Someone said something to me today that took me by surprise. I had shared with a colleague that my goal of giving out 1000 shoeboxes for The Spirit of Christmas Shoebox Campaign filled with treasures would probably be met 1 year in advance and also be met by almost 150%. She looked at me and said, “You know, I thought your goal was too low.”

 Wow, when I started with 120 boxes 3 years ago 1000 seemed like a huge accomplishment and it still is. What amazes me most is when people see the bigger vision – the vision of being part of something bigger than another person ever thought possible. Her comment reminded me that people see things in you that you cannot yet see. I know this because I see qualities and potential in others all the time but sometimes I fail to look at me for the same. Maybe we cannot see it because we live it and we are so close to see ourselves for who we really are. They know what you are capable of and they feel your passion and desire to achieve your goal. Even though, I consider myself a big dreamer – I often get reminded that I could be dreaming a bigger dream.

Maybe my dream was too small. Yet at the same time it is as large as life. That is where the fun begins. When you set your goal,  write it down. Now, what if you stretched your goal just a little bit bigger, what could you really accomplish? One of my favorite things to do is brainstorming the “how”. How can you accomplish what you set out to do? For me and maybe for you, it is all about setting goals that can be manageable not only in resources but also the time it takes to achieve it. Having milestones along the process is like have a self check in, to see where you are at. Be careful not to limit yourself from dreaming bigger and achieving bigger.Find out how much your dream really costs. You may be surprised to find out it may not cost as much as you think. 

My friend Kim and her family rent a yacht for 2 weeks every summer. I had never even thought about renting one. Yet how cool is that? When I shared with others that they too could rent a yacht, they said, “Yah, right. When I win the lottery!” I cannot remember the price she paid but I remember that it was a lot more reasonable than I originally thought. Isn’t funny in how we can trick our minds into thinking something is unattainable? Many people may talk about their dreams, never write them down, and dismiss them as being in impossible. The people who actually take the impossible and turn it into possible find out what it takes to achieve their dream, write down their goals, and make manageable actions steps. The action steps are the key to unlocking your dream. The greatest way to achieve you dreams is to S.H.A.R.E.

S– Stretch into a bigger dream

H – Help others dream a bigger dream from what you see in them

A– Ask others to help support your dream and let them know how they can help you

R-Recognize your milestones or accomplishments along the way

E-Enjoy the journey!

In following these steps, my family, friends, and colleagues and even members of the public have made this dream explode into something bigger and better. Dreams come true when you engage others in the process. I am so impressed by the generous spirit of the people in our community. Families, teams, businesses, and schools are gathering together like a chain to help build a stronger community. Amazing what happens when we all work together in making dreams come true. In just a couple weeks, children’s faces with be filled with happiness and joy by a simple gift of a shoebox placed before them.  Start dreaming a bigger dream, you could be dreaming small. Dream do come true!