When it comes to big dreams and big goals, we all tend to have some hesitancy about actually putting them in motion. Whether it’s because we are scared of failure (even if we don’t say outright that we are) or that we can’t quite lay out the plan from beginning to end, there always seem to be reasons that we struggle with getting things moving forward.
So…we end up stuck in a rut, nurturing our procrastination and mourning over our big dreams that will never come to pass.
There is another option though—a way to set your big dreams on fire and get excited over the possibilities and the opportunities they afford you.
If you’ve ever seen a bonfire before it’s lit, it can be pretty intimidating—with small sticks, larger logs and branches piled up high. Imagine the size of a match in comparison; small…almost insignificant when compared to the load of kindling. But without that match—without that small, minuscule sliver of wood—the fire might never exist. A simple spark of the match can light paper, igniting branches and logs until you have a roaring fire infinitely bigger than the match on its own.
You just have to light the match.
When thinking of your own dreams—your own Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals—remember the match. What small thing—what one step—can you take today that can light your dream on fire? Maybe you want to own your own business someday, and even though you’re nowhere close, you have your eye on a building that’s for rent. What would it do to ask the realtor for a look? Could it spark innovation….a new idea….another step that you can take to push you closer to your goal? Could it be the first step that you’re meant to take in a bigger plan than you ever imagined?
Or, maybe you are thinking of going back to school, but you’ve already made all the excuses in the book: it’s too expensive, you don’t know what classes you might need, or where to go. Why not just call admissions at your preferred school and start getting some answers?
The excuses we make are just ways we get to feel okay when put off our dreams—ways we can feel accomplished without ever actually accomplishing anything. But if you really want to set your dreams on fire? Just light the match, and see what sparks.
