Dreaming Dreams & Breaking Borders: The Truth About Dreaming Big

"Dream big."

 

You have probably heard the saying. It may be posted on a sticky note at your desk, or maybe you have them framed, hanging on your wall.

 

I have a white frame with those words -- "Dream big" -- in large gold foil letters sitting at the front of my classroom propped up against the whiteboard. 

 

It's a motto I choose to live by -- one I want my students to see every day. But, what does it really mean to dream big? Do we have to move away from home? Do we have to write a book? Be an actress? 

 

When I was a young girl, I wanted so badly to be an actress. I just knew that I would move to California and be a big star. I obsessed over Disney Channel, and thought I had what it took to be a hit Disney actress.

 

One day when I approached my parents with the idea of moving across the country to Hollywood, they quickly shut down my idea. I thought they were just trying to be against me. I probably even thought they were bad parents at the time. Today, I’m thankful for that decision, though.  

 

All I knew then was that I had something big I wanted to share with the world. I burned with passion and a desire to share my heart with other people. I hadn’t quite figured that out, then, but over time, it’s become more clear to me that the something “big” was never what I expected it would be.

 

I wanted to grow up and make a name for myself. I thought that to share my passion, I would have to get out of town and move across the country.

 

Truthfully, I didn’t know my passion like I thought I did when I was young and wanting to move across the country to pursue Hollywood. Honestly, my passion wasn’t completely cultivated then.

 

“As I reflect on that now, I realize that I couldn’t pick up and move across the country because I had to get up and get to work right in my own community.”

 

Of course, this has only become apparent to me in the last few months as I have been pouring my heart and soul into this blog. I used to want to be an actress when I was in the fifth grade. That was 11 years ago. 11 whole years. That’s how long it’s taken me to realize my dream and put it in fruition.

 

11 years filled with really, really hard moments, but at the same time, really high mountains. In those 11 years, I found a new passion, only to be broken from it.

 

When actress was out of the cards, I pursued athletics. It was here that I found my niche. I just knew I would set big goals to play in college and I would go after them. That’s what I did. I chased hard and fast, but that dream broke me. It broke me into a million pieces when my health took a turn.

 

“But, in these moments, the Lord was planting seeds. He was preparing me to tell the story that was playing out right before my very eyes. I didn’t know it then, but I am so grateful now.”

 

I used to think that I had to move thousands of miles away to fulfill my big dream. I didn’t think that my little town was capable of fostering the dreams that I had, and I always knew in my heart that I had something inside that I needed to share loudly with the world around me.

 

However, during the process of preparing and planning this blog, I have had many conversations with Kendall, my designer, and she has planted even more seeds in my life.

 

The biggest seed yet -- discussing with her how important it is to realize that we can dream where we are planted. That no matter where you are, you have what you need to dream, and not just dream, but dream big.

 

It wasn’t until this conversation with her that I realized my childhood dream has come full circle. As a child, I thought that my dreams had to break mileage borders.

 

“Now, I see that my dream only has to break the borders of my own heart. I have come to understand that I can’t let the fear of “too small” or “too tiny” shelter my dreams in a box, but that in dreaming right where I am, I have the ability to see my world a little differently.”

 

It’s easy for me to say that now because it makes sense for me. It might not be your truth right now, though, and I get that. However, it wasn’t long ago that I was still questioning what in the world the Lord had in store for me right here in my hometown. It’s a story that’s still being written, of course.

 

It’s hard yet so important to remember that dreaming right where we are might take some time. As I mentioned earlier, it took me 11 years to have any inclination of the power in the dream the Lord had prepared for me.

 

I’m still figuring it out day-by-day. Maybe you are too.

 

If you are, I hope you don’t lose the courage. I hope if it’s your dream to move away and do incredible things, then you will find it in you to take that leap of faith.

 

But if that’s not it, I hope you find the strength to stick it out right where you are, praying every step of the way.

 

With love,

Brittany Jeanine