Do you have a dream, but are stuck in overwhelm? Are you looking for a Dream Maker’s How To? I’ve been there! And I have learned some tricks for breaking through the overwhelm and achieving big dreams.
Have I told you I am writing a book? This is one of my two big dreams that I am working on right now (The other is getting back to good health). The book is the story of how my faith, courage, and willingness to listen to my Inner Wisdom transformed the grief, loss and darkness of my illness. It also captures the many faces of being in relationship with others during crisis.
This dream of mine is one of those that feels simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. For a long time, it felt impossible to me given the very real limits of my illness, but my soul demanded I share this healing message. So, I got started. Here’s my Dream Maker’s How To:
- There is no try, only do! (just like Yoda says)
- Just start! Take that first, small step.
- Chunk it! Break your dream down into doable bits.
- Set realistic goals!
- Id your resources!
- Make a plan! Put your dream in context of your other responsibilities.
- Schedule your doable bits!
- Tell a friend or accountability partner!
- Focus! Work on 1 doable bit at a time.
- Ask for help!
- Track your progress!
- Celebrate your wins!
When the demanding voice of my soul felt it was going to burst out of me, I put pen to paper. It was very cathartic and gave my life more meaning, but I felt I was flailing around a bit. So, I got help from Sephina Hughes, a fantastic developmental editor through KN Literary Arts.
With Sephina’s patient guidance, I built an outline for my story. This broke it down into doable bits that I planned out with very gentle weekly goals to ensure success. I use the productivity app, Strides, to track my progress.
Feeling untethered after finishing my work with Sephina, I joined a Writing Circle to keep me accountable. Now, as I slowly work my way through my Shitty First Draft, I am sharing my dream with you. Here is my story’s prologue:
Our lives change a little bit each day. A new friend slips into our lives; a young tween teaches us a technology hack, or maybe we take one more tiny step closer to our dreams. Some days the changes are more seismic than one could ever anticipate. As a 43-year-old married mother working full time in IT Project Management for an aerospace company, these changes often slipped by unnoticed and unappreciated. Then came the day that changed everything. On October 30, 2018, during a visit with my Primary Physician following diagnostic blood work and an MRI, I was told that my brain “showed patterns consistent with Alzheimer’s Disease.” With those words, my world shifted on its axis. This is the story of how I righted it again.
So how will you use the Dream Maker’s How To? What dream will you work towards today?
May it be so!
