Ever since we were in preschool we’ve had the propaganda encouraging us to, “dream big” or “reach for the stars” with a kid in an astronaut suit reaching for the stars on a poster board.
They were cute and fun to look at as a kid, having no real concept of what that actually meant, to “dream big”. It was just a cool poster with a catchy and appealing saying.
Then we get older and the desire to actually achieve something is formed. Whether that’s getting an A on a math test, scoring a goal, or making the dance team. That idea of “dreaming big” and “reaching for the stars” finally has formed a feeling and meaning.
Then we fail. We get cut from the team, embarrassed by a teacher or classmates because we don’t understand, or dumped by our crush. We start to realize maybe getting what we want doesn’t always happen, not right away at least.
That in turn starts to set in a feeling of self-doubt and not being enough. For many of us, most of us really, that fear haunts us for the rest of our lives and we doubt our ability to be good at something, take a chance, or “reach for the stars”.
Fear grips us instead, holding us back from our full potential, our opportunity to have the audacity to dream big.
How do we change that and reprogram our minds to believe that we can?
I am no expert, but I like to think that our ability to “dream big” comes from a bunch of small wins. It’s like a muscle you have to work at and build over time.
For example, maybe first you got a 10/10 on the multiplications quiz, then you finally got a pirouette in ballet, then you decided to take the harder class at school and you passed. These small wins add up. Leaving you with the big feeling of being a winner.
Looking back I personally feel like those little victories gave me the confidence and audacity to dream big as I got older. I was slowly, in a small way building that muscle of believing I can over time. Eventually getting to the point where I now allow myself to believe I can basically conquer anything I desire.
As an adult, if you are stuck in that vicious cycle of fear and doubt try to focus on the small victories first. Build up those small wins, and in turn, your confidence, to strengthen your ‘dreaming big’ muscle.
Start with small goals. Prove to yourself that you are committed to and capable of doing those small things consistently. Then acknowledge that win, no matter how small, and reward yourself. Then move on to the next goal, that’s a little bigger with a little bit more of a commitment.
Giving yourself the permission to let loose and have the audacity to dream big dreams and reach for the unreachable is simply exciting and so much fun. It’s thrilling to believe in yourself and grounding to know that you can overcome any obstacle that comes your way.
But I do believe that belief in yourself, having the audacity to dream big, is like a muscle. That muscle isn’t always necessarily grown overnight, but over time, when we have proved to ourselves time and time again, that ‘yes I can’.
Give yourself grace, and start small and then build that muscle to dream the biggest dreams. 🙂
Happy new year!