By Suzy Rawlins with Roots and Boots with Suzy Rawlins

“DREAM BIG, start small, but most of all START” – Simon Sinek

When I was young, I always dreamed of having a large home with land, many animals, and a huge garden.  I really like the idea of self-sufficiency.  The older I get, the more I realize how healthy we would all be if we could return to our roots and more natural remedies.  I am old-fashioned at heart. 

Today, I own a few acres of land with several tiny home cabins, Airbnb rentals, a huge garden, chickens, and beautiful outdoor space for entertaining and relaxing, all close to some great walking trails near water.  This is a true “cabin in the woods” experience. More like glamping than anything but with rooms, beds, kitchen, etc.  This is a space for people to come and relax and connect with nature and spirit.  It is a perfect place for a girlfriend’s getaway weekend, a family retreat, or a holistic retreat.  The perfect place to enjoy the glow of the evening stars and the smell of fresh grass in the morning. 

I’m very proud to call this place my home, and I also have a lovely home on the property.  In order to take care of the upkeep and maintenance of the property, I have staff that live on the property, too.  My husband and I travel quite a bit, exploring fun places all over the United States.  As a holistic coach, I have the advantage of being able to work from anywhere in the world, so I have the best of both worlds. 

Having this Airbnb property not only gives me a place to call home but also provides passive income for me.  This is just one way I am leaving a legacy for my family.

I started creating my big dream goals by attending an online school to get my holistic coaching license while working part-time and maintaining my direct sales business.  I started small and made consistent steps toward creating this dream life.  I would encourage everyone to dream and work toward achieving it no matter what obstacles get in the way. Start small, and most of all START!

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By Marion Knaus with Raise the Bar Fitness & Nutrition & Granolala

My company has grown beyond my wildest dreams. We have a multitude of delicious products. We are in every specialty store in every town and city across the country. We are a household name. And more recently, we have been purchased by a multimillion-dollar company. I’m now semi-retired. What a huge change. I’m finding that it’s really hard to get used to this new lifestyle. Having said that, I won’t fully retire. I still have my other business that I love. It’s flexible work, as it’s online. And I love the clients we serve there. They keep me grounded.

This new freedom allows me to travel the world and enrich my soul with the beauty of other lands and cultures. The days I spend exploring old cities, Art Galleries, and Museums are many. I have the pleasure of interacting with locals to get the true flavor of their community and not some bland overpriced taste via a tourist attraction. I get to learn and grow while I seek out other fabulous things to share with the world. There just might be a new business idea lurking at the back of my mind. We shall see.

Getting to call some stunning places home now as I own a handful of pied-à-terre in a few countries that I love. Spending time staying in my cozy apartments in my favorite towns allows me to work on my drawing and painting again as well as brushing up on my photography skills. The time to create is so precious to me and I now have the freedom to pursue this.

Spending much more time on the water as well as getting to jet ski in some of the world’s most beautiful places. Combining my love of art, photography, and travel, I get to create and share images that I could not do otherwise. And I get to put my perspective on it. My current plan is to ply the waters of the Norwegian Fjords for a couple of weeks getting to know the people and customs while documenting my travels. After that trip off to a more tropical locale. Maybe French Polynesia, the Caribbean, or the Canary Islands. So many beautiful places to discover.

I’m just loving this new adventure I’m on. And I’m thrilled that I can share it with others. My hope is to inspire you to get out of your comfort zone, do the thing you’ve been wanting to do, and become successful beyond your wildest dreams. And meet me for a drink on the patio in a faraway country to celebrate. This is the good life.

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By Erin McCarthy with Follow Erin on Facebook

Ever since I was a small girl, I would talk to my Mama from a different world than the one we were currently living in. I would tell her how society went back to trading and bartering for goods and skills, how the animals were all treated with respect, and how we (collectively) worked together to save them instead of letting them go extinct. A society where we found sustainable material that wasn’t trees so we could save them because I loved them so very much. A world where we didn’t make any trash and only helped the planet by reusing and recycling and there would be no more plastic. A world where we all lived in peace and helped one another and were as one. She would laugh and call me her little hippie chick and that was one of my nicknames from her growing up, “My hippie chick,” she would say. At 5 years old I had no idea what she meant.

As I grew older and could reach the telephone on the wall, I would pick it up and call every single number I could find in the house. The shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, medicine, anything I could find that had a number on it. I would call to ask them if they tested on animals and if the person didn’t know I would ask for someone who did. I was very adamant to know.

A while later I had a 3-ring binder full of letters from all these companies explaining if they did or did not test on animals. I wish I had it to share, but unfortunately, it was thrown out after I moved out for the first time.

Over the years I have donated to various charities for the animals and the trees and part of my big dream is to donate back 10% every quarter to these contributors of the Earth. I am seeing my big dream becoming reality today as more and more people become conscious of their imprint on this beautiful planet we all call home.

