We just heard back from Jennifer Gelpi!

She let us know her POWER of 3 Project steps for going after her BIG dream.

Jennifer Gelpi

Here they are in her own words…

My three small BUT significant steps:

1. To start training on how to be a life coach.
2. Take business classes
3. To see a life coach myself, to be a part of the process from both perspectives.

You can encourage Jennifer by clicking comments!  Shoot her some encouragement, some ideas and/or some connections.

Plus… be inspired by Jennifer.

What are some things that you’d love to do… in order to accomplish some of your own big dreams?  Give it some thought and take one small but significant step towards them today!

Keep dreaming big and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

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As you know… we try to feature some BIG dreams from time to time.

Sometimes the goal is to help get the word out about a big dream… sometimes we feature a big dream to celebrate with the dreamer… and sometimes the goal is to help the person to draw a line in the sand and take a stand for their big dream…

And… sometimes a it’s a combination of all of the above.

Well… this is a an example of a “combination of things.”

Jyni sent her big dream from NYC… and we want to celebrate with her… help her get the world out… AND help her draw a line in the sand.

Here’s Jyni’s big dream… in her own words…

Hi Mitch,

How are you? Looks like things are going great!!

I just wanted to share a big dream of mine with you. I’m in grad school currently and teaching at a music school in NYC. Partially due to volunteer work done through our church growing up, and partially due to my former roommate, Denise Ortiz – who followed HER big dream and now runs an amazing non-profit called Sharing To Learn (wew.sharingtolearn.org), I’ve been inspired to try and help change the lives of children in need through education and simply put, love.

I applied for a creativity grant through the school where I work and received it. I was then able to visit a remote village in South Africa with Denise last month to teach the children there music, to learn their music to implement in NYC, and to read to them and teach in other ways. 

I managed to raise $1,500 for Sharing To Learn this far, which helps the Makuleke Village in various ways.

My experience there was incredible!

My intention was to teach them, but they truly taught me the importance of goodness, the beauty of simplicity, and they just filled my heart up with more love than the plane could carry home!

I’m hoping to find work in a similar capacity once I receive my Masters degree.

However, I know you like to hear about people’s dreams, and I was able to live one of mine, and I continue to chase others. 

I made a video about my trip I thought you may be interested in, and uploaded it to YouTube. Below is the email I sent to people with the link and some background info.

Thanks for reading – and more importantly, for making it your life’s work to inspire others to dream big!!

Jyni

Well done Jyni!

I’ve got to say that it brought a huge smile to our faces to see the joy in these beautiful kiddos as they sang!  I can totally see how you learned from them!  And I can totally see why you want to go back!

So… Jyni’s walking out some of her big dreams.

If you want to offer Jyni some encouragement, some ideas or a connection or two… just leave a comment.  I’m sure she would appreciate it!  You just never know where a kind word or an idea from you… might help her to go next!

Keep dreaming BIG and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

Related articles

• Stephanie’s BIG Dream got some wind in its sails! (bigdreamgathering.com)
• Get the word out about your BIG Dream every time you click send! (bigdreamgathering.com)
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Well… we are still hearing updates from the BIG Dream Gathering that we held in conjunction with the Marketing Institute at the University of Iowa.

In fact, these incredible photos just came in from Susan McClellen from the Creative Media Group, per Robert Rouwenhorst, Ph.D.

We just had to share them… because they capture the event so beautifully!  Thanks for sharing these great images Susan!

If you attended this BIG Dream Gathering and you have some updates to share… we’d love to hear from you!

Simply shoot us an email at Contactus@bigdreamgathering.com and let us know how things are progressing with some of your big dreams!

In the meantime, keep dreaming big and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

We recently partnered with the University of Iowa‘s Marketing Institute to hold a BIG Dream Gathering Experience.

The dreams kept coming at the University of Iowa!

It consisted of about 80 people… dreaming BIG together as a part of the Marketing Institute’s semi-annual meeting.

Well… we’ve been getting updates from people on some of the dreams they posted.  It’s been fun to hear about some old dreams that were reawakened… and some new dreams that were sparked.

I wanted to share one update with you.

It’s from Stephanie, a U of I Senior.

Dreaming BIG together at the University of Iowa!

She posted a number of dreams… but one in particular got a special boost.

Here’s her story… in her own words.

Q: Okay, so we’ve had some really cool stories play out with the BIG Dream Gathering but yours is especially fun.  Tell us about the dream and what happened after you posted it.

