Why bother dreaming big?

As I rolled over my spreadsheets for the year, I found my annual plans from 2015-present and I realized something important: I put “create course” on my list in 2015 (and 2016 and 2017 and 2018), but I didn’t officially accomplish that goal until 2019.

Now, I could feel bad about taking so long, however I know this falls in the camp of better late than never.

That’s the thing about goals, sometimes they’re harder than we expect or surprising obstacles jump in our way or they just take a long time.

It’s okay if your goals are taking longer than you expected.

It’s also okay to have big goals and dreams that you’re not even sure how you’ll achieve, but you’re pointing yourself in the right direction. Actually it’s more than okay; it’s necessary.

If big dreamers didn’t exist, we wouldn’t have the automobile or the bullet train or rocket ships.

“We choose to go to the Moon,” Kennedy said. “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

(emphasis mine)

Working on the hard things and overcoming those obstacles will turn you into the version of Future You who can have those big dreams you desire. 

In his famous speech, at Rice University Kennedy outline the obstacles they would face including that the rocket would need to withstand levels of heat and stress that had never been experienced before, would need metal alloys that hadn’t been invented yet, would need to carry people, food, equipment… and on and on… basically there were A. Lot. Of. Obstacles.

But he said if we’re going to do it “then we must be bold.”

So that’s what I want to encourage you to do today.

Dream big. Be bold. Choose to do something hard.

Have big, bold, how-the-heck-will-I-ever-accomplish-this ambitions. Because those dreams and ambitions will change you and take you closer to being the truest and best versions of you.

Year after year, I kept writing “build an online course” on my goals list. Some years I made notes like, “this is a MUCH bigger project than I thought.” (no kidding, Past Mel) But, I kept working on it, I kept growing, and eventually it came together.

Finally accomplishing that dream felt (and continues to feel) amazing! But more importantly, it made me who I am today - a stronger, more optimistic, more resilient, truer version of myself.

Your dreams don't have to have a deadline, you know.

So what if it’s taking longer than you thought it would?

What if you don’t accomplish your dream for another 5 or 10 years… Will it still be worth it?

Yes!

Because that’s the thing about going to the moon, it takes time and even if it takes longer than you expect, it’ll still be worth it. 

Check in with your dreams.

Even if they’re years or decades old, if you still want them, reignite that fire and point yourself in the right direction. If you’re thinking…

Mel, I barely remember my dreams and I wouldn’t even know where to start.

You’re not alone. When I was majorly stuck (before I started making those annual plans), I had totally forgotten what it was like to dream. Worse than that, I felt like I’d completely lost touch with who I was.

The tools I used to get unstuck and learn to dream big again are what I put into my course, Unlock Your 5-Star Future. It took me about 5 years to get my act together, but that was only because I didn’t have anyone to guide me. You can do it in less time because you don’t have to go it alone – you’ve got me and the other students in the Unlock Your 5-Star Future Facebook group.

Most importantly, I created this course to be completely customized to you so you can live your version of your best life (and not anyone else’s).

If you’re ready to dream bigger and do better in 2021, take the first step and enroll today. After the year we’ve had, you deserve it.

BONUS: When you buy your seat, you can also gift a seat to a friend. (That way you can have an accountability buddy right from the get go.)

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE

Look back at your previous journaling or annual plans and figure out which dreams you still want to chase. If you’ve never done this before, take some time to journal about what matters to you and what you want out of the next decade of life. We’re not worried about SMART or safe goals at the moment… Dream big!

Love,

Mel