I Had a (Crazy) Dream
Once upon a time, June 2012 to be exact, I had a crazy dream of travelling across the United States and seeing ‘the real America’. I wanted to stop and see some of the wonderful people that my online business had given me the opportunity to get to know, and I wanted to do it in style*.
I had a crazy dream of attending the conference that so many creatives in my industry want to attend, Alt Summit. But it all seemed too far fetched. The business was having a slow month. I was feeling really low and only had $200 in savings and had bills that needed paying. So I made a ‘what have I got to lose’ plan. I never thought for a second that I could pull it off. I’d tried before and it had flopped and I just thought it would again. But it didn’t. I broke everything down into tiny little goals, and focused on them one at a time: Renew Passport. Apply for visa. Follow application process. Work job that brings in money – even though you don’t like it there. Save like crazy. Share it with your community.
Slowly but surely, the bank account grew, and the plans started to fall into place. From behind the computer screen, it all seemed so surreal. Was this actually going to happen? Could I actually get this massive trip with all the stops and actually do the whole thing without a credit card? And then in November, 2012 it started to come true. I booked the international flights. That was it, the plan was now set in motion. Everything I planned for and worked crazy hard for was actually coming true! Holy moly, I could do it!
On January 17, 2013, as so many of you know the 27 adventure started. I had a crazy dream and I made it come true 7 months after I thought it up, and that’s how I know you can do it too. It doesn’t have to apply to travel only, it can be for any BIG dream. What I realised is that it’s all about breaking it down into something that you know that you can handle. It’s about to-do lists and timelines and the biggest Eep! of all: budgets. But if I can do it, you can too, and I can show you exactly how.
Wouldn’t it be brilliant to have a plan on how to make that crazy big dream become a reality? I can tell you that the Brooklyn Bridge is as amazing as I had always imagined it, and whilst that may not be your dream, just seeing and doing what you love makes all the difference in the world. I believe that this year is the year that we should all take a chance on ourselves. To make a plan that won’t lose us anything if we don’t act, but can make things something so much more!
I can tell you first hand that living the dream is a-ma-zing and so worth the decisions I made and the hard work it took to get here. This has been by far the most amazing 3+ months of my life and I wouldn’t exchange it for anything. It’s inspired me so much that I’m already starting on the next crazy dream.
If you’ve been wanting to make your BIG dream happen but you’re stuck on the how and the when, I can help! I’ve created an e-course that takes you through the steps and helps you make the best plan possible with all the steps you need to make it work (in a way that works for you). Join me for Making Bold Plans starting April 22!
*Style=not Youth Hostels but Hotels with free Wifi.
The Seed That Alt Summit Planted
I went to Alt Summit in January with an open mind and ready to listen to the amazing speakers and see what I could learn. It was inspiring and motivating and all ’round fantastic. As I listened and took all the notes, a little seed popped into my head, and I’ve been working on it ever since.
In talking to people about making the 27 adventure a reality, the overwhelming response from people has been about how they wish they too could make their crazy dreams a reality. Some said it in a ‘but that’s never going to happen’ way, but I noticed that more people said it in a ‘if only I had the tools to know how and the time’ kind of way. As I sat listening to the session on building offline events, it came to me: workshops where I can share with people the tools I have to help them make their big dreams happen! Yes! Finally a way to help people shine and reach the goals they’ve always wanted to!
You see, strategy is my thing. Share your idea with me and my brain will start thinking about how to make it work and what you realistically need to make it happen. That’s just how it is. It’s not always intentional. I just start to brainstorm. I think of all the ways you could make it happen. For me, it’s less about whether or not it should happen, but more about the how. I just love it, and I totally believe that other people can make their dreams a reality too.
After mentioning my idea to the wonderful Megan, she suggested that an e-course format would reach more people and be a great format for me. Awesome idea! Thanks Megan!
So with my brain ticking on overdrive and the opportunity for me to share my strategy and planning skills with you, I finally decided on what my next big idea should be called:
How many of you have thought that you’d love to go on that big overseas trip; or start up your own micro business; or take your kids to Disneyland; or save a deposit for that big dream purchase? But it all just looked too big and too far off to even start thinking about, I think we all have.
I want to help you turn that seemingly impossible dream into something that you can work towards. Because I believe that with the right tools, a proper timeline, manageable steps and a support network you can make your big idea happen too! Everyone’s dreams are different and their timelines and budgets are different too, but sometimes you just need the small steps that you can write in your calendar or on your to-do list for the day to get you started before it snowballs into something much bigger.
Wouldn’t that be awesome?! I feel like this year is the one to get the ball rolling. The year to put things out there and see if just maybe a ‘Yes’ comes back. I’ve learnt from the 27 adventure so far, that often if you’re brave enough to ask, then more times than not the help you need arrives. I’m a big believer that things don’t have to be perfect for them to still be amazing.
I’m so excited to share this with you, and I will be letting you know more details early next week, but if you think this might be for you, let me know in the comments below, tweet me, or email me.
It’s amazing what ideas can come from a good conference. Can’t wait to get started!
x
P.S. the e-course will be at Australia friendly times.
The Path to a Better Business
When I started on my creative business journey, to say that I was lost in a new world of information would be an understatement. I had lost my job and didn’t know what else to do but to attempt to make my creative dreams a reality.
photo credit: James Jordan
I read through blogs that would tell me that this would make me successful and ones that told me that they could make me an instant Etsy success. I followed all the advice and was left wondering why it wasn’t working for me.
I stumbled and made mistakes, I’m not ashamed to admit it. I needed a plan and to get my head around the how of making my dreams come true. I couldn’t find that one thing that could help me to get on the track to success.
It’s two years later and I’m doing something very different to what I started with, but I worked hard, I eventually started planning and I worked out what was right for me.
But I wish that I had had something that would help me do it.
So a couple of months ago, while I was chatting with Brandi about how frustrating we both found navigating that creative business path ourselves we decided that we wanted to create something that would be exactly what we wished we had when we made the decision that creative business life was for us.
The Art of Creative Business is an 8 week, 16 lesson, e-class that offers almost 24 hour support and a work at your own pace option. It offers you audio, written, video and worksheet learning so you can learn the way that suits you best.
At the end you will come out with your own tailored creative business plan that will help you to really understand where you want to take your business. It will give you the handholding and kick-in-the-pants assistance to carve your future into the one you want it to be. It comes with some amazing bonuses too.
If you want to know where your business is going and steer it in the right direction register now.
This class has the added benefit of two teachers. Two teachers = Two perspectives. Brandi and I will each be teaching the lessons that we are best at to give you the most benefit.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to spend your time sifting through all the conflicting information out there and actually made a plan that will work for you and you business?
This class will give you the tools and the momentum to push your business forward. If that’s what you’ve been looking for, sign up here.
