Usually I dream BIG.  I imagine myself accomplishing all kinds of amazing things because I believe living my dreams is possible.  And since I don’t want to dream about doing boring stuff, I dream about adventures I can take and goals I can achieve when I stick to my strengths.

But my problem is that I get stuck seeing the big picture and don’t like to pay attention to the little things I need to do every day to make my dreams happen.  So I end up not doing those little things and get distracted with just getting caught up in my day-to-day activities.  And since I’m not doing what needs to be done to live my dreams, my big dreams stay big dreams.  They never come true.

So this year I’m changing my Dream Doing strategy.  Instead of starting with setting goals based on my big dreams, I’m starting with what I want to do every day.  What actions do I commit to taking every single day?

If I know what I’ll be doing with my time, then I can set goals so I have something to work on during those times.  I first figure out what action I want to take; then I figure out what goal to work toward to make that action have a purpose. 

It may sound like a weird way to set goals, but I think I’m going to like it…I’ll let you know over the next few weeks as I share exactly what actions I’m choosing to take and what goals I’m working toward this year. 

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean

For instance, this past Saturday, I came one state closer to to living dream #90 on my ‘111 Until Heaven’ dream list.  This particular dream is to compete in some sort of competition in all 50 states.

Here are the races I’ve completed so far:

1. Marathon in North Carolina.
2. Half-Marathon in Maryland.
3. Marathon in Virginia.
4. Marathon in Illinois.
5. 15k in Florida.
6. Marathon in South Carolina.
7. 15k Trail Race in Georgia (just completed on June 5!)

I gotta tell you…I thought I was in shape–until I hit that trail in Jackson, Georgia on Saturday.

The heat and humidity and hills and rocks and mud and roots made my toughest marathon seem like a lovely jog compared to this single-lane trail.  At least I was able to stay in the shade of the woods most of the race.  I’m not sure how long it would have taken me to run if I had to deal with the direct heat of the sun!

Before I started, my goal was to finish the race in an hour and a half.  I didn’t exactly hit my time goal.  My pace was about a minute slower per mile than I was able to run on the trails around home, so I finished the 9.3 mile race in 1:40:31 instead of the 1:30 time I anticipated. 

I did hit my goal of FINISHING the race to the BEST of my ability.  This race wasn’t easy for me, but I LOVED the challenge this race provided.  It gave me a chance to push myself and find out just how tough I am.  There were times I felt like quitting, but quitting wasn’t an option.  I had a goal—to finish the race—and I was DETERMINED to do whatever it took to accomplish that goal no matter how sore or tired or worn out I was.

What have you done to challenge yourself lately?  Leave a comment and let me know!

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean

P.S.  It turns out my time was good enough for a 4th place finish in my age group.  Now I’m hooked on trail races because I’ve discovered they provide a new and different challenge than regular road races.

The next one I have my eye on is this Navy SEAL Extreme Challenge in Tennessee in October.  Now this is a challenge:

http://www.smokymountainendeavors.com/SEAL_Extreme_Challenge.html

See, I’ve been so caught up in my writing projects, working my job at Starbucks and keeping up with my workout routine that I haven’t made time for my friends.  In other words, I’ve been so involved in my own life that I haven’t had given myself a chance to be involved in your life by posting to this blog.  Sorry!

Now I have been doing what I dream because I’ve been writing my movie script (and a non-fiction book for you). 

But being a Dream Doer isn’t just about doing what you dream.  It’s also about helping other people do what they dream.  You do that by reaching out to your family and friends, spending time with them, encouraging them and showing them how much you care.

It’s about being active in your school, your church and your community.  You do that by volunteering to help whenever and wherever you see a need.

Here’s the really cool thing.  When you get involved, participate and just help out every chance you get, you’ll never feel lonely again.

When you get too involved with your own life and don’t share your talents, dreams and abilities with other people, though, you’ll start to doubt yourself, feel like nobody else cares about your dreams and wonder why you thought your dreams were possible in the first place.