A: For the past three summers, I have lived on West Lake Okoboji and have done everything on the water from teaching children how to water-ski to learning how to sail. 

I was especially interested in sailing when I learned last summer, so my dream that I posted on the wall was…

“I would love to learn how to sail on my own, and to someday help crew in a sailing race.” 

I thought it was a pretty far-fetched dream since we live and Iowa and do not have much contact with water.

Stephanie's BIG Dream is already playing out!

After I posted the dream, I only thought that I would have comments telling me to “go for it” or “that’s an awesome dream” and never did I think that in a room of about 70 people would someone have a direct connection to giving me a sailboat. 

When I took my dream down at the end of the gathering, this is what was written on my dream sheet (The donor’s name has been removed)…

“Call me ########.  I sailed across the Atlantic twice as crew.  I have a boat you can have for free.” 

I could not believe what was written so I found this person after reading my sheet and he gave me his business card to make sure that I emailed or called him about the boat!

Q: What was going through your head when you posted that dream?

Were you wrestling with whether you should post a dream like that?  If so, what made you post it anyway?

A: Like I said earlier, I didn’t have high expectations that anyone could help me with pursuing my dream just because of being in Iowa and not many people having the experience of sailing.  I only put up the dream because after this summer it has been one of my long-term goals to own a sailboat and sail on my own.

I knew I was going to post this dream when the BIG Dream Gathering took place because I wanted to write it down, almost to finalize my decision to make the dream real.

 Q: Why is something like this important to you?

A: I believe that writing goals/dreams down on paper makes them more real to me and almost a permanent thought in my mind.  It makes me truly think about the dream and how realistically I could accomplish it. 

My dream of sailing was not too outrageous because I already knew how to help crew with a smaller sailboat on Lake Okoboji, but I wanted to learn to sail on my own.

Q: Now, it sounds like the boat is used.  In fact, it may or may not have some “issues” for you to address.  Even if it has some things you have to deal with… how has this type of encouragement made an impact on you?

A: The boat is definitely used, I would not in my wildest dream expect ##### or anyone to give me a brand new sailboat but that does not in the slightest stop me from wanting it. 

It can become my learning boat and I have all spring and summer to be able to fix it up to get it ready for sailing.  I have connections to different marinas on Lake Okoboji so I would be able to take it there to get anything fixed. 

I am willing to invest in the boat to have it fixed because it is the closest way that I am able to afford having a boat of my own.

Q: Where do you hope to take this big dream?

A: I am hoping that eventually I find a place to keep it at a lake in Northwest Iowa and learn how to sail on my own, and to simply enjoy sailing on the weekends! 

I hope that this can give me experience in order to get onto a sail crew team and race someday on a larger lake like Lake Michigan or even the ocean. 

I feel blessed that I could have this great opportunity to learn a skill that not many people have the chance at doing with the help of ######## and the BIG Dream Gathering.

How about that?

Thanks Stephanie for sharing your big dream AND your story!  You’re awesome.

Now… I’ve got to tell you that I love that Stephanie’s big dream got a boost at this BIG Dream Gathering.  And… I’ll also say that I’m wildly appreciative of people like the person who is giving Stephanie a boat to get started.

I think that’s an example of incredible generosity… and I think it’s an act that we can all be inspired by.

What stands out most?

But… honestly… the thing that stands out most to me… is something that we’ve seen over the years of holding BIG Dream Gatherings.

And that’s the fact that when Stephanie wrote down that she wanted to learn how to sail and someday be a part of a racing crew… she wasn’t looking for someone to give her a boat.  That was just a bonus! (A really really cool bonus… but a bonus all the same.)

Nope… Stephanie wrote that dream down to draw a line in the sand.

She did it to make that dream more real.

She gave herself permission to dream big and when she did… it to made the dream more tangible… more accessible.

Do I think there was some sort of magic at play here?

Yes I do.

But I don’t think it was some sort of attraction theory.  I don’t think the sailboat “manifested” because Stephanie saw it in her mind.

Nope.

I think the magic happened because there was a group of people who were willing to give themselves permission to dream big… AND they committed to helping each other to go after their dreams.

That was the magic.

No hocus pocus.

Just real people… dreaming big and helping each other.

And that’s something we can do every day… right?

So… what if?

What if… like Stephanie… you gave yourself permission to dream today?

What might you think about?

