Ask Donna: My Big Dream Got Stuck Should I Keep Going?

Q: I have been merrily taking action on my Big Dream for months now, and all of a sudden I seem to have got stuck. I can’t see any sign that what I’m doing is working and I’m wondering whether to bother keeping going? – Elaine

Sadly, for us impatient folks, things do take time. Often the people who succeed are not better or smarter or luckier…they are just more persistent! Stubborn-ness can be a good trait when you’re trying to achieve something difficult! I have always said that when I have done everything I can think of to make this work OR if I don’t want it anymore, I’ll stop. Otherwise I’ll keep on going. And one of my mentors, Carole Dore (http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1394969), says that if you were taking all the action that inspiration is showing you, you’d be too busy to notice that your Big Dream isn’t here yet!

So just keep going!

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ask Donna: Huge Knockback to My Big Dream

Q: I’ve had a big knockback in my Big Dream. I am so disappointed, feel like everything I’ve worked towards is a waste and I feel like a total failure. – Alison

Please know that you’re not alone in this – many of us who follow a Big Dream get knockbacks, disappointments and hit roadblocks. Here’s my 3-step plan for you:
Step 1: Extreme self-care – here’s the link to the podcast about it: Extreme Self-care. The question you want to ask yourself is “What would I do today if I were taking extremely good care of myself?”
Step 2: Process your feelings. Safely. Gently…AFTER you’ve been taking extremely good to yourself. My 3 favourite ways are talking it through, writing about it and moving it through – by dancing or boxing or walking or running. Come over to http://www.facebook.com/donnaonthebeach to get a daily writing prompt.
Step 3: Get back in touch with your Big Dream, get back in touch with what you felt so passionate about. If your Big Dream is still important to you, don’t let the knock-back stop you.

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ask Donna: Multipassionate Entrepreneur

Q: My Big Dream is to have a business that embraces all my passions – art, making fabric bags, writing, feng shui…but everyone keeps telling me to pick one and focus on it. I don’t want to, and when I do, I feel like I’m cheating on my Big Dream. – Andrea

Be the authority in your life. For many people, focusing on 1 thing is great advice, because they can give their all to that one thing without getting distracted…but for some of us that are multi-passionate it’s not using the best of us. If you feel like you can give more by focusing on all things at once, do it!

Here’s the link to Marie Forleo http://www.marieforleo.com – a very successful multi-passionate entrepreneur. Check her out, she’s great!

Find your ‘North’ and ‘not North’ – when you are following your inner knowing, you are heading to your ‘North’. Here’s the link to the blog post I wrote about listening to Mind, Body, Heart and Soul.

And yes, I did use the word ‘conspire’ out of context! I meant conform! Oopsie.

If you have a question you’d like me to answer, please leave a comment below, go to the contact page, come over to facebook or find me on twitter.

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ask Donna: My SMART Goals Aren’t Inspiring Me

Q: I was trying to figure what I wanted from life, and I got some ‘SMART’ goals…but they don’t feel like a Big Dream. I think a couple of them are close to being part of that Big Dream, but the energy feels all wrong and I don’t know how to change them…and they’re really not that inspiring! – Mel

I find SMART goals really boring – they have no energy, no juice to them. So, let’s talk about SMILE goals instead (something I made up!) — does your goal make you Smile? Does it have a touch of Magic about it? Is it Inspiring to you? Do you have Lots of enthusiasm for this? Does it give you Energy?

For example, a SMART goal might be “Lose 10 pounds in 3 months”… whereas an example of a SMILE goal might be “Look stunning in a beautiful frock with gorgeous shoes”.

If you have a question you’d like me to answer, please leave a comment below or contact me.

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ask Donna: A New Dream is Calling

Q: I had a Big Dream I’ve been working towards for years…and now I have that Dream, I find another Big Dream is lurking under the surface. The trouble is that the new Big Dream is totally different and I will need to let go of a lot of the things I’ve worked so hard for. I feel so frustrated – I thought I’d be happy when I got this, but instead I’m now hankering after another challenge. What is wrong with me? – Sarah

Rather than be happy ‘when…’, work to be happy now – whatever your circumstances. Who you are, what you like, what you want changes as you age, and if you rely on any outside circumstance to be happy, when you change or the circumstance changes, that will affect your happiness. One way to do this is work on your self-care, energy and joy on a daily basis – when you’re cared for, energised and enjoying life (whatever the circumstance), the changes are easier to navigate.