Your dreams die when you keep them to yourself.  Your dreams die when you don’t reach out and help others.  Your dreams die when you feel lonely, scared and full of doubts.

Don’t let your dreams die!  Follow Dream Doer Rule #5 and get involved.  Start by finding something nice to do for your mom or dad or brother or sister TODAY.  Then DO it!

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean

If you want to always find a way to DO what you DREAM…

Then you need to follow the five Cool Dream Doer Rules.

And the Cool Dream Doer Rule of the Week is Rule #4: BE FOCUSED: Clarify Your Focus.

If your focus is fuzzy, so are your dreams.  In other words, if you don’t have a clear idea of who you want to be and what you want to accomplish, how are you ever going to know when you’re being yourself and living your dreams?  You’re not!

Plus when you’re clear about your goals, it’s easier to ignore distractions, concentrate on what you need to do to and make your dreams happen.

Distractions are everywhere, so this is not exactly an easy rule to follow.  For instance, right now I’m having a hard time concentrating on writing this post.  Why?  Because my sister is watching TV downstairs.  Although I’m upstairs in my office, my door’s open, and I can hear the music from the show, the conversations between the characters and the occasional commercials.

So I have a choice to make.  I can continue to let the TV distract me and not give you my complete attention.  Or I can get up…close the door…and block out most of the noise.

Ahhh.  Door’s closed.  That’s better.  Now I can think again!

That’s what focus is all about:  controlling your thoughts so you are only thinking about the one thing you’re working on at that moment.

The more focused you are, the faster you can get things done. 

What kinds of things distract you from hitting your goals?  What action can you take to get rid of those actions?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean

Now I’m not talking about the dreams I dream when I sleep.  That’s not what excites me.  What I am talking about are the dreams I get to control with my imagination when I’m awake.

I love imagining who I want to be, what I want to do, places I want to visit, adventures I want to experience.  I express my passion for these things by setting specific goals I want to achieve, then doing what it takes to hit those goals. 

For example, one of my adventure goals was to ride a bike in Germany.  So when I had a chance to visit Germany this past summer, I made it my mission to find a bike to ride while there.

It turns out that the hotel where we stayed in Berlin had bikes they let their guests ride for free.  So one evening, my friends and I borrowed the bikes and had a fun ride on a trail alongside a lake.

Now I also love imagining stories about people who aren’t real and have nothing to do with me.  The way I express my passion for making up characters and telling stories about these characters is through writing fiction.

I’ve already published one book, The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets.  Now I’m working on the sequel.  But I’m finding a new way to express my passion for telling the story of my characters by writing a movie script.  Learning the format is challenging, but it’s also lots of fun!

All right…your turn.  What do you have a passion for?  And how do you live like  a Dream Doer and EXPRESS your passion?

Please share your passion with me in the comment section!

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean

Which makes me happy.  Because I’ve got a passion for pain. 

Well, I don’t really enjoy being in pain, but I know this soreness is a result of me challenging myself to reach a new level of fitness.  The more fit I am, the more prepared I’ll be to compete in some upcoming road races I have planned. 

That’s what I’m really passionate about:  being fit and being competitive.  The way I express that passion is through my challenging workouts and racing against the clock in 5k’s, 10k’s, half-marathons, etc.  The race I’m training for now is a 15k trail run in June.

Fitness and athletic competition is only one area of my life, however.  So tomorrow I’ll share with you another passion I have as well as how I’m expressing that passion right now.

In the meantime, think about your own level of fitness.  Whether you’re an athlete like me or not, exercise should be an important part of your lifestyle.  So find a form of exercise that gets you excited and allows you to express your passion for being fit and healthy.

Because the more fit and healthy you are, the more energy you have to focus on living your dreams.

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean

If you want to always find a way to DO what you DREAM…

Then you need to follow the five Cool Dream Doer Rules.

And the Cool Dream Doer Rule of the Week is Rule #3: BE PASSIONATE: Express Your Passion.

Being passionate is all about expressing your intense emotional drive and excitement toward any strong desire.

