How To Dream Bigger

Do you let yourself dream so big that it scares that shit out of you? No? Here's why you should.

Do you have a dream? And if you do, is it big?

I’m talking about the kind of dream that scares the absolute shit out of you.

The kind of dream that seems outside the realms of possibility and probability and everything in between. That makes you feel like an idiot for thinking, even for just one second, that it could somehow actually happen. That other people say will never happen.

A new year calls all sorts of things into question:  Is what you’re working towards what you really want? And if not, why are you still working towards it?

Dreaming Big

Honestly, I really struggle to answer both of these questions.

I am full of uncertainty and full of fear. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of what others will think, fear of picking the wrong thing, fear of picking the right thing and not being good at it…. I could go on. It’s something I’m working really hard on changing, but at the moment, those fears are still there.

And I think it’s great to set an intention or goals or whatever you like to call them at the beginning of a new year, but in my experience we usually forget about the big picture.

We focus on doing something better instead of doing something different. We want to eat healthier food, exercise more, procrastinate less. We try to work on the same things year after year hoping that we’ll finally have a breakthrough. We don’t consider aiming for something completely different, something so much bigger:

What’s your dream?

Getting your dream job (the one that feels beyond impossible to get).

Starting your own company (the one that everyone ‘warns’ you is going to fail).

Being an artist, a writer, a photographer, a videographer.

Going back to study. Stopping study.

Travelling the world.

Making an impact.

It’s confronting – I know. It brings up the question of whether we are enough. Talented enough. Smart enough. Important enough. Pretty enough.

Getting past the fear and the naysayers

It calls into question everything we’ve done in the past. People like consistency and how consistent we are with your previous actions will constantly be called into question by others.

‘Why are you studying law if you don’t want to be a lawyer’ is a question I get all the time. I want something different now than I did 4 years ago, and you might want something different too. It’s ok to be inconsistent.

So why not aim for something bigger than you ever have before? Why not put your big dream on the table?

So think about it: is what you’re working towards what you really want? And if not, why are you still working towards it?

Are you focused on doing things better, or doing things differently?

What do you think?

Don’t forget that comments are always welcome and very much appreciated – I’d LOVE to know what you think?

Sam xx

 

Author: Sam Brown

  • Nice to see a change to the normal resolutions post Sam, it’s a good point that a lot of people think about how to do something better instead of doing something differently. Might need to revisit my own! 🙂 Happy New Year!

  • Sam! What a good post to start the year. I loved it! Hope you had a lovely holidays and a great start to 2015. So excited to see all that life brings this year 🙂 Big hugs!!

  • Hey Sam, I love my big dream but sometimes I think I’d be happier with the small and simple life..
    But then I think I HATE being bored!
    So anyway heres the plan…
    Just moved from ACT to QLD after finishing my degree in teaching, I now hav a great teaching gig at a wonderful school but I only plan to stsy for up to 5 years.. heres why…
    After this I want to move to Tanzania, build an early childhood school from the ground up with the support and skills of the local people, train the locals in quality education and English, start a family and ultimately live here foran extended time… freakin scary and my family hates the idea!!!
    But there you go, theres my dream however crazy and unrealistic it may seem to others..
    Xx Bec Falls

    • Hi Bec!

      Thanks so much for sharing this – I think it sounds incredibly AMAZING! I don’t know if you’ve heard of Pencils of Promise (it’s a foundation that builds schools) but I’ve listened to a few amazing interviews with the founder Adam Braun that I think you’d really get a lot from! I’ll send you the link in an email 🙂

      Sam xx

  • This was an amazing post. I’m all over it! My big dream for the past 3 years has been to start a business, but my fear totally paralyzed me. I’d have periods where I’d be flooded with creativity and create a lot of content, only to stop right before it was finished thinking, “I’m not ready.” Well this year I say f*ck that. This is the year I am absolutely going to start my business because I know I have something to offer. Does it still scare the shit out of me? Hell yes. But I’m also at the point where I don’t know why I’m waiting for outside validation that’s never going to come. Every successful entrepreneur started somewhere, so I’ll start right here. P.S. I owe you an email! Happy 2015, Sam! I hope it’s an amazing year for you!! xo

    • Hey Alex!

      I’m so excited that you’re starting a business this year! And I totally hear you about the outside validation haha I struggle with that so much!

      Can’t wait to see what you create 🙂

      Sam xx

  • Lately I have experienced some doubting moments about dreaming big. Combining a full time job with trying to graduate got me in a messy and busy life, and I started wondering if this is what I really wanted (I know you have been there as well, any tips? 🙂 ). Of course graduating is what I want, and the experience I gain from working is irreplaceable. But then I look at my boss -I used to want to strive for her position when I was younger- and realize that that is just not what I want to do. Also, being 10 000 km from my friends and family made me wonder if I still want to work and live abroad.

    So this doubt stuck with me. Do I really want to strive for a high level job by sacrificing most of my personal time to my career? Or do I want to just live a nice life, get a 9-5 job and develop myself in my personal time? Either way, I know that I will try my best at every job I get, and I believe it is important to generally be good at what you do.

    Do you think there is a middle way? Don’t you think that the middle way would not fulfill either my ambition or my longing for relaxing? I would love to hear your thoughts!

    Astrid

  • This post is so inspiring! 😀 I love that you don’t make your life look like it’s perfect (’cause nobody’s life is, I mean) like a lot of people do on social media! It’s easier to relate 🙂 And thanks for sayin that it’s ok to be inconsistant… it makes me feel really much better. Lately, I’ve been feeling like a failure because I’m changing my mind all of the time! I wanted so bad to be a doula for a while, and then I had my first class and I didn’t feel I was at the right place. After that, I just didn’t know what to do next and I was sooooo unmotivated. For everything. But I’ve been reading your posts and emails for a while (and now watching your videos), and I feel motivated again 🙂 So thank you again. xx

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