Dreaming Backwards: 3 Tips To Moving Forward With Your Dream

Driving home from church, Disney’s Moana was playing across our Jeep speakers and two little blonde princesses were singing at the top of their lungs these words:

     If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me
     One day I’ll know, if I go there’s just no telling how far I’ll go

There was something magical about the way they sang with conviction.  It is the essence of childlike innocence before the world tells them they can’t…

If this blog is focused on anything, I want it to be a place where you can come and be inspired, have a co-creative mind that dreams big with you, challenges you to step out and do daring things, and do life together that requires us to be brave.

Here are three tips that I have found very helpful for making an idea, thought or dream a reality.  I hope these are helpful to you to.

1. Dream Backwards

There’s no doubt you can see the big picture of your dream or goal.  But great dreams are never built overnight, and are never the result of one instant act.

To achieve your dream, you’re going to need to break it down into bite sizes.

For example, if you want to create a blog, the first step is identifying your target audience.  If you want to become a photographer, the first step will be to purchase a camera.

To get started on dreaming backwards, backwards, grab a piece of paper.  Write the goal across the top, and then break it down into steps.  List out what small steps would have to be taken to get you there.

If you send me an email, I’ll send you this PDF so you can print it out, start dreaming backwards and break down your big dream into manageable steps. 

2. Create A Plan

You’ve already done most of the work for this if you have gone through step 1.  You’ve dreamed backwards, and now you need to set a plan for moving forward.  Create a schedule for yourself and determine how much time you will need to easily move from the first step to the second step.

Once you’ve allotted a given amount of time for each step, you should be able to look at it as a whole to have an idea of how long it will take to be well on your way to achieving your dream.

3.  Accountability

You have a dream, you’ve written it down, you’ve created a road map of detailed steps and their requirements, and now comes the hardest part:  Doing it.  Action motivated from written goals and big dreams is the hardest step.  This is where scary sometimes sets in.

Find someone you deeply respect, perhaps someone who has done something similar to your dream and let them know what you’re hoping to do.  Give them a date and ask them to follow up with you to make sure you’ve kept the promise to yourself and your plan and completed things on time.

“The moment you put a deadline on your dream, it becomes a goal.”

–  Harsha Bhogle

Summary:

I started dreaming about A Quest For Light well over 5 years ago. In fact, if I’m honest some of these dreams appeared when I was a young child.  Today, I sat back with my husband and looked over what has grown from my plan, determination, consistency over time and a lot of hard work.  I’m far from where I want to be, but it’s deeply satisfying.

My Challenge To You:

What are you dreaming?

Have you tried dreaming backwards?

Where are you in your journey of dreaming big and making things happen?

I’d love to hear what’s hidden in your heart and what God might be stirring in you.

Drop me a comment below or even email me.  I’d love to hear it!