Big Hairy Audacious Dreams

When we are children we love to dream.  Dreaming of games, far away places, new worlds, you name it.  There are no boundaries to imagination when you're a child and haven't heard "you can't do that" enough times.

My daughter has some pretty big dreams, and it has made me realise that I have put some of mine on a shelf in the back of my mind, and they have gathered a lot of "dust".

Many I have actually done, but the bigger ones are either a work in progress, or I haven't even tried.

The prospect of failing at our dreams holds us back, and then we listen to the naysayers too much, who generally talk us out of even pursuing the dream before we even start!  There's no way to achieve your dream then!

Here are some ways to start really dreaming again:

• Create space - with so much "busy-ness" in our lives, it's difficult to find the time to dream.  Without some "emptiness" in our calendars, something will always come up that needs our attention.  Schedule in white space and go somewhere that inspires you.  Listen to uplifting music.  Get into the mood.  Practice this regularly, and you'll either rekindle some dreams that have been dormant, or you may dream up something new!
• Vision - we often live day by day, with some planning, then years pass.  Before we know it we aren't sure where we're headed or what we really want.  Decisions are made without a vision for your life and the lifestyle you want.  Understanding your lifestyle vision is important.  Find out a way to help you figure out what you want.
• Beliefs - Being constrained by the beliefs we have about who we are and what we are capable of will stifle any attempt to dream.  Limiting Beliefs impact how we show up in the world, what we do, how we do it, and the level of success we believe is possible.  Here is a free download to help you identify and reframe your Limiting Beliefs.
• One step at a time - dreaming requires a certain degree of faith without proof.  All it really needs is hope.  Children have this in abundance.  Life hasn't disproven their capability yet, and the "pain" of failing is some strange concept.  As a result, adults ask "but how" a lot.  I know I certainly used to.  It was what often held me back from doing things that were outside of my comfort zone.  The only way to combat this is to do ONE SMALL THING.  Take one thing a day and take action.  Even if the first step is brainstorming ideas of what to do next.  You then have to actually DO one of them though.  Talk to people, as questions.  Most of the big changes in my life have come about because I asked for help, or out of frustration I blurted out what I wanted.  More often than not, there is someone within earshot who can help you with that next step.

The most important thing is to recognise that you have stopped dreaming big, and to put this into your consciousness as something to focus on and DO!