Carrie Baker – The Growth Collective

Hey Friend!

You are at the right place at the right time. If you are feeling ready to embrace that dream in your heart, but don’t know where to begin, you have arrived exactly where you’re meant to be.

You probably feel a little unsure as to where to start, and maybe even somewhat overwhelmed by it all. I know these feeling well! It’s ok, take a deep breath in … and out … and take my hand – I’ve got you.

Before we get going, grab something to write on, a notebook and pen, device of some kind, white board, the wall… anything, so you can make some notes as you go.

Are you ready? Let’s do it!

1. Write it down.

Whatever your dream is, write it down in as much detail as you can. By getting it out of your brain and captured on paper/device/wall, you are able to be really clear as to what it is, and where you want it to go. It also makes it a lot more real. Doing this will help you when deciding what the first steps are, or at least give a rough outline for what needs to happen.

2. Take a first step towards your dream.

Now you have a defined some details of what your dream is, let’s get it started. What is one small thing that you can do today, to get your beautiful dream to move from idea, to something real? It may be that you read an article related to what it is you want to do. You can borrow a library book, buy a new notebook for all those ideas and all things dream related. Perhaps your first step is to make a rough plan or timeline on what needs to happen. You might write the first page of your book, write a rough story outline, make some sketches, gather colour samples, make a phone call or jot down some ideas of future blog posts. Whatever it is, get the ball rolling and do one small thing, today.

3. Tell someone about it.

This feels like the scary one! If you have kept your beautiful dream quietly close to your heart, chances are you haven’t told a soul. This is an important step, don’t skip it! Choose a couple of people to begin with, it might be a good friend, or a trusted workmate. Let them take you out for a coffee and tell them all about your dream. This is what will happen; As you talk about it, your excitement and uncontainable enthusiasm will wash over them and they will find themselves caught up in your joy. Those friends will most likely get caught in the orbit of your dream, they will ask questions and expect regular updates. The more you talk about it, the more real it becomes, the more support you have and the more people you have to encourage you and keep you on track. At some point you’ll even find yourself telling the random person standing in a queue next to you! Write down some names of those you want to tell first, and make a plan to share your dream in the coming week.

4. Make a space for your dream.

By making a physical space for your dream, you take it from just being thoughts, ideas , or words on paper, and making it a tangible thing in the real world. This will look different for everyone; it may be a desk space, a mood wall for all your ideas, a new social media account, a website, or a studio space. Make it whatever it needs to be. By creating a place in your world for your dream to occupy, you are telling yourself and those around you, that you are committing to your dream. Have fun with this one!

5. Create a mind map.

If you don’t know what this is, take a quick moment to ask google and you will be enlightened in no time. Here is a link to help you learn how to do this in a fun and creative way. A mind map is a great way to make a plan of what needs to happen at different stages, to set goals or just get an idea of what you want to do. It’s a good way to look at things a little differently, and how to go from your first step to the next and so on.

6. Make a regular time commitment.

We all know that anything worthwhile takes time and effort, and your dream is worth every minute you can give it. Take a look at your schedule, and work out where you can set aside some regular time each week, to give to your dream. It doesn’t have to be hours, any chunks of time that you can claim as yours.

You may need to take a course to gain a skill, or take some art classes, or you just need to sit and have some creating time. Whatever this looks like for your dream, commit to the time you can, and do the thing when you say you will. Guard that time as sacred. Only you can give yourself that time, and there are a million reasons not to do it, just a message or phone call away. You may even feel like life will try and steal some of that time away from you. Your dream is so worth the time you need to put into it, and you are the only one who can make that happen!

7. Build your community.

It takes a community to build a dream

Bob Goff

You have probably heard the African proverb that says ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ But have you heard the saying that says ‘It takes a community to build a dream’?

Contrary to how it might look from the outside, most successful people had a community of people behind them. You actually need a number of people around you for your dream to grow well. Why? Because we are designed for community, we are stronger when we are around those who love and support us. I mean, sure, you can try and do it the hard way and do it alone… but it’s dark, hard and lonely – why would you want to?.

There will be times when you will feel discouraged, you doubt yourself or you meet a closed door. Your community will be the ones who will pick you up, brush off your disappointment and give you a loving shove in the right direction. Not only that, they will be the ones you voice your new idea to, or talk strategy with. They will be your sounding board, and the ones you will outwardly process with.

Where are they are and how do you find them?

If you think really hard, you may find that you have naturally formed some friendships already with others who have similar interests or dreams to you. But as you begin your ‘dream journey’, a funny thing will happen; you will seem to attract the people you need to. This usually happens very organically through the courses you take, the places you go for supplies, the forums you go to for answers, even just by talking about your dream with various people.

If faith is important to you, you’ll know that God the creator of everything, made each of us as we are, complete with dreams to chase and bless the world with. You’ll also know that he will send the right people along to join you on the journey. As you step into your dream, trust that the one who ordained your life, will send the right people along at the right time.

Remember that it takes time.

When I began earnestly chasing my dream, I wanted it all to happen straight away. I felt frustrated and disappointed that it wasn’t progressing more quickly. But what I have realised is that we need to take the time to grow with our dream. As we take each step, we overcome our fear and the obstacles that present themselves. When we trust the process, our capacity grows in time with our dream. Everything needs to grow at the right pace. Rushing things can cause greater frustration now and in the long term. Have grace for yourself as you do things you’ve never done and become the person you were born to be.

There is so much more to say, so stick around for my next blog post: ‘You Have Permission’ as I write about dealing with limiting beliefs and giving yourself permission to dream.

If you found this helpful, please leave a comment and share this with your friends.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone was reaching for the dream in their heart and living the life they were created for?

Sending you love dreamer,

Carrie xxx