“When we dream alone it is only a dream, but when many dream together it is the beginning of a new reality.” Friedensreich Hundertwasser

Do you have a DYI dream? What keeps you stuck?
…trying the same thing over and over and not getting anywhere?
…reading, consuming, learning – but not doing anything with your knowledge?
…needing help yet not recognizing it when it’s there?

Most of my life I would have rather figured things out on my own because…
I wanted to feel the pride of accomplishment.
I didn’t want my contemplative process to be rushed.
I didn’t want to be judged.
I didn’t know how to explain what I need to someone.
The learning process made me feel embarrassed and vulnerable.
I needed space to be me and to be understood without justifying anything.
I was mistrustful of motives – like a sales person in a shop asking if I need help: Were they really trying to help me or just make a sale?
How could I know if I could trust someone’s assistance? Would they do what they said they would?

Unfortunately, by holding back, my energy was spent on preservation, protecting and trust, rather than progress, growing and becoming.

Do you really want to do it alone?

1 – A DYI Dream means leaning on the limits of your energy and motivation.

It means you need to come up with the energy yourself. You are responsible for your inspiration. It’s up to you to motivate yourself. However, when you’re part of a team, a community or a collaboration that moves the same direction and has similar goals, it creates an energy of its own.

You are already aware of simple ways to boost your commitment, accountability, and the results you want in your life:

One-on-one collaborators: study partners, work0ut buddies, project
Environments where people share the same values or focus: courses, classes, gyms, co-work stations, team office
Groups: online or in-person classes, Bible studies, masterminds, support groups, accountability groups
Tribes or communities: networking meetings, Facebook groups, non-profits, churches, conferences

So why do these actually work for us?
  1. When you’re committed to someone who will meet you at the gym every day, you care about more than how you feel in that moment you’re about to bail
  2. We’re more prone to stick with it and push ourselves farther when we’re doing it together
  3. We are more prone to lean towards the habits and mindsets others have in our environment – whether that’s eating junk food or eating healthy, investing in essential oils or talking about the same Netflix series
  4. Having a sense of belonging skyrockets our progress
  5. Having a path accelerates our growth and progress

People who know the value of community connect in large groups of people the same growth habits or goals. Postive people want to be with other grateful-hearted people. Bloggers wanting to launch a sustainable blog find like-minded blogging communities. Writers intent on finishing their masterpiece seek out spaces where writers hang out. Ministry leaders find solace in conferences and retreats with others who share similar challenges and joys. Business owners focused on breaking through their next financial ceiling look others ahead of them.

Culture is a positive or negative current that influences and carries you in a certain direction.

Are you in a current that is moving you towards or away from the direction you want for your life?

 

 2 – A DIY Dream Means Limiting Your Resources

Dreams run on resources of time, talent, means, skills, finances, knowledge, access, connections and wisdom.
You don’t know what you don’t know.
Your calling dream – that way you long to make a significant impact – means you’re meant to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Calling dreams are meant to invite others into it and leave an imprint of hope or transformation in the life of another.
If you had all the resources you needed, who would you impact and what change would you want to bring to their future?
Would you bring transformation to your kids? Your family? Hungry children in Africa? Infertile couples who long to have a family? Insecure women who could be thriving? Students drowning in education debt?
You were never meant to do it all alone.
Two elementary girls knew this principle when they lit up their passion to make an impact. One 8-year-old found out about kids in Africa who were never able to have shoes, and they would get sick or injured because of it. Another girl discovered that not every local child could afford to have new shoes for school like she could. Both girls could have felt sad about it and went on with their daily life. Instead, each started campaigns that ended collecting hundreds and hundreds of shoes that were delivered to the children for whom they felt burdened.
They never even tried to solve the problem alone. They saw a simple way to invite others into the story and experience.
Who can you invite into your dream journey?

3 – A DIY Dream Means Limiting Your Perspective

By nature our perspective is subjective.
Our perspectives are shaped by our emotions, our experiences, our perception of the experiences we’ve had, our upbringing, our culture, our beliefs about who you are, what we’re capable of, and what is possible.
What would you gain from another perspective if someone saw and believed in your potential more than you did?
Here are some ways you can get support to reshape or enlighten the way you see your reality and potential in each area of your life:

Intellectually

Reshape the way your mind and body function by reading books, blogs or listening to podcasts, sermons, lectures. And don’t forget to get enough sleep!

Physically

What you put in your body, exercise, what’s in your environment affect you positively or negatively.

Spiritually

Recognizing that I was designed for a purpose by someone more powerful than I was a game-changer for me. The same goes for you. God never created you do life or your dream on your own, so finding ways to connect with Him is vital to living your purpose. It’s through Him your weaknesses invite his strength. Through Him, things that don’t make sense uncover meaning.

Relationally

When we invite others to use their strengths and skills to accelerate our progress we partner with them in the greater story they’re meant to be a part of as well. What kind of guide would you find helpful?
  • A Mentor  who is farther ahead down the road you want to travel and can share their experience
  • A Coach who holds a space for you to articulate your thoughts, find clarity, draw out your potential, form a strategy and hold you accountable so that you go farther than you would on your own.
  • A Consultant who offers advice, strategy and tools to navigate where you want to be
  • A Strategist who helps create a micro plan for things like social media, networking, income planning or building relationship paths so you move from uncertainty to solid action
  • Networking- building relationships to build personal and community awareness of your dream and what you have to offer
  • Market research that helps you understand the needs and language of the people you’re called to serve
  • Counsellor or therapists who dig into the roots and strongholds that hinder your potential and reveal the way you see things
  • Friendships with people who walk alongside you, accept you for who you are and believe in you
  • Instructors who teach you skills and knowledge you don’t have yet, whether it’s about yoga postures, Facebook algorithms or sewing clothes that actually fit
  • Experts who have done the research, are highly trained in a specific set of skills and know how to apply it to your story and situation (including but not limited to nutritionists, chiropractors, medical specialists, personal trainers, copywriters, graphic designers)
… and so many more!
You might nail it in certain areas of your life, but you can’t compartmentalize your life for long before the other areas suffer. This will eventually undermine your capacity to make an impact or propel your calling and dream to the next level.
What areas are you struggling to thrive on your own? If you need help sorting out your thoughts, download the Wheel of Support below to walk through what kind of support would move you forward the most.

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