Think Big!

Are your dreams big, bold, and audacious? Or do you limit yourself by fear, doubt, or even laziness? I’m talking about Thinking Big: thoughts and tips for taking your life vision from the everyday to the extraordinary.

Warmly,

Melanie Ott

Inspirational Thought

What lies behind us and what lies between us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. — Oliver Wendell Holmes

If you can dream it, you can do it. — Walt Disney

Think Big, Plan Big, Act Big

Supersize Your Dreams

“Dream big.” These motivational words are a staple at schools across the country, inspiring children to pursue awesome goals: becoming an astronaut, a brain surgeon, the President. But do you allow yourself to dream big? How often do you give yourself the freedom to feel the same starry-eyed wonder you experienced as a kid?

As we grow older, life seems smaller than it once did. Slowly your choices are constricted by bills, family needs, careers and responsibilities. We go from feeling anything is possible to not thinking much beyond the day-to-day. I believe you can relive that same inspired abandon you felt as a child. That’s the power of thinking and dreaming big.

Focus on What Moves You

Consider the famous TV personality Mr. Rogers’ words of wisdom: “You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are.”

Everyone has a finite amount of time and resources — and too often we allow these limitations to paralyze us. Instead of restricting yourself to small dreams, small goals, small visions, learn to be selective in your dreams. Choose the dream that makes you feel alive, then throw yourself into it.

The Best Is Ahead

The beauty of dreaming big is that it means that the best lies ahead. No matter what horrible or spectacular things have happened in your past, there’s always the possibility of greater things in the future. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how stuck you feel in your life, or where you are right now: with big dreams come big possibilities.

An Exercise in Thinking Big

Here’s a simple way to practice thinking big: make a list of your top three to five goals for the next year. Then, read back over the list, and for each goal, think about how you can make it even bigger​. Maybe you wrote “Learn to cook Italian food.” But what you really want is to take a trip to Italy! Maybe your goal is to “Work on my novel.” Make it bolder and change it to “Publish my novel.”

Once you’ve created and supersized your list of goals, you should have a pretty ambitious list in front of you! You can shoot for the moon and go for all of them, or choose one or two truly meaningful goals and throw yourself into them wholeheartedly. You never know what your dreams might bring.

Tips to Think Big

Here are some practical tips to take your thinking from every day to extraordinary.

Take action. While you might think thinking big is a prerequisite to big actions, taking any action, big or small, can spur big thoughts and awesome outcomes. Keep in mind Newton’s first law — an object in motion tends to stay in motion. A small step towards a big dream is often the only motivation you need to take the next step, and the next.

Surround yourself with joy. When practicing big thinking, seek like-minded people who energize you and bring you joy. Evaluate relationships and situations that might be dragging you down, and see how you can adjust or rid yourself of toxic energy drains. It might require building new friendships, ending old ones, or setting boundaries. Maybe it’s time to take a leap of faith and make a big change in your personal life or career.

Crush negativity. Thinking big requires a powerful optimism unfettered by negativity. How many times have you had a dream only to think, “No, I can’t do that,” or “That could never happen for me.” Cultivate a “can do” attitude. Focus on the positives, the potential, and the possibilities.

Invest in yourself. It’s difficult to achieve great things without the tools and the resources you need. Making positive investments in your dreams — whether it’s something as small as buying a self-help book or as big as traveling across the world. Have dreams of becoming a gourmet cook? Purchase some professional kitchen tools to allow you to create extravagant meals with ease. Want to take up running? Buy a pair of quality shoes and attire. Dream of owning your own business? Enroll in a business class at your local college. The success you reap will make your investment infinitely worthwhile.

Focus on the Future …

At Leap Forward Coaching we have a process that will help you think bigger than you ever thought possible, in every part of your life, from the personal to the professional. We will guide you on a purposeful path of intentionality and gratitude that will help you glean the beauty and meaning of every moment in your life’s journey.

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