What might you write down?

Why not try it?

Why not give yourself permission to dream BIG for 5 minutes today… and just see where it takes you?  Those big dreams might take you around the world… or they may take you around the block.

But unless you give yourself permission to think about them… you’ll never know.

Oh… and why not also take some inspiration from our friend… the “Boat Giver?”

Now… I’ll admit that most of us don’t have an 18 foot boat to give.  But… what if we encouraged someone else in their big dream today?

Again… you may not be able to deliver a boat… but by delivering some encouraging words, some ideas or some connections for someoneelse’s dream… you can change a life today!

So… why not?

What’s something you could give yourself permission to dream about today?

Who’s someone you can encourage today?

Now… get to it!

Thanks for being in this together,

Mitch Matthews

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We were incredibly excited to partner with the University of Iowa‘s Marketing Institute to host a BIG Dream Gathering Experience!

Students involved in the Institute along with the Institute’s Board members and faculty were able to dream big together!

Here are some photos from the event…

We’re working on a campus-wide/community-wide BIG Dream Gathering for the University of Iowa and Iowa City too!

Mitch talking to the group before the BIG Dream Gathering (photo per Eric Heneghan)

So we’ll keep you in the loop on that.

Plus, we’ll be letting you know about some of the stories that develop from some of the big dreams that were posted!

Keep dreaming big and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

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• BIG Dream Gathering – Upper Iowa University (bigdreamgathering.com)
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We’re excited to be bringing the BIG Dream Gathering to the Upper Iowa University!

It’s something that will inspire you to think about your big dreams and goals in life… and then get some help and inspiration to go after them!

DATE:

Thursday, February 23rd

THE SCHEDULE:

• REGISTRATION: 6 to 6:30 pm
• TALK: 6:30 to 7:15 pm
• DREAMING BIG: 7:15 pm to 9 pm (Stay for a bit or for the full time!)

THE TALK:

BIG Dream Gathering Co-Founder, Mitch Matthews will be kicking things off at 6:30 with an inspirational (and fun) talk about how the BDG got started and some of incredible dreams that have been launched because of it!   Plus, he’ll walk you through the logistics of how the BDG works.

DREAMING BIG:

During this time… Mitch will cut you loose to dream big and connect with the other cool peeps in the room. It will be fun… inspiring… safe… and different from just about anything you’ve experienced before!

We’ve seen amazing things happen at these gatherings in the past and we know that UIU is ready! In fact, we can’t wait to see all the BIG dreams that will get launched as the result of this!

NO COST AND NO HIDDEN CATCHES!

Thanks to the support of UIU… this event is completely FREE to attend!

THE LOCATION:

• Student Center Ballroom -
• Upper Iowa University Campus,
• Fayette, Iowa
• Click here for directions

COME AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS!

Come to think about some of your own dreams and goals… and to inspire some big dreaming in others too!

Bring your friends… invite your professors… and grab total strangers on your way!

You won’t want to miss this!

We can’t wait to see you there!

VIDEOS:

Here are some fun videos we shot around campus to promote the event!  Check out some of the big dreams of UIU’s faculty and students!  (A huge THANK YOU to TJ Warren, UIU’s Director of Student Activities for shooting all of these awesome videos!)

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When WIBW’s own Melissa Brunner came to cover the BIG Dream Gathering in Topeka… she not only told the story of the BDG… she got into the spirit of the gathering!

Melissa Brunner

As she did… she posted a few of her own big dreams… including the idea of writing.

Well, here’s a fun update in her own words!

The update:

“A new adventure came to fruition this week.

The February issue of MVP Magazine includes articles written by…. drumroll…. me!

Click here to read Melissa's story in MVP Magazine

It’s the result of a conversation I had with publisher Tara Dimick at the Big Dream Gathering last September. I told her I was interested in writing and we got to talking about how she recruits writers for the magazine. By December, we were having lunch and talking specifics about how I could get involved. Tara (and her husband) are behind both MVP, which focuses on Shawnee Countyhigh school athletics and TK, which looks at Topeka‘s business community.”

To continue to read the story from Melissa’s own blog click here…

How cool is that?

Melissa’s going after one of her big dreams.  What does that inspire you to do?

Join in the conversation:

Click comments and let Melissa know you believe in her big dream!  Plus, let us know about your big dream journey.

Plus, if you’ve got an update on a BIG dream that you’ve posted at a BIG Dream Gathering, let us know.  Just shoot us an email at contactus@bigdreamgathering.com.

