Six years ago, I wrote that “I would create a community of like-minded people, open-minded, educated, people who want to improve their own quality of life and who want to leave the world a better place.”
Six years ago, I was not thinking about how that would happen, I just knew that I had a dream of making this happen. Like a seedling, that dream has been gathering nutrients. During the past 6 years, I gained experience in public speaking and speaking before a camera. I became better at networking and being willing to reach out to people I did not know. I grew some of the relationships I already had and found mentors and champions. And then one day, the time was right. The pandemic shut us down, we all needed to find community that would inspire us, and Hey, Boomer was born.
It takes patience and determination to turn a dream into a reality. Barbara Shaiman spoke about having an epiphany about creating the Champions of Caring. She had the dream; she had the vision. Turning it into reality took time, connections, looking for the opening doors and being willing to walk through them. And surrounding herself with people who could help.
Another aspect of turning a dream into a reality is a sense of optimism, a belief in yourself and a belief that anything is possible. Truly believing in your vision, in the impact that it will have, fuels your courage to reach out to people who can help you, who can be your champions, who can open doors.
Resilience, where would we be without resilience? As members of the Baby Boom generation, we have moved from the age of innocence through wars, assassinations, civil unrest, fear of nuclear war, gas lines. Other generations have had their defining moments too, and we all have experienced the isolation and fear of the pandemic. Humans are resilient. We may not always be conscious in our resilience, which can lead to some bad choices. But with dreams of making the world better, of contributing to society, your family, your community, or creating a legacy, your resilience will guide you through some of the most challenging situations.
Seven Steps to Reaching your Dreams
- Have a dream. If you have forgotten how to dream, I can help you with that. With each of these steps there are tools and techniques to help you build the muscles you need to live your dream.
- Nurture your relationships; find mentors and champions.
- Be patient, dreams don’t usually turn into reality overnight.
- Stay determined once you have your dream, even if you are uncertain of the how. Make sure you know the Why.
- Stay optimistic, believe in yourself.
- Build resilience
- Courage, the courage to ask for help, the courage to believe, the courage to move forward even when it may seem scary or overwhelming. It’s like stage fright. Some of the greatest performers in the world feel that fear before they get out on stage, but they do it anyway and they live their dream.
Good stuff. Dreams turned into reality need structure. You’ve provided that.
It has been so much fun watching your dream turn into reality. Now it is taking flight and great things are happening!
Thanks Wendy for your inspirational message and the tips you shared. I appreciated the opportunity to share my dreams with your audience. Having a vision of how you can make the world a better place gives you meaning and purpose. It has always energized, excited and fulfilled me. So dream In technicolor!!!!
Love that Barbara, “dream in technicolor.”
Thanks Wendy for your 7 Steps which are helpful in looking at having a dream and accomplishing it. I also commend you for fulfilling your dream and you are a good model for others. A definition of courage is to feel the fear and do it anyway. I try to apply as often as I can. Sometimes, it seems too great to move forward but then Fear is false evidence appearing real and not being in the moment in front of you.
You’re making it happen and inspiring other along the way. YAY You!