how to translate your inevitable but scary dream into action
(and action that feels good, not terrifying)
In my last newsletter talked about a two-part formula to help you when you don’t know what your next step should be.
We aligned that your best next move meets at the intersection of what feels inevitable and a little scary.
And assuming you completed the journal exercises to help give you clarity, you probably have that next *thing* in your head.
Amazing.
…but now what do you do?
Figuring out that dream doesn’t mean that going after it doesn’t still feel overwhelming.
This goal probably feels big and scary and very far away.
So, where do you even begin??
It’s normal to feel nervous about committing to this dream.
The good news is that I’m not offering you advice to “just go for it!!!” “Ignore all your anxieties and take the plunge!!!” “Go big or go home!!!!’
Instead I’d ask, what’s the the next smallest step that takes you closer to this dream that still feels exciting (and not anxiety-inducing).
One big accomplishment is made up of thousands of smaller decisions and actions. Your joy will be the guide to each right next step.
Ignore what you “should” be doing and ask yourself what small next step feels fun?
Don’t underestimate the power of follwing joy, the power of following what feels fun.
Without the energy of joy, it’s incredibly hard to maintain the enthusiasm needed to keep your goal going from a place of abundance.
When you take action out of what you “should” be doing, you’re on a one way path to burnout. When you take big dramatic steps that your nervous system isn’t ready more, you risk overwhelming your nervous system and rejecting your dream because it isn’t giving you the fulfilment you crave.
In reality, it’s not that the dream was wrong, it’s that your ignored your body’s ideal timing and path towards achieving this dream.
Practical application: How I built my coaching practice with small but exciting (not terrifying) steps
5 years ago I had landed on my own scary but inevitable next step: To more openly serve and help people become the best version of themselves through becoming a life coach.
But my current situation did not match this dream. I was a project manager in Tech my mid-20s with zero percent experience coaching people. I just a crazy passion and obsession for self-improvement and self-empowerment.
At the beginning I understood that if I wanted to help people….I had to actually *tell people* that I was here and capable of serving (cue nausea).
But the idea of announcing to all my friends and family via Instagram made my stomach twist, gave me a sense of dread. There was no joy in this action, just anxiety.
Which was my body’s way of saying “oh, we’re not ready for that step yet.”
So instead I looked for the smaller actions that still felt joyful.
At the time, the smallest step that took me closer to my goal of being a life coach was to just research life coaching certification programs.
After a bunch of research that felt exciting and interesting, the next step that still felt joyful was to invest in a coaching certification that felt exciting.
With education and some practice under my belt, the next step was to hire a business coach to help me overcome my fears of being seen by my friends and peers as a life coach.
Then I created my first “life coaching” TikTok (yup - even then, announcing on Instagram still felt too vulnerable. I *knew* people on IG).
Followed by consistently creating TikTok’s until I had a viral moment.
Next it felt good to create a website to convert my TikTok traffic into clients.
Then it was actually taking on my first client and feeling so fulfilled and proud of the work we did together.
And only after these many small and big steps did the idea of announcing my life coaching practice to Instagram feel exciting, not just anxiety inducing.
If I would have taken the path I thought I “should do” (which was quit my job and go all in on this passion), I would have not only been a nervous wreck with the financial anxiety and pressure, I would have robbed myself of the slow and gradual pace that I desperately needed.
I would have robbed myself and my dream of slowly learning more, slowly gaining confidence and skill, and making the whole process joyful.
Some takeaways for you…
My journey started with zero experience and a lot of fear. And I didn’t go directly for the kill of announcing to the world as my first step.
No, I needed many, many more steps in between until public announcement felt joyful. I more needed time and action and intention.
It’s another reminder that when you tune into *your* gut and *your* next step and ignore the paths of others, you will find the perfect path for you.
Because for some, the next right joyful step might have been to dive directly into public announcement! (And good for them that they learn best through straight action!)
But that wasn’t the path for me.
So if you’re feeling like the only way you can achieve your dreams is to take big, massive, anxiety inducing leaps, I hope to remind you that your dreams can be achieved without throwing yourself off a cliff.
You don’t need to quit your job and spend all your savings on a new certification, program, or business.
You have permission to take small steps that feel exciting, not terrifying.
You get to trust that as long as you keep your body moving forward, you will be more and more comfortable taking bigger and sexier jumps.
Until you realize that to you didn’t ever need to leap blindly past your comfort zone in order to achieve your dreams.
Instead you could achieve this incredible, big thing through slow and intentional steps guided by your intuition.
You get a big beautiful life through ease and compassion and holding yourself throughout it all.
Your turn! Journal questions to translate your inevitable but scary dream into action:
Reflect on a significant goal or dream you currently have.
What emotions arise when you consider taking the next step toward this aspiration?
Are these emotions more aligned with excitement or anxiety?
Explain how these feelings influence your approach to pursuing this goal
Consider a past achievement or accomplishment that required several smaller steps.
How did breaking down the larger goal into smaller, manageable actions contribute to your success?
Reflect on the emotions and mindset associated with taking these smaller steps. Did joy and enthusiasm play a role in your journey?
Imagine yourself in a situation where you're contemplating a major leap towards your dream, but it feels overwhelming and frightening.
Describe what smaller, joyful steps you could take to inch closer to this aspiration without overwhelming yourself.
How might these smaller actions help build momentum toward your goal?
Think about a time when you resisted a step towards a goal because it felt too daunting or vulnerable.
What smaller, more manageable actions could you have taken at that time that would have aligned better with your comfort and joy?
How might these smaller steps have contributed to your progress?
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