We’d love to hear from you!

Keep dreaming big and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

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In January, we were able to team up with our friends at Succeed Faster and throw a BIG Dream Gathering Experience in San Antonio, Texas!

(Thanks to Courtney Kay for the great photos!)

This BDGE involved some of the best and brightest from around the country and it was an absolute privilege to get to dream BIG together!

Plus… I can guarantee you that many of the big dreamers from this room with change the world!

Can’t wait to see that happen,

Mitch Matthews

Have you ever had one of those things happen that could instantly put you in a bad mood?

Maybe it was something somebody said.  Maybe it was bad weather on a day when you needed it to be clear.  Maybe it was something that went wrong with your big dream.

Well… recently… I was hit with one of those situations that could have instantly put me in a foul mood!  (Seriously… you won’t believe it.)

Here’s the story and a strategy I used to change my thinking (because I had to right away).

Mitch’s Dream BIG Achieve More Radio Segment:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click here to download the mp3:  Mitch Matthews – dream big achieve more

So how about you?

How do you shift your thinking?

What questions do you ask yourself?

Whether it’s when you are going after your big dream or just navigating your day… how do you intentionally change your perspective?

We’d LOVE to hear from you.

Yup.  We’d love to hear your ideas.  Click on comments and share your ‘em.  And hey… you can even share a few things that you’re grateful for too!

Keep dreaming big and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

Okay… so as I talk with people about their big dreams… I’m routinely asked a question:

“How can I get the word out about my big dream?”

In other words… they might be asking…

• How can I get some help with my big dream?
• How can I spread the word and get people on board with my big dream?
• How can I let people know about what I’m wanting to do?

Great questions.

Obviously, in some cases… it can really help to spread the word about your big dream.  Maybe it’s to see if someone else has a similar dream… so you can team up.  Maybe it’s because you need a lot of people’s input.

Or maybe… it’s simply about drawing a line in the sand and letting the world know that you’re working on a big dream.

Whatever the reason… there are times when you need to spread the word.

So… how can you do it when you don’t have the budget to buy a commercial during the super bowl or put a billboard along a busy freeway?

Well… recently I rolled out a simple concept to a group of the country’s top college students… and they took it and ran with it!

It’s simple.  It’s cheap (actually, it’s free).  And you can do it every time you click “send.”

Here’s the concept:

You include the synopsis of your “BIG Dream project” in the footer of your personal email.

Yup… that simple.

Here are some elements to consider:

1. THINK “BIG DREAM PROJECT!”

That’s right.  Keep it simple.  Be able to explain the current season of your big dream journey and define your current BIG Dream Project.  So, you may have a big dream of writing a book about parenting and that’s great.  In that case, your “BIG Dream Project” might be to collect people’s favorite stories about parenting.

Or… you may have a big dream of traveling to Australia.  Perfect!  Maybe your current “BIG Dream Project” is to collect information on the best places to visit while you’re down unda.  Or maybe to ask for help with ideas on how to get there cheap!

2. BE CONCISE WITH WHAT YOU HAVE AND WHAT YOU NEED

This is in the footer of your email.  So being concise is important.  Now, granted… if people are going to scroll down to read what you have to say under your signature… there’s a good chance that they’ll be curious.  So they will stay engaged enough to read something… but you can’t offer a novel.

So if you have some things in place (like a plan… or some passion… or some stories already collected), let people know.  But keep it short.  And if you need some help, ask for it.  But be specific and to the point.  Again, if you need stories ask for them.  If you need advice, ask for it.  If you need contacts, ask.  But don’t ask for a bunch of different things.  It will get confusing.  And people won’t know how to plug in.

3. STAY HUMBLE

For the college students I mentioned… I told them to let the world know about their dream project but to stay humble.  For example, I suggested including something to the effect of “Hey, I know that I may not be able to make all my income from this project, but some day I hope to.  In the meantime, I really need your help.”

This tips the hat to a couple of things.  For those parents who all of a sudden see a “Dream Project” pop up on their kid’s email footer… they won’t automatically think their child has quit everything to pursue this dream.  But at the same time, they’ll see that their son or daughter is taking a risk and going after something.

For our BIG Dreamers who are a little older than the typical college student… it can pay to stay humble too.

