moving you toward your goals.
So, what happened? You started planning and/or acting without your dream, your why or your goal. Maybe it was someone else’s, but it wasn’t yours.
Why is dreaming important? It gives you your destination, it informs* your planning and it gives you the point in the distance to focus on.
I shared this quote on Twitter/Facebook the other day:
To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe – Anatole France
Three questions for you:
- Are you acting without your own dream?
Be brutally honest with yourself. Are you working without a dream? from someone else’s dream? Or are you clear about what your dream is and acting from there? - What is your BIG dream?
Why are you in business? What is your dream that puts enthusiasm into your steps (or actions)? - Do you believe it is possible?
If you don’t believe it is possible, all the dreaming and planning in the world won’t get you where you want to go. Harsh, perhaps, but it’s also honest. Sometimes, you can use other people’s belief in you. If you’ve ever had a coach or mentor you might have experienced this. Your coach knows you are capable of your dream and you believe in their faith in you until you have enough faith in yourself.
I’d love to know your answers to any of these three questions! I invite you to leave a comment and share your insights.
*One bit of clarification, when I write inform I mean to give substance, character, and to inspire. So, “it informs your planning” is another way of saying it gives substance or character to and inspires your planning.
photo credit: Victor1558 via photopin cc
You Are Braver Than You Believe
You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. – A. A. Milne
Dearest Reader,
Do you see that quote up there? It’s true – it really is. I know you don’t believe it, I hear you saying noooo, that’s not true – but I also see the glint of hope in your eye. That part of you that recognizes that it could be true and sees there might be unthought-of possibilities if it is.
Think about the quote – really let it sink in and take time to absorb its possibilities.
Now, pretend with me for a moment my dear and answer this question: If you ARE braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think – what would that mean to you? What possibilities would open up? What, if anything, would you start doing differently?
If you want to share the answers to the questions with me I would be honored.
If the possibilities scare you a little – GREAT! There are lots of people that would love to support and help you – you just have to ask.
Love,
Your Dreams