The (Re)Birth of Dreams, or What I Learned at The World Domination Summit 2013 - When I Grow Up

The (Re)Birth of Dreams, or What I Learned at The World Domination Summit 2013 - When I Grow Up I realized this weekend that Ive stopped dreaming.   It started in my throat, closing up and not letting in as much air as Im used to. It traveled to my eyes, stinging them as they watered up. I tried to breathe deep to compensate, to pre-emptively stop the hysterics. It didnt feel like a light cry. It felt like, if I let the tears falls, they would be all-consuming. And I was confused. Darren Rowse  was onstage, speaking of dreams. He started with his dreams from when he was a child, then a teenager, a college student, a photographer, an entrepreneur, a husband, a Dad. Photo used with permission via Chris Guillebeaus Flickr account. Then, he pointed the spotlight on us. Looking at my notes, in retrospect, he didnt say anything I didnt really hear before, although it was all powerful stuff. What were doing right now shapes our future. Big things often start as small things. Nurture the current small things that energize you. Become obsessed with creating solutions and being useful. Set aside time to create and complete. What kind of future will you create? I only let the tears fall once, quietly, and I was able to blink them away until Clare came on stage and sang  Amazing Life. I super encourage you to press Play on the video below, close your eyes, and give yourself the gift of these ~4 minutes. I thought of who I was as a little girl, writing songs in my room and pretending I was Debbie Gibson. I thought of who I was as a teenager, obsessed with musicals and hell-bent-edly bound for Broadway. I thought of who I am as an adult, and I got.scared. I have dreams, but I can see now that Ive locked them away. I hear myself intelligently talking about my business goals being able to support my entire family, publishing more books, reaching hundreds of thousands of people, being regarded as an expert in my field. But there are Bigger, Scarier Dreams afoot. Ones where I change *millions* of lives. Where I have my own television show. Where I have a city house and a country house. Where I perform on the regular. Where theres super quality time with my family and friends, often. Where I have a team of people who work for me full-time. Where I can fulfill the dreams of my whole family. It wasnt until my throat started to ache and my eyes starter to water that I realized Ive been shoving those dreams in a closet in my mind. Theyre replaced by being logical and sensible and realistic. Its everything I stand against hell, its what I help my clients work past!  but here I am. As I say often, its why life coaches have life coaches. The World Domination Summit  had me tap into my dreams in the here-and-now, as a 35 year old Woman of the World. I know that putting my head back in the clouds is the best strategy for me to practically fulfill my goals and make these visions a reality. It even gave me a window into these dreams, thanks to  the uber-success of our Declaration of You Book Lovin Par-Tay Jess I at our book table at the beginning of the night. 2ish hours later, all 57 of these books were gone! Huzzah! and making my Oprah wishes come true by facilitating a QA on stage in front of 300 people at  the Indie Kindred screening from left-right: Jonatha Brooke, Jolie Guilleabeau, Liz Kalloch, Christine Mason Miller, Liz Lamoreux, Jen Lee and me. I know, right?! Photo stolen from Vivienne McMasters Instagram (thanks, Viv!) Both left me with a feeling of awe and wonder, of gratitude and peace, of strength and ease. My dreams are coming true, and I want them out of the closet forever, for good. What do you see when you put your head in the clouds? Were you a dreamer as a kid, but have put a stop to it as an adult? What was a dream of yours that has already come true? Let me know in the comments.