We are shifting into a new mindset as a collective and it’s incredibly breathtaking every day. Some choose to see the destruction as disgusting, but does a seed not have to break and combust before it sprouts into something new?

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By Wil Becker with Turning Leaf Solutions

It is October and we are finishing up our third facility. This one is in Georgia. It has been five years since we launched TFP and brought over 300 homeless men off the streets and back into society as productive citizens. Our company mission is to give homeless men a warm bed, good food, and purpose. This little venture of mine is a large part of my personal mission in life, and it is my honor to bring these core values to a large number of our country’s struggling men.

It all started near Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States when we partnered with House of Hope in Hagerstown and developed the first-ever working farm and rehabilitation center. We began with six men, ages 35 to 60, and brought them out to the property. Naturally, these folks all have different work and life experiences, as well as a variety of medical needs.

With the help of House of Hope, homeless men are screened to establish which of them is most likely to succeed in our program. We construct homes for them and for our staff, all of whom live together and work onsite 24/7. We model our facilities after the Booker T. Washington Tuskegee University campus.

Once on our premises, we offer an opportunity to rest, re-evaluate, and re-engage – a chance to get back on their feet. This process starts with running water facilities they may not have had consistent access to, accommodations for nights of safe and needed sleep, and the nutritional and medical requirements they may have been lacking. We expect this process to take anywhere from three months to over a year, depending on the individual’s needs.

Next, the men have the opportunity to get involved in the community. We help them determine their interests, and we bring in skilled tradesmen to facilitate training. Barbers, electricians, mechanics, and dozens of other partners are there to teach and assist with applying their newly developed and practical skills. It is our mission to help these individuals find employment after training with us in their field of interest.

When we obtained rights to it, the land was wild and hadn’t been farmed in a decade. We cleared the land, built homes and facilities, and worked hard to build the vision of these men helping themselves and others like them to get off the streets and become productive members of society.

I am so grateful for the community support and financial partners that have come on board to help our program lift our homeless citizens from the streets and give them a warm bed, good food, and a purpose.

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By Sharon Loduca, Real Estate Professional in Ontario, Canada

Tell us your big dream in the present tense… to show up fresher, sharper, and more present every day. I’m really not playing with the blog title. Let me explain.

There is a lot to show up for every day – every single day. Life doesn’t really have an off switch. Well, it does, but by then we’ve already done what we are gonna do. I am keenly aware of the days (years) of fog, of just not being with it, the days of constantly feeling overwhelmed. When struggles with mental and emotional health challenges robbed many days of their quality. There were a number of very dark seasons in my life, devoid of purpose or reason.

To come to a decision that better days were yet to be written, when simply getting out of bed was a struggle, at one time was unthinkable. It seemed a nearly undoable feat to show up better every day: present, sharp, alert, and be my best for THAT day. In fact, I could write a few books in this area alone. I am really skimming over it all here because that’s not the topic at hand. But I became consumed with learning how to improve on showing up for life every day.

The struggles are real. The setbacks are real. We can stay wrapped up in a dark cloud for so long that the dark gloom becomes our normal. But my ‘dream’ really is to show up fresher and sharper. and a tad wittier ’cause life is already too serious, after all. My ‘dream’ is to do that so well that it becomes contagious, infecting everyone around me to challenge themselves, whatever that looks like for them. By reflection, my kids would consider it normal, to not only take hold of life’s obstacles, but to put them under their feet, and utilize them as a step to rise even higher.

You see, I know that if I just show up every day, in that mindset, good things will happen, and I will grow, my confidence will grow, and my knowledge and experience will grow. If I can show up at my best, I will eventually get better at handling the setbacks. I will spend less time wrapped in dark clouds. I will spend more time learning and growing. I will spend more time resting. I will become a better communicator, a better writer. I will become more compassionate, more aware.

I’m kinda stuck right now with this article. I’m having difficulty in short form conveying the depth of the darkness, which in turn affects conveying the importance of this to me. I am not talking about being a better performer, or a better conformer. I am not even talking about never having dark or challenging circumstances. Life is full of obstacles, challenges, loops. And the dream of being a better me… it is not egotistical or arrogant. It’s just that there were way too many days I couldn’t show up for me, hence, anyone else in my life. It was a result of many tiny steps that I had to repeat over and over again until they became a habit in my life. When I least felt like it, I had to learn to show up.

Yes, as a result of one tiny step at a time, many times over, I’ve gone on to build a life of structure and discipline; to build a life of becoming better at being available. Yes, I have a great business, frickin-amazing kids, the ability to conquer learning, the ability to better enjoy life. I guess I can say that there has already been quite a transformation, and I am pleased with the growth. Yet, after thinking about the ‘big dream’ … I know that I know, when I show up expecting more, usually more happens. Maybe not the way I was expecting, but even on the worst day, just showing up is a win, a big win. There is nothing quite like ‘being present’ to enjoy the good things in life that are already here and that are yet to come.

“Showing up is essential. Showing up consistently is powerful. Showing up consistently with a positive outlook is even more powerful.” ~ Jeff Olson

“The biggest gift you can give is to be absolutely present, and when you’re worrying about whether you’re hopeful, or hopeless, or pessimistic, or optimistic, who cares? The main thing is that you’re showing up, that you’re here and that you’re finding ever more capacity to love.” ~ Joanna Macy

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By Cheryl Clark with Clark Strategies

Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap.

Scratch, Scratch.

All heard over the sound of the leaves blowing in a gentle breeze and of the trickle of a distant waterfall.

The critters are wanting some love and attention. I’d like to think they are here for more than just food.

Time to get up, feed and pat the wildlife – yes wildlife!  Who knew wild creatures could be so tame and want the attention of a human they deemed as safe?  I need to get up, feed them, and give them some loving before I shower and get ready to go on camera. I am speaking to hundreds of folks about Relationship Marketing – today’s topic!

Yesterday, that Zoom meeting was packed with hundreds wanting to know more about immigration and why people are fleeing this country that I stay in a few months a year. The crowd wants to know why they want to get into the United States.  I find the conversation is changing. It used to be they were curious about a detained life and the living conditions. Finally, after years and years, I think more and more are seeing the human lives behind the bars!  That sure took some doing to change the focus.

Another few weeks here, in this compound I call home three[JA1]  months a year, and I’ll head back to Canada for some additional live speaking conferences.  The hugs will abound… the laughter, the learning, the tears!  Then, I’ll drop down into the United States for some west coast engagements, which are always fun as I reconnect with friends down that coast.

Boy, this old compound has been such a safe haven for so many!  Those coming out of detainment and back into a country they don’t know.  I’m glad we have that old bus that can make it up to the border to pick up the recently deported and bring them here, off the streets as they navigate this next chapter of their lives – deported! 

Boy, I remember the times we were all behind bars together, and not sure how we’d make it once we were out.  Thankfully, we (those still here) hung on, and after a few years, we were able to build this place and know it is safe for us all to be in, to learn in, to grow in, and to enjoy in!  I love when I leave knowing they are all here living life in the best way possible and will be here when I return! 

Don’t get me wrong – we hear the cries… the gunshots.  We still turn away some due to space and finances, but that won’t always be the case!  We do our best to line the walls on the outside of the compound with fruits, snacks, and clean water – so those needing supplies can come and go and get what they need for their families.  We have so many amazing partnerships forming now – change is here!

Today’s Zoom audience is all Hispanic business owners!  I picked up this language fast for a gringa!  They all make fun of my accent but amongst the laughter of my odd, mispronounced words, they are kicking up their businesses and truly making dramatic changes in their lives, and the lives of those to follow. 

Critters are fed – even had a huge owl eat right from my hand this morning!  Now that is a beak! 

Speaking internationally on two important topics, feeding animals – wild animals I might add, and hugging humans is a great way to live.

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By Jamie Allen Bishop with Jamie Allen Bishop Coaching

I suggested this month’s topic, and I want to share why writing big dreams in the present tense is important. One of the most powerful exercises you can do is to write dreams down. Our brain is wired to believe what we read. Plus, there are four other things I invite you to consider:

1. Timelines: Time does not exist to the Universe/God. If you want to create a different reality, you must provide a timeline.
2. Presence: The past is over; the future doesn’t exist; the present is a gift. To change your present, you must focus on what’s important now.
3. E-motions: Emotions are energy in motion. Without inspired action, dreams might never come true.
4. Gratitude: Being grateful for what you have NOW is the skeleton key that will unlock all the doors to the fulfillment you seek.

Add these six things together – writing, storytelling, timelines, presence, gratitude, and action – and you have The Recipe for waving your magic wand to turn your BIG DREAMS into reality.

This takes practice – sometimes years. My wish is for this exercise to help you create the exact reality you desire.

Here is a sample of what keeps our dreams in the future.

This is a great start on helping the Universe know the big dream you are trying to create for yourself. However, do you see how this version of the story might keep your dreams stuck in the future? Phrases like: would like to, want to, and will take, are all phrases that are set in the future. This story sends vibes of, “I don’t really believe this is possible” to the Universe. If you don’t believe it, why should the Universe?

Try this instead:

Compare the FUTURE dream to the PRESENT dream. Based on the formula I shared, can you see why the PRESENT dream is likely to come true sooner?

I hope this blog prompt provides you with a tool to map a course that brings your ideal reality to you speedy quick. #iBelieveInYou

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