Five Critical Steps to Birthing Your Big Dream Successfully
As I move forward in my rebranding process and begin to articulate more clearly what I do in my business, I've realized that a majority of my work is focused on helping people understand with total clarity what their BIG dream is, distilling it down to the right essence, then birthing it successfully in a way that aligns with their passions, values, needs and wants.
So, how do we birth big dreams successfully? The reality is that most of us aren't ready for our dreams to come true today. We need to expand, power up and grow braver in order to hold and emanate the large amount of energy required to live our dreams. To be successful at the level we dream of, we need stronger boundaries, more direct communication, greater self-awareness, increased self-confidence through aligned action, a deeper understanding of who we want to serve (and who we need to walk away from), and a staunch commitment to creating supportive relationships that will nurture and accelerate our growth.
I've learned a great deal about dreaming big and reinventing life through my own journey (which includes some huge missteps) and from helping hundreds of others. From these experiences, I've found there are 5 key steps to launching big dreams successfully:
1. Understand who you really are, uniquely - You can't dream BIG and live out these dreams if you don't understand your own value, importance, and talents. Most women I work with grossly underestimate what they have to offer the world. And the majority of dreamers think their dream is thousands of light years away and utterly outlandish, when in actuality it's only a number of critical steps away.
You need to step back and disengage from the negative chatter and crushing bustle of your life to gain an empowered perspective of who you are, and to make fuller use of the talents and strengths you possess. Whatever you think you have to offer, I'm relatively sure that it's one thousand times bigger and more important to the world than you think it is.
2. Close your "power gaps" (and we all have them) to overcome the obstacles in your way - When I say "power gaps," I'm referring to the areas in your life where you feel "less than," unworthy, vulnerable, insecure, shameful, or inferior. We all have these gaps. Some feel insecure about how they parent. Others lack confidence in their communication ability or their leadership strength. For others still, there's a feeling they're just not smart or clever enough to do what they long to, and they fear they'll fail at anything they try. For yet others, their shyness keeps them hiding their light under a bushel.
These are all power gaps – areas that are calling out for an intervention and an infusion of strength and courage. To close your power gaps, first identify the one area today that makes you feel most insecure and weak, and do something about it to build your strength.
3. Identify the essence of what you want then find the right "form" of it - So many people today are desperately unhappy in their current situations. They fantasize intensely about one new direction, thinking it will be the panacea, but haven't explored this direction enough to know if it's really right for them. We've all fallen victim to the "grass is always greener on the other side" myth, but until we step over the fence to "try it on" we just can't know. Before you leap, research what this new direction entails and what it will give you (and the sacrifices it will demand of you). The key is to find the right form of the dream, so that when you achieve it, it brings to your life what you hope for.
4. Connect all your dots - As the inspiring Steve Jobs explores in his compelling Stanford commencement speech years ago, if you follow what excites and enlivens you, and continue to do this throughout your life and career, the dots will eventually connect. You'll find yourself in a situation where you're using everything exciting and important you've ever learned, and you'll apply it in ways that matter to you, in service to others. But this is true only if you continually ask yourself, "What do I long to be doing?" and listen to the answers. If you honour in some meaningful way your visions of how you wish to be of service in the world, the dots will indeed connect. The happiest, most successful people today have found a way to honor all key dimensions of themselves — their personality, values, needs, and talents — and nothing is wasted.
5. Build a support structure to help you expand - Finally, big dreams don't thrive in a vacuum. They need to be supported, fanned, and bolstered. And you can't fertilize your dreams sufficiently all by yourself. You need loving ambassadors, mentors, sponsors, and supporters who believe in you, and who see the future vision of you before it's hatched. These supporters know how to keep you true to your dream, even when you're so afraid that all you want to do is run.
To launch your big dream into the world as a healthy baby ready to thrive, you need a village to support you and your dream.
Despite what the negative nellies advise you (and man, there are so many), those who know how to dream big and bring those dreams into existence are those who change the world.
Kathy is the Founder/President of Ellia Communications, Inc. — a leading success coaching and training firm for professional and entrepreneurial women. A former corporate marketing VP, trained marriage and family therapist, and seasoned coach, Kathy is a Forbes, Huffington Post and AARP contributor and top media source on women’s career and entrepreneurial issues and trends.
