How to Accomplish Your BIG Dream in 3 Easy Steps

“Do or do not, there is not try.” ~Yoda

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned this last year, it’s one of birthing a dream.

Read on to find out how I faced my deepest fears and birthed the manuscript of a visionary novel and how you can accomplish your BIG dream in 3 easy steps.

By third grade, it was clear I had a talent for writing. My teacher praised me and encouraged me to publish in the school newspaper. She often said, “I know you’ll write a book one day.”

I remember writing Ms. Proctor a note at the end of that school year that said:

“I agree that one day you will see a book published by Rachel Haynes.”

Then, I proceeded to beat myself up for the coming years because I said, ‘published’ and not ‘written’ by. How could I be SO stupid?

(Don’t worry, that’s just my 3rd grade self speaking. She hadn’t had any self-help yet. Anyway, I had no need to fret, I think it was a Freudian slip, for not only do I plan to be an author, I imagine having my own publishing company, too!)

In fifth grade, I enjoyed writing creative stories.

In high school, I had an excellent creative writing teacher by the name of Mr. Kinghorn. Every day we would write and he gave me encouraging feedback.

He’d say things like, “You have a fine command of the language!”  Or, “You write with such rich detail and description.” It was one of the first times in my life that I truly felt like I was good at something.

In college, I took a creative writing course. The instructor took one look at my first story and said, “You should turn that into a novel!”

I freaked.

He gave me special dead-lines and I didn’t have to write any other stories for class, so long as come spring, I handed in a novel.

I withdrew from the class after a fretful semester of resistance and frustration.

I knew nothing of writing a novel.

After that failed attempt, I ignored larger pieces of writing. That manuscript got stuffed in bin in my mother’s basement. 

I took to poetry. It’s so nice & short.

With this blog, I’ve picked up writing again on a regular basis, but the underlying desire that’s grown inside these past years is that of completing a larger work.

After my lucid dream of being pursued by a King Cobra Snake under the Ancient Pyramids, I knew I had to turn that story into a novel.

Last spring I began writing.

It was slow at first.

The greatest challenge was actually writing.

People call. Food calls. Laundry needs to be done. Movies are fun. Facebook is waiting. (I might have a notification.)

There are a million and one ways to distract oneself from the heart’s deepest desires.

What I learned is that when we are ready to take our craft and creativity to a new level, we meet our ego.

The ego is the part of us that always wants to go the predictable route.

Creating our life’s work is not predictable.

It will change us.

I see it like this:

There is a Sentinel at the door of our deeper creativity.

He means well, but he has the wrong orders.

He thinks he is protecting, but he’s really blocking the way to our deeper creativity.

Our ego will resist.

Everything that is in the way of our next level of creativity will show up.

For me, my fear showed up in thoughts like: Who do you think you are? You’ll fail. It will be crap. No one will read it. Your life-long dream is the day-dream of a dumb girl. So, you think you’re gonna be a Rock Star?

It’s mean.

Forging ahead with my desire, even in the face of those mean thoughts inside, that are really only FEAR, took something. I had to own that this was my craving, my desire, and no matter what my mind had to say about it, I was sitting down to it. Every day.

Showing up to our craft becomes an act of rebellion.

After we get through the fear, we have  to learn to construct the container to hold our creative self.

We have to be like the fierce mother grizzly bear and guard our time.

We have to plan it and stick to it and then treat it like gold.

We have to turn off the phone, leave the lap-top and shut the door.

Every day, day after day, we have to sit down to our craft.

There were days it was painful. I’d just sit there. It hurt.

Soon, it flowed like a river. I’d surprise myself.

Spirit says, “Ah, she’s showing up. She’s committed. She’s ready.”

Then, the muse comes.

This process of carving out time for our deep work is one of self love.

It takes perseverance, commitment, dedication.

We have to be willing to say no to our friends. We might have to pass up the party.

Soon, the Sentinel at the door leaves, realizing, we are safe.

What once seemed like an impossible journey, or a prize on a far-off horizon, becomes the wood we whiddle, day by day.

Soon, we awake to realize, we’ve birthed our heart into the world.

Here are 3 easy steps to birth your BIG dream:

1. Put it in your calendar every day.

2. Guard that time like a fierce mother grizzly bear.

3. Show up during that time, for the whole time, every day.

P.S. Don’t stop until it’s done!!!

It’s simple, eh? Most things are.

I have BIG dreams for me ‘n you, baby! BIG dreams.

Let’s get crackin’! Ain’t no time like the present!

What else are you gonna do???

xox

Rachel Claire

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