Do you have a big dream that has been swirling around in your mind? Maybe you are considering new possibilities and a bold step forward? And yet, before you can get started you’ve talked yourself out of the dream! You’ve decided to play it safe, keep it small, and stay exactly where you are.

I dare you to be ambitious!

Do it For Us!

Our world has big and complex problems. These gnarly issues need creative people, with caring hearts, and dedicated passions to make an impact! If we all pursue comfort over impact, where will we be? 

Exactly where we are now.

I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a solution I want to settle for. I urge you to consider the impact you can have by daring to be ambitious. How can make the world a safer, happier, healthier or more beautiful place?

A Colorful World

Dreamers and ambitious people also add more color to our world. My friend, Senta, took up painting during the height of the pandemic and now her work is showing up in exhibits in public and private galleries across the United States and into Canada. She was also just commissioned to work on a beautiful mural! Her art has a vibrant and playful style, it puts a smile on my face.

And to think, Senta could have played it safe and never shared her art with the world. She could have talked herself out of it because her education isn’t in art and she was picking up a paintbrush for the first time in her 30s. I’m sure Senta could have found numerous reasons to convince herself that becoming an established artist was a bad idea. However, had she done that, she would have robbed this world of beauty and it would be less colorful, in a literal sense. 

Not only that, Senta would not have enjoyed the satisfaction of trying something daring and realizing it worked! It feels amazing when our ambition allows us to take measured risk and act courageously. It feels even more amazing when the results are powerful and everything we dreamed they would be. 

The Next Right Step

I hope I’ve encouraged you to be bold and ambitious with your dreams! But now, you may not be sure where to start.

Start small and take it one step at a time! Although those actions may not sound like big advice about “daring” and “ambition,” I do think it is wise and will help you accomplish what may feel insurmountable. 

Little by little, you can get there. One step at a time, your bold new goal is achievable. 

Think back to my friend Senta. Step one was buying the necessary supplies and simply giving it a try. Initially, her art was private. Then, she dared to get feedback from others on her art. Now, all those smaller steps have led her to big opportunities and large visibility around her work.

Why not you? 

We don’t need anyone else to squash our ambition, we are really good at taking care of it on our own. When the smallest seedling of a dream begins to take root, we ask ourselves, “Why me?” or “Who am I to…” The doubt we allow to creep into our minds talks us out of nurturing and growing the dream. So we settle.

Instead of asking yourself, “Why me?” I suggest you dare to be ambitious by asking yourself, “Why NOT me?” Take time to remember all you have accomplished, the passions you hold, and your unique combination of gifts and talents that will make the dream happen. Don’t talk yourself out of pursuing your dreams, talk yourself into it!

Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from trying. It is okay to get a couple bumps and bruises along the journey, as you explore what’s possible. The real shame is failing to live fully and wholeheartedly because the idea of messing up stops you in your tracks. 

It’s time that you dared to be ambitious!