Four short years ago…

There was no dream.  Just survival.  Moving from task to task and day to day in a gray, monochromatic fog.  There was no color.  There was very little excitement.  No thriving.  Just survival.  And then, over a quiet, tumultuous time in the prayer room in the basement of my office, the concept of #WINtheNOW was born. I had a few ideas of what it meant, but not a lot of substance. I just knew this- it was going to be very significant in my life going forward.  Because I knew this for sure- I was not living in the now.  Far from it.

Fast forward to today…

I am on the eve of walking out a dream that I couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago.  Tomorrow I will be leading a corporate retreat for a group of business owners in Park City, Utah.  We will be discussing concepts for living in the present moment, ways to make life sustainable and enjoyable at the same time, and how to move forward with a plan. What?  Who gets to do that?  Not very long ago, I sure didn’t think it would be me.  Of course there are butterflies and nerves and a whole lot of nervous energy.  But if we don’t have some of that, are we truly living?

So here I am…

The few days before the retreat.  The calm before the event.  Amy and I are enjoying all that Park City has to offer.  Amazing food.  World-class skiing.  And enjoying the peace that I have only truly found in the mountains.  Some people are beach people.  Some are mountain people.  The difference for Amy and myself- when the beach vacation is done, we are ready to go home.  We simply don’t want to leave the mountains!

And we are continuing to dream…

This will be the first of many retreats that I will be leading in Utah.  I believe that God has given me an important message to share and I intend to share it!  By sharing my journey of getting it wrong for most of my life and now finding my way.   I am a firm believer that God doesn’t cause bad things to happen to us.  I am also a firm believer that he can redeem anything that happens to us.  He can make beauty from ashes.  And there have been some tough ashes on my journey.

I am going to use my journey…

To help others on theirs. In Park City, Utah, this week. In Des Moines, Iowa on April 12, for the first local WINtheNOW Gathering. Stay tuned for details!  On social media.  Through blogs.  Through coaching.  None of this was even a thought four years ago.  Not even a thought.

So what is your dream?

Does anyone else know about it?  Are you keeping it to yourself because you don’t think it is good enough, are afraid it won’t work, or just don’t have confidence in it?  You are not alone.  My dream was mine alone for too long.  What if you shared your dream with someone else?  What if you had a conversation with someone you trust?  How about just writing it down on a piece of paper?  If it stays in your head alone, it will always be there and will likely die there as an unrealized dream. Get your dream out into the world!

What is one small…

But significant step you can take to begin following your dream?  Two years ago, I reached out to a success coach to help me take next steps.  You might need to do some more research for your next step.   You might need to come up with a plan.  Whatever you do, take the first step.  Without the first step, there is no second step. That dream will seem like a mountain you can’t climb.  But one step gets you started.  Who knows?  In a short time, you may see your big dream becoming a reality!

If you need a little more inspiration…

Check out The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty.  This is one of my family’s favorite movies.  It shows what happens when someone with a gray life takes the first step.  And then use that inspiration and take your first step!

If you want to follow along on the journey…

And get all the details along with an amazing PDF of the Five Principles of #WINtheNOW, click on this link.  These are the principles I use every day in my journey of trying to live present and impact the world.  And this is the place to stay up to date on all of the details of the local WINtheNOW Gathering, future events, and other ways to be encouraged and grab easy wins. And one last thing- I believe in you  I hope you believe in you.