Hey Toledo, are Your Dreams Too Small?

I just saw a local television commercial that began like this - “Hey Toledo, city of dreams!” and I listened as the announcer wanted to congratulate Toledo for being the “chosen” city to test a new menu item from Taco Bell.  And while I want to believe that Toledo is dreaming bigger than how to make taco shells out of Doritos, this commercial supports what I have found to be true most of the time - our dreams are too small.  Our dreams are too small because we don’t trust ourselves to dream big.  Regardless of whether you are dreaming for yourself, a business, a city or beyond, if you are settling for less than your heart’s desires I would like to offer the following for your consideration:

Small Dreams

Here are examples of how we dream small:  We get downsized or lose our jobs otherwise, and rather than take the opportunity to reevaluate what we really want moving forward, the dream is to simply replace income and we start scrambling to get any job we can.  If we trusted in something bigger we might recognize the job loss as a gift of time to reevaluate and gain clarity about what we really want.  What if “I need a job” became “I want to make great money doing something I love?”

Another example of dreaming small was evidenced at Elizabeth’s House last week.  A woman with vague ideas about her “dream wedding” is planning a small “family affair” in a dress she doesn’t love on a date that doesn’t suit her.  Why?  She’s making the mistake we’re all prone to make.  She’s trying to figure out how to have what she really wants and because she thinks she has to do it all herself, including paying for it, the celebration (the dream) gets smaller and smaller. 

Trusting in More

I could write a book with countless stories of people I’ve met who changed their lives profoundly by deciding to trust in something more.  But the truth is it’s not really that simple and reading one more inspirational/self-help book isn’t going to create the experience you need in your life.  Over and over when presented with ideas for trusting in more from life people have said to me “I don’t know how to think it.”  Now that is the simple truth.  And here is the message I want to share – If you can’t think it, you can’t have it, and if you have decided it’s all up to you then I know you are probably isolating yourself and limiting your possibilities even more.  In other words, your dreams are probably too small.  So how do we expand our perspective?  Where do we find people who will help us trust in more? 

Create a Vision Incubator

If you’re reading this you are already aware of Elizabeth’s House in Toledo, OH, a long-held dream of mine that would support women in rethinking and reinventing their lives.  Elizabeth’s House is itself an incubator for women’s dreams as they gather to discover or uncover what those dreams are.  The time women give themselves to do that, as well as the support of others on the same path have been critical components in the reinvention process.  Obviously not everyone has access to an Elizabeth’s House, whether they live in a “city of dreams” or not.  So consider creating a “vision incubator” of your own.  Ask a small group of people you trust to meet on a regular basis for the purpose of expanding possibilities.  You might be surprised how easily the ideas come for other people.  If you’re in Toledo I will be facilitating a vision incubator this summer at Elizabeth’s House, as well as the Scarlett Secor Mansion Business Incubator.  But don’t wait for a formal opportunity to dream bigger.  Start now.  What is it your heart truly desires?  I’m willing to bet it’s bigger than a taco shell.  Don’t settle for small dreams, dream it big, and do it.