How to Take Your Dreams Out of Hiding & Get’er Done
While sitting in an orientation meeting for Created Women holding a binder one-inch thick, I became uncomfortably aware of my fears and doubts. Am I good enough? Do I have time for this? My vocabulary and grammar are not very good. One by one I kept pushing all the negative thoughts out of my mind. Slash, slash, slash. I listened to all the wonderful things CW had done and all the exciting things on the horizon, but at the same time trying to wrap my brain around all the things that were being said around the table. I didn't know anyone, but I did know that I liked what I was hearing. I didn’t know what I was agreeing to, but I did know I was open to try.
In the traditional meet and greet setting we played an ice breaker game. You write down a fun, crazy, or interesting detail or story about yourself and the rest of the participants will guess who the fact belongs to. As the meeting unfolded and women started sharing, I realized that their experiences, including my own, were those of a past a long, long time ago. Yet, every single woman sitting around the table still had a dream. We all have dreams, but we, as women, tend to put ourselves on the back burner. We put ourselves second to a spouse, or children, or even our age. We tend to push down our God-size dreams, sometimes not even realizing we do. We wake up in the morning with a long never-ending to-do list glaring back at us as we try to shower in record time. We push through the day with two, three, four loads of laundry, leftover dinner dishes, overbooked playdates or client meetings, grocery shopping, appointments, kid’s homework assignments, and finally dinner, or shall I say take-out please! Dreams, what dreams?
God, our loving father, created dreams to not be forgotten and brushed aside. They are there as a crumb trail to our purpose, our calling. There is no pecking order to who gets to find it first and who has to wait, it’s all a journey. It's in us already, waiting for us to put Jesus in the center of all areas of our life so He can guide us to it. It’s one thing to realize what your dreams are, it’s quite another to step out in faith, declare it and go for it.
It's hard to give up control of our lives, in every area. It's hard to wake up in the morning and give up the "to do list" to Jesus. If we threw out our to-do list in the garbage, guess what? We would survive! Dishes and laundry can wait. Emails can sit in the inbox for another day. I know, what you’re thinking – I'm a crazy woman. But let’s take a deep breath and begin practicing to be present in our day, in our lives, so not to miss the opportunities for the Spirit to work through us. Sometimes stepping out of the box and experiencing something new and unpredictable that at first may be disguised as the wrong direction, may in fact be the path that brings clarity and movement to our dreams. By allowing trust to guide us, our days aren’t squandered by lists, but accumulate closer to our purpose.
My ice breaker story was one when I worked on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Why was this important to share when I have a textile marketing degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology? I had a job in a menswear company as I was finishing college. My dream was to work my way up to the design department. Instead, I was assigned to the sales department. I didn’t flourish in that position and shortly after was laid off. I was upset and felt rejected and began questioning my value. Then I brushed it off and counted it as a stepping stone. The only time wasted in our dream journey is the time spent wrapped up in negative thoughts and actions.
So I pushed through and upon my father’s suggestion joined him on the trading floor. I wasn’t about to allow the disappointment of not working in my area of expertise taint me. I said yes to the opportunity. When our younger selves experience a setback we are not discouraged about whether or not we can do it or will our schedule and other responsibilities allow it, but jump with excitement of trying something new – an opportunity. The mindset is if we succeed or fail doesn’t matter, it’s the experience that matters. Along with those opportunities, childlike faith, and trust in Jesus our dream become easier to grab hold of. When we were children, we would dream all day long. Me, being the creative type, I wanted to make stuff. My parents fueled my creativity and desires by supplying me with crayons, markers, and ribbons. They enabled me to pursue my dreams. And just like my parents, God wants to fuel our dreams. Take the opportunity. Use that stepping stone. Trust that He will show the way.
Working on the New York Stock Exchange is a cool story from my past. But the fruit from it is that I met my husband there. I wouldn’t have met him any other way. Coming full circle, I am back to pursuing a creative path. God is good, let Him guide your path. The mountain is high and the flaming hoop is scary, but choose Jesus. Choose to put Him first in all things. Trust that He's got your back.
Dream big. Be patient. Pray and listen.
Gather Her || 1.19.17 || Dreams
Dive deeper into pursuing your dreams tomorrow night and join us for Gather Her for FREE with guest speaker, Hannah Breaux.
Topic: "DREAMS!" Each of us has dreams. Some dreams are BIG and boisterous while others are little tiny dreams tucked away in the sacred corners of our hearts. Regardless of the size, it carries significance. You carry significance!
We are thrilled to introduce Hannah Breaux as our new 2017 area leader for Gather Her! It's real #GirlTalk
Faith + Fashion + Friends! RSVP for FREE here
