Thursday, February 16, 2012

Go for Big

Photo courtesy of Morguefile

"If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough." 
~Unknown


This quote tells me:
It's okay to be terrified of success
There's nothing wrong with going for BIG
In fact, maybe going for BIG is what we're all meant to do

We all have different ways of going for BIG. A lot of you reading this blog are writers and there are certain scary aspects of writing success (at least for me!)--
1) Launch parties
2) School visits
3) Busyness
4) Balancing acts
5) Expectations
6) Reviews
Just to name a few....

But that's how it is with every BIG endeavor. We wonder if once we "make it" we'll be able to rise to the challenge. 

It takes faith. And guts. 

Just like anything worthwhile.

Think of people who run marathons, foster children, start foundations, get married, go on crusades for good causes, go back to school, fight legal battles in the name of justice, pursue ridiculous dreams, make other people's dreams come true, start new jobs, move to foreign countries....

We all have our own ways of living BIG, and we were meant to live BIG, to hatch dreams more brilliant than we could ever imagine.

What's your dream?
And does it terrify you? 

**
Congratulations to DAWN SIMON who is the winner* of Gae Polisner's THE PULL OF GRAVITY.

Yay, Dawn! I'll track you down to get your mailing address. 

Thanks to everyone who entered and thanks again to Gae for being my honored guest. 


**

16 comments:

  1. Oh, yes ... I like my life right now. With success comes change -- and I dread the busyness. But I trust that God will give us exactly what we need, when we need it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm dreaming big and trusting God. There is a lot of talent in the writing industry and I dream of being part of that select group of published authors. God holds my dreams and he holds my hand as I journey down this scary path! Thanks for the quote- it is so true!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow. I think you've taken up residence in my brain. How else would you know about all this? :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. My "little" big dream is to finish a round of editing on my WIP and send it out to a couple of readers. It's the first time I will have made it that far, and it will be happening the next few weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love that quote! My current BIG dream is running a half marathon. Can I do it? That is the question. :) And does it have me scared? Oh yes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I totally agree. I have to share my favorite Michelangelo quote: "The danger for most of us lies not in setting our aims too high and falling short; but of setting our aim too low and achieving our mark."

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes, this is so true. We MUST go for big. I'm not one who enjoys being busy-busy-busy, but I have to move ahead trusting in God.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've been thinking a lot about when we should go for it and when it's time to take a deep breath and move on. When do we have faith that somehow the Big Goal will work out, and when is it like the deluded folks who try out for American Idol and can't actually sing? I can only know the difference by being humble and asking God if it is what He wants for me. He tends to think Big too, so it works out;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you!!! I'm so excited! :)

    Also, I love this post, and I totally agree. My daughter says to go big or go home--and she lives it by striving for big things herself! She inspires me.

    Isn't Faith's Michelangelo quote so awesome? I'm going to write down both quotes, the one you shared and the one Faith added.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great quote. Yes, I'm dreaming big. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Um, yeah, kinda' scary. Great post, Amy.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love that quote, Amy.
    I may very well use it in my (new) Aromatherapy class. I read an inspirational quote each week, related to some oil/topic we're covering. Had a lovely one for Valentine's day, about loving yourself.
    I think the biggest thing about writing is that you're "putting yourself out there". If people don't like your work, it's like a blow to your face. With other things, you can maybe blame the tool, but you can hardly say that the pen/laptop wrote the wrong thing!
    That's why I admire writers so much.
    My dream at the moment is giving that course. I wanted to for ages, but was fearful that people wouldn't like my style (quite like being a writer, I suppose!). Then a few events came together, a fab venue became available, and bingo! And I've discovered I LOVE doing it!

    ReplyDelete
  13. "1) Launch parties"
    O' that I would be afraid of this.
    Sincerely,
    Scaredy Superlative

    ReplyDelete
  14. I've always gone for BIG...but my problem is stopping to be grateful for it when I get there instead of wanting BIGGER. Read "Big Plans" by Bob Shea and Lane Smith to your kids. You will all laugh very hard.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This reminds me of the Switchfoot song Meant to Live. "We were meant to live for so much more." Faith definitely has a lot to do with it, for sure. Anything new and unexplored is scary stuff, but we can and will get through it. We're never given more than we can handle.

    OH and the Launch Party, totally excited about that possibility one day because it would mostly be people I know (I'm pretty sure), BUT SCHOOL VISITS??!?!?! EEEEEEEEEK.

    Keep dreaming big, Amy! You're going to accomplish all of them!

    ReplyDelete
  16. ahh, I do love that quote. And there are things about success that are scary, but at the moment, my scare is surviving the wait! :p Just keep swimming~ <3

    ReplyDelete

Summer Recap

Summer!! has been a crazy whirlwind.  Are we actually starting school again in a few weeks? UNBELIEVEABLE. In the middle of June I finished...