Last night was a perfect night for a garden party. I was delighted to join dozens of people gathered in one of Yarmouth's splendid "secret gardens" to celebrate the successful launch of the Maine Women's Journal. Susan Neale, the hostess and the new quarterly magazine's publisher, is one of those inspiring people who made her dream come true. Although Susan would be the first to tell you that it didn't happen overnight, or too easily at first, her process included many points that are essential to making any dream a reality. I'd like to share some insights that come from my observations of Susan's success as well as my work with clients who have transformed ideas into concrete results.
Those things we long to do, our dreams, are often combinations of experiences and aspects of ourselves that we want to be more prominent in our lives at any given time. When a dream begins to take shape, it is good to talk about it with people you trust. At this point it doesn't have to be well thought-out, just clear enough to begin to put it into words. As you hear yourself express an idea, it gets clearer to you, and is often augmented by another's attention and input.
This stage of "putting it out there" is critical, and it is especially important to be protective of the idea and discerning about the people with whom you share it. I'd suggest avoiding the naysayers who tend to think up reasons why something won't work. Once the dream is clearer and better established in your mind, it is more likely to withstand criticism and negative reactions—your own or someone else's. I've noticed that some individuals establish relationships with people who consistently dismiss their ideas in order to protect themselves from failing. Of course, the down side to that strategy is that they don't experience success either.
Keeping your dream alive through its various stages of development and expression can be challenging because it is likely to take longer than you imagined or wanted. Recognize where you have control and where you need to let go, and focus on steps that you can complete in small, yet consistent increments.
It can be a problem to be too attached to the specifics of your dream—the when and how of it. Try to isolate what's most important, its essence, rather than the details, and take time each day to focus on that.
Begin to anticipate and prepare for your dream like you would a good friend who is coming.
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