I’ve had several people come see me at the coffee shop recently to share a closely guarded dream. Visions of businesses, goals for what these businesses might grow into, questions on where to even begin.
It is so humbling to have them come to me. I by no means feel like a guru in business. Though I have years of experience at this point, it can still feel very much as if I’m flying by the seat of my pants. It seems that, as with most things, owning a business is a constant assess and readjust process.
So today, I’m here to do what I’ve been doing my best to do with folks over the last few weeks: give you permission to dream and encourage you to take action!
Permission to Dream
Isn’t it so freeing when someone – be it a close friend or a kind acquaintance – validates your dreams? When they say, yes! You’ve got it in you, go for it! That simple positive reinforcement fuels something within and energizes you to keep going. To keep knocking on doors and considering options.
It’s not hard to give someone permission to dream and it can have such an astounding effect on their ambition. Sometimes all one of us needs is someone to encourage us in a certain direction and that can fuel our next chapter, our next dream, our next goal. Permission to dream goes both ways – don’t withhold it from others or yourself. We serve a limitless God, which means our dream are going to know no limit either! Always encourage yourself and others to press on!
I love to search out new dreams. I know God has each of us here for a purpose and I want to do my best to live up to what He has created me to do! As I investigate and search out new opportunities, I want to encourage you too to search out the dreams you have in your heart. Just because you have an idea doesn’t mean that you are meant to pursue it. Pray and ask for wisdom and know that God always guides the steps of those who seek Him!
Build Your Foundation
Now that you have your dream, articulate it and formulate all that it could be. As you put words to your dream, don’t hold back or limit yourself. Dream big, be bold and courageous. I love the saying that goes, “I’d rather ask for a lot and only get part of it, rather than ask for a little and get it all.” Go all in, anticipate God’s direction and blessing, and make adjustments along the way as necessary.
As you consider and begin to build this foundation, don’t lament what is past. The Bible says that as we keep our eyes on God, He uses all things for our good! Each road that has brought you to where you are right now is for your benefit and it is so important to realize that! Nothing is wasted, when we keep our focus on serving God.
Even as you work towards your dreams, consider what you can do now to give yourself an edge for when you are able to step more into your dream. Don’t wait for your dream to become a reality to begin to practice self-control. Little things quickly add up, so implementing what you can now will help catapult you into what’s next!
An important part of building a foundation is becoming the version of who you want to be in this next chapter. Begin determining just what you need to do to become the best version of who you want to be! This is not only a practical thing to practice, but it is motivating and gives you something to do right now while you anticipate stepping into what’s next!
Take Action
Now that you have determined that this dream is good and worth investigating, it’s time to begin knocking on doors. Remember all the best things take time and work. Building a dream is a delicate balance of submitting and surrendering all to God and holding it loosely while also working faithfully and enthusiastically as if the dream was a reality.
Here is the beauty of how God works – when we surrender all to God, He directs our steps. Now that doesn’t mean we become a bump on a log expecting that if He wants to do something in our lives, He will. Not at all! Remember, God helps those who help themselves! Pursuing dreams is risky, but so rewarding! And God is incredible about directing every step of the way. Nothing worthwhile is ever achieved by passivity. Be bold and courageous and give it your all!
Be careful who you listen to along the way. Pray intentionally and in depth with God. Surround yourself with people who encourage you and speak life into you. Beware those who rain on your parade. Taking action can be intimidating, but it will also help you determine just how serious you are about this dream. Don’t be lukewarm, but rather fully committed to pursuing this dream and seeing it through, knowing God will direct you every step of the way!
May God bless you with an exciting, challenging dream to chase. If you ever need a cheerleader, I’m always happy to listen and encourage!
Until Next Time!
Hope.