Dream like a child
Over the last six months, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the future. I guess it was sparked when I applied for a primary school place for my eldest, and was trying to predict what impact the change in September will have on our lives.
While I was musing over this, the idea for Natter emerged. I love what I do and didn’t want that to change, but I realised I want to make sure I work with people that inspire and excite me. There’s no point in being your own boss if you can’t make decisions like that, right?
So, in search of a sounding board to refine the idea for my new venture, I met with a fabulous business coach. To help me figure it all out, she made me look at who I was, where I wanted to be, and what I wanted to do. Generally, looking inwards isn’t something I find easy to do. In fact, I felt so uneasy that I hung my head and closed my eyes as she prompted me to think about the answers to her probing questions.
Since then, this uncomfortable experience has repeatedly played on my mind. You see, I often find myself telling my daughter that she can be whatever she wants to be when she grows up, that she can be whoever she wants to be. I want her to believe in herself and have big dreams—and I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants this for their children.
Yet we rarely extend this same courtesy to ourselves. This is what I keep coming back to. We tell our children to reach for the stars, yet our dreams take a backseat to everything else. We often don’t even entertain them as serious ideas, or we feel silly for allowing them to form in our minds.
We don’t believe in ourselves.
Launching Natter, going for my dream of working with inspiring women in business, has been an amazing experience. Not only have I met some amazing women, but it’s increased my self-worth. I’m doing it. I allowed myself to dream and placed value on what I wanted. I’m going after it too. Not in a haphazard, it-might-happen-one-day way; I’ve got a strategy that is going to get me there. And it feels great.
So, give yourself that chance. Not only should you dare to dream, but dream big and don’t let go of them. If you want to take your business to the next level, do it. If you’ve got a new business idea, go for it. You deserve it just as much as your kids do.
If you’d like to work with me and grow your business using smart, effective communication, then get in touch.
