Where to Start When You Have a BIG Dream

I will never forget the day Maxie scheduled a “meeting” (i.e. a regular coffee date) with me and told me she wanted to start a blog. I have helped a LOT of people over the years get social media accounts and blogs off the ground, but no one comes close to how excited I was to help Maxie. I knew she had a lot to say, and what she would have to say would be great.

Before we get into Maxie’s guest post, I just want to say (again) how proud I am of her. Her book is available for preorder and preorders are super important for book sales as they count toward the first week of sales. (Which can boost a book to a bestseller list!) If you’re interested in buying the book, I encourage you to preorder if you can!

Where to Start When You Have a BIG Dream

Guest Post by Maxie McCoy

Have you ever had a dream that made you SO excited at the thought of it? Seeing yourself in that future vision is so energizing – you feel like anything is possible. It doesn’t matter if the dream is wild and wonderous, or humble yet meaningful…if it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, create or see… you must go do, create or see it.

I’ve been thinking a lot about big dreams this week because one of my own is on the cusp of coming to life. I’ve wanted to write a book for as long as I can remember (and OMG as of today you can officially preorder my book You’re Not Lost. So wild.) This week as I was recording the audio version, and narrating all 250+ pages I’d written, I realized just how real this dream was becoming. And more importantly, remembering where I started so many years ago when the dream was just that…a dream.

Because we all start somewhere. If you’re looking at people who are living the dream, you have to remember they were once standing exactly where you’re standing: With nothing more than a dream in their hearts and an excitement in their gut.

So if you have a big dream, no matter what it is, here are a couple things to think about, which I’ve used to bring my own book dream to life:

Do something small. Immediately. You’ve heard me write this before, and I’ll write it a million times again. Always ask yourself, what’s the absolute smallest thing I can do to get myself closer to this dream? And then go do it. However small. And the smaller the better because small is actionable immediately.

Talk to someone who is living your dream. They can help you project manage your dream backwards. They can help you trickle back into exactly the things you might want to be doing today.

Ask for help. We need a community to get our big dreams done. In the case of my book, Carly and this amazing community of readers has been one of the most major building blocks of my dream, truly. Your peers, your friends, your family, your mentors: they want to see you succeed. So don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s likely a dream because you haven’t done it before which means you probably won’t know exactly how to do it. And that’s OK.

Keep doing small somethings. Over and over and over and over again. Most dreams realized are done so by people who just didn’t stop. By the people who just kept going. One small step at a time, over and over again.

Know it’ll take time. So much time. Which contrary to our instant gratification and convenience driven lives can feel a little maddening. In the case of my book, it’s been three years since I started actively working on bringing it to life. Be patient, and remember that good things, like your big dream, really do take time.

No matter what’s teaming inside of you, you have the capacity to dream it because you have the capacity to create it. Soon, if you believe in yourself and take those first steps forward, you’ll realize your own power in bringing that dream to life.

Maxie’s book, You’re Not Lost – An Inspired Action Plan for Finding Your Own Way is available for preorder today! If you’re feeling lost or unsure or doubting what’s ahead, you’ll love reading this thing.