If feels like our country is in constant debate right now. I can’t open Facebook or any news website without people debating the merits of this position or that position. There seems to be little in the way of cooperation, understanding, or even listening to one another before the shouting to be heard begins.
What happens when this debate takes place with our inside voice? The discourse inside my head is probably more brutal than anything taking place on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. But is has nothing to do with politics or the state of our country. It has to do with pursuing my purpose and catching my dream. It has everything to do with living an authentic life and being true to who God created me to be.
Many of the hate filled words spewing from people’s mouths and keyboards these days comes from a place where there’s a lack of trust and communication along with a healthy dose of fear. We feel fear when we don’t understand a situation or don’t think we can communicate effectively with the other person who is so set in their ways. What do we do with this fear? And where does it come from? How do we combat it? Take heart my friends, there is hope! Read on to find out what we can do to combat this fear.
The fear of the unknown is the biggest battle in my life. The conversation in my head goes something like this,”You shouldn’t do that! What will people think? Where do you get off thinking you can achieve this dream? Don’t even try it. It’s not worth your time. Wouldn’t it be easier to go binge watch Netflix or scroll through Pinterest until we feel some sort of inspiration? Yes, I think that is the way to go. Just don’t even try.”
Some days I believe these lies and do the exact things I described above. However, in this moment, I’m forgetting the key to turning it all around. Psalm 121: 1-2 (NIV) says, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” I personally like this verse because my eyes see the Colorado mountains everywhere I look since I have the privilege of living in the Eagle River Valley.
When the accusing voices in my head won’t get off my crazy train of thought, I need to kick them off at the next station and punch their ticket so it’s harder to get back on the train. It’s about protecting the dream God has created for me. Yes, I need to pursue it, but during the pursuit, I also need to protect it. This means keeping it front and center in my life. So, I created a vision board.
Actually, I made my entire family create their own vision board. There was a rare bad weather day this fall and our family was stuck inside. So, I organized a family dream board creation day. I grabbed a bunch of free magazines from a box in the library and collected them from friends. Then picked up giant pieces of poster board at the store for each member of our family.
While my five-year didn’t really understand what we were doing, he still had fun with his own scissors and glue. Everyone else also seemed to enjoy the experience. Once everyone had their board complete, I made them present their dreams and goals to the rest of the family.
Yes, I really did make them explain why they put the pictures they did on all their boards. The kids still have their boards hanging on their bedroom walls and my middle kiddo reminds me of my goals because I told them if they would leave me alone when I write, then I would take everyone to Disney World when I signed my next book contract.
The point of the presentation was to allow our little family to help each other protect their dreams. It’s the gentle reminder from my kids asking why I’m not writing or working on my blog. It’s me asking my kids how I can support them in pursuing their dreams as those goals morph and change as the school year progresses.
In addition to my family, I share my goals every other week with my business coach who keeps me on the track moving forward. Sharing your dream with someone you trust, can help you protect your dream and keep it alive. Please share your dreams and goals below so I can help you protect your dream and keep it moving forward.