But how can you express that intense emotional drive if you don’t know what you want or desire?  You can’t!  That’s why the first step in expressing your passion is to figure out what makes you excited.

In other words, you have to figure out what you REALLY want.

For instance, I’ve got a list of 111 things that I want.  These things include what I want to give to my family or to charities, businesses I want to own, activities I’d like to do, places I’d like to visit, people I want to meet and just fun stuff I would like to have.

When I look at my list and think about making these dreams of mine come true, I get excited.  The way to express that excitement and live my passion is to chase every single one of those dreams.

I can’t chase them all at once, though, so I’ve got to ask myself:  what dream do I really want more than anything right now?  What dream should I do something about that would allow me to express my passion in the biggest way possible right now?

I don’t have an answer to those questions.  Yet.  I’ll give it some thought tonight, then share my biggest RIGHT NOW passion with you tomorrow.

In the meantime, what about you?  What dream do you want to do something about RIGHT NOW?  What do you REALLY want?

Leave me a comment and let me know!

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean

And here is the question:

1. WHY do you believe your dreams are (or are not) possible?

The only way to pass the quiz is to be completely HONEST with your answer.  So go ahead.  Answer the question for yourself knowing the only person grading you is…you.

Then if you’re brave enough, share your answer in the comment section!

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean

So what’s your moral code? In other words, what do you value? Do you even know?

Whether you realize it or not, your values guide your behavior. You choose what to say and do and even what dreams to pursue based on your values.

For instance, if you value honesty, you’ll tell the truth.

If you value winning, you’ll do what it takes to win (but if you value honesty, you won’t lie or cheat to win).

If you value loyalty, you’ll stick by your friends and family no matter what.

If you hard work, you’ll have a great work ethic and always work hard.

If you value kindness, you’ll be nice to the people around you.

Take some time right now to identify your top five values. If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a list of the 12 core Dream Doer League values to give you some ideas:

• Integrity
• Passion
• Focus
• Consistency
• Energy
• Enthusiasm
• Leadership
• Discipline
• Creativity
• Wisdom
• Courage
• Strength

By living with these values as your guide, you can always find a way to do what you dream.

Once you know what your top five are, share them with me in the comment section.

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean

And have you ever stopped to think about how many of your thoughts are true?

Go ahead. I dare you. Think about what you thought today.

For instance, did you tell yourself you couldn’t do something you were perfectly capable of doing?

I did. Only I didn’t realize how I let that lie limit me until I took action that proved me wrong.

Let me explain.

I was out running today in this beautiful, spring-like weather. Because I haven’t exercised in the past three days and because I didn’t get much sleep last night, I told myself I would only have enough energy to run for 29 minutes. (That’s about how long it takes me to run 7 loops around my one-street neighborhood.)

I told myself that running seven loops would be a challenge today and that I would be doing good to finish in 29 minutes.

The truth is I didn’t feel like running more than that today, so I set that goal to make me feel good about just getting by and not pushing myself the way a champion does. In other words, I lied to myself about what I was capable of accomplishing today in my workout.

Then something weird happened when I finished my seventh loop in just under 29 minutes. Instead of stopping to walk and cool down, I sped up.

I wanted to see if I had enough energy left to run for just one more minute and make it an even 30 minute workout.

When I hit the 30-minute mark, I was halfway down the hill and picking up speed. If I pushed myself, I believed I could make it to the bottom of the hill in another 60 seconds.

So I kept running. Faster. I gave it all I had. And I made it down the hill and around the cul-de-sac as fast as my super slow Schaefer speed would take me. (My fast is actually kind of slow!)

I sprinted to a finish time of 31 minutes.

As I walked up the hill and recovered from my final two-minute dash, I wondered how else I was limiting myself. I had just run more than I thought I was able to run during that workout, so what else could I do that I’ve been telling myself I couldn’t do?

I’m still pondering answers to that question for me, but right now I want to know about you.

What have you been telling yourself you can’t do? How have you been limiting yourself?

What do you think you could accomplish if you were honest with yourself about your abilities?

Think about your answers, then share them in the comment section!

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean