The other day, a female business owner said to me, “I don’t need to be crazy rich, just comfortable enough.”
I almost blew a gasket.
Why not rich?
Why not filthy fucking rich?
And, hey, it’s her thing if she just wants to make however much, but I could hear the resignation in her voice. It felt like she was too scared to reach for the moon so she was settling for a safe goal to protect herself.
I see this all the time, especially in women.
We don’t dream big fucking dreams because:
- We’re afraid of failure, so it’s better to place it safe and small
- We don’t know how we would achieve it and why bother when we’re already swamped
- We don’t want to let other people down or feel embarrassed if we don’t quite reach our goal.
- Why waste time with playful exploration when our self-doubt and insecurities are so used to guarding the door.
- We’ve dreamt big before and it didn’t happen, so it simply feels like setting ourselves up for disappointment again.
- Do I need to go on?
It might not feel like a big deal, especially if you’ve gotten used to getting 75% of what you want, but it couldn’t be more important. How are we going to change the world if our dreams hardly make a sound?! If they let out more of a whimper than a scream?
So, just for a minute, think about 2023.
What do you want to achieve?
Before the self-doubt or “be realistic” thoughts arrive, let yourself imagine something past what you have and where you are.
Let yourself remember what you want.
You can be anything so dream about what impact you want to have, who you want to be in rooms with and what kind of role you’re shooting for.
If you’re having trouble, take fear and failure out of the picture.
If they weren’t present, what would you go after?
Big dreams and goals get you passionate, get you pumped, get you out of bed in the morning.
They offer the potential to redefine you, to change a belief you have or shift your identity, but if they aren’t big enough, you’re sacrificing your growth, your potential, and your future.
So come back to who you know you can be.
Who you were born to be.
What would that woman dream of?