When you change your dreams, you don’t lose everything – all the skills you have learned stay with you, the courage, the growth, the confidence stay with you. Your inner wisdom will tell you what you need to do now, and how to let go of the old and welcome in the new. To read more about this March daily practice, click this link http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2012/03/march-daily-practice-trust-yourself/.

To ask your question, simply comment below or use the contact page.

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ask Donna: Conflicting Advice

Q: I have shared my big dream with friends and family, and they all have lots of advice for me…the trouble is all the advice conflicts and contradicts and I am now so confused I don’t know what to do! Whenever I say, this is what I’m going to do, someone tells me it won’t work and gives me a different idea to pursue – then someone else tells me that won’t work and so on. Who is right? – Karen

Other people give you advice from their perspective of the world, and sometimes their advice is just not relevant to you. You are the authority in your life, and you need to take charge. It is a gift that you get to do this, take charge, and become your own authority. Some people never get to do it and always live someone else’s life.

To be the authority in your life, you need to connect with your inner wisdom – my March Daily Practice will help you to connect with what you know – here’s the blog post hMarch Daily Practice

If you have a question, leave a comment below or contact me.

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ask Donna: My Big Dream Keeps Changing

Q My big dream keeps changing – it started as one thing, then I changed my mind, then I didn’t like the next thing I did, then it was something else and something else – I can’t seem to settle to anything. I feel like a failure. – Jen

This can happen for several reasons:
1. Because the dreams are not our own – they come from peers and family.
2. Because we are in the experimentation phase, and trying all sorts of things to find the fit for us.
3. Because we are just looking at the surface – whims rather than deep desires.
4. Because we change and grow and become someone who can dream bigger.
5. Because we outgrow that dream, or realise it is not for us.
There is no failure, there is only feedback, so what is the feedback you’re getting from your experiments so far? Do you recognise any of the reasons above? Do you need help to get to your big dream? If you’re interested in coaching with me, come to http://www.donnaonthebeach.com for more information about my coaching packages.

And if you are kind of ‘flaky’, here’s a link to a blog I wrote about flakiness: http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/09/you-say-youre-a-flake-like-its-a-bad-thing/

If you have a question about making your Big Dream a reality, please get in touch.

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ask Donna: Am I Too Old For My Big Dream?

I am 39 years old and will be 40 in August. Am I too old to go for my dream?
- Alexis

In short, NO! You’re not ‘too old’ unless you’re dead!!! Then it really is too late! Lots of people in their 80′s, 90′s and 100′s do new things and follow new dreams – look for videos about these people and get inspired! There is not a date by which you have to have to ‘do’ anything – you get to have fun and experiences and follow dreams for your WHOLE life! Woohoo!

Don’t let age (something you cannot control) stop you from going after your big dream. If you couldn’t think that thought ‘Am I too old?’, what might be different.

Try this website for inspiring stories about people who went after their Big Dreams despite being twice your age! http://darynkagan.com/index.html

Keep Dreaming!

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ask Donna – My Big Dream to go to Uni

Q: My big dream is to get a university degree – all my friends went to uni and they think it’s no big deal and don’t understand why I want to do it, but I got a job, settled down and had my kids and I feel like I missed out. Because everyone else feels like it’s no big deal, I feel even worse that it TERRIFIES me, and that even though I’ve wanted to do this for years, I STILL haven’t done anything about it. – Ann

Your friends have probably just forgotten that they were frightened when they went to uni…don’t feel like you’re the only one who is scared of this – you’re not. And don’t worry about not having taken action to now…dreams need time to ferment and you need time to come to terms with your dream and become the person who can do this…and you are ready to go.

Universities are used to dealing with mature students and will be able to reassure you. Take action! Take baby steps and get moving towards that big dream of yours. Get support – someone who will support you, encourage you, and can understand that it’s a big deal to you. Take little steps that are not so scary. You can do it – good luck!

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ask Donna: Childhood Dreams

Q: When I try to think about my big dream today, all I can think of is my big dream from when I was a kid – I wanted to play football! How can I get past this to what my big dream is now? Jon

Our childhood dreams sometimes just need a chance to move forward – it might seem ‘too late’, but take a few steps towards it anyway – re-ignite that passion by playing or getting involved in community football schemes. An ‘old’ dream that never got a chance can stand in the way of your new dreams, so give that ‘old’ dream a chance to move forwards.

If your childhood dream is still whispering to you, take a baby step towards it, and bring some of that fun, delicious,
child-like joy into your life right now! And who knows what might happen if you follow a childhood dream?

Leave me a comment and let me know what your childhood dream is.

Love

Donna.x

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Next Page »