I mean, it takes a little humility to ask for help doesn’t it?  I mean in our day and age, we all want to appear like we’ve got it all put together.  We don’t want to admit that we need some help.  But let’s be honest.  We do need help… don’t we?  Especially when we’re going after our big dreams.  So why not just stay humble and ask.

I mean… really… when someone humbly asks for help on a big dream… who can say no?  (OK, in this case anyone can say no.  BUT… someone who is willing to read your footer might just say “yes,” and get you some of the help you need to see your BIG Dream Project through!

4. ASK ABOUT THEIR BIG DREAM

Why not inspire the world to dream big with you?

Why not wrap up your new email footer with…

“By the way, I believe we all have big dreams… what’s one of yours?”

You might just find some things out about your friends and family that you never knew!

EXAMPLES:

Needing some specifics?  Let me offer up some living breathing examples…

Here’s one from Katie Weiler…

—— Forwarded Message
From: Katherine Weiler
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:52:59 -0600
To: “Mitch@mitchmatthews.com” <mitch@mitchmatthews.com>
Subject: Re: Big Dream Gathering

Mitch,

Thanks! You absolutely can use my footer for whatever examples you want! I know that it’s already made a difference, three people at work today said they’d read my blog which is awesome!

Hope things are going well, talk to you soon!

Katie Weiler
Drake University, 2013
319-###-####

My BIG Dream Project: Make America healthy

First of all thanks for checking this out. If you do, you will know about one of my life’s big dreams.

My BIG Dream Project is to transform the food industry in America in order to put an end to childhood obesity and improve the health of our nation as a whole. It’s ambitious, but change has to begin somewhere. Food and health is something I’m passionate about, which is why I want to spread the joy of living a healthy lifestyle  and help improve people’s lives.

Click here to hear more of my story:

www.katieweiler.wordpress.com/my-dreams/ <http://www.katieweiler.wordpress.com/my-dreams/>

By the way, I believe we all have big dreams… what’s one of yours?

Here’s another one…  from college student Jeff Mitch.

From: Jeffrey Mitch
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:14:56 +0000
To: “Mitch@mitchmatthews.com” <mitch@mitchmatthews.com>
Subject: RE: SUCCEED FASTER

Check it out Mitch!  Thanks again for the help.

-Jeff

My BIG Dream Project: Inspirational Author & Speaker

First of all thanks for reading this. If you do, you will know about one of my big dreams.

My BIG Dream Project is to become an inspirational author and speaker. I know I may not be able to make all my income from this right now, but I’m starting to write a book about embracing creativity from within the walls of a cubicle because I have had some interesting experiences within the walls of a cubicle and I believe I can help people achieve their dreams!

Some of the things I still need are contacts, opportunities, and other inspirational stories about life within a cubicle to make this dream a reality. So if you have someone that is looking for a motivational speaker or has any stories about their life within the walls of a cubicle and you’d be willing to connect me with them I would really appreciate it.  Also, if you have an event that you need a speaker to present at, think of me. I might be able to present on a topic and enhance your event, and you’ll be helping me to go after my big dream in the process.

Since you have this, then you obviously have my email address. So if you have ideas, connections or encouragement for me… I’ll take the help! And no matter what… thanks again for reading this!

By the way, I believe we all have big dreams… what’s one of yours?

Here’s an example of someone who applied this concept to their business email…

Here’s to you,

Jackie Smith

Jackie Smith
Life Coach

P: 414.###.####
E: Jackie@UnstuckYou.com

My Mission and big dream is to help people to get unstuck!

Are some of your friends stuck… and you
need some help to inspire them? Let me help you help
them.  www.unstuckyou.com

I believe in helping people to get unstuck and I’ve gotten pretty darn good at it.  I need some help in connecting with people who might need my help.  Don’t worry.  I won’t hit them with hard selling tactics.  Those just don’t work!  Nope.  I’ll just send them some free strategies on how to get started with getting unstuck.  If they want to find out more… we can take it from there.  Plain and simple.

Thanks for reading this and thanks for helping!

By the way, I believe we all have big dreams… what’s one of yours?

Okay… those are some examples.

PS – NOT EVERYONE WILL READ THIS!

Yup.  It’s true.  As I wrap this up, I want to concede this point.

Not everyone is going to scroll down and read about your BIG Dream Project in the footer of your email.

It’s true.

But… what if?

What if someone does?

What if just one person reads it and they’re able to connect you with someone that can help?

What if just one person reads it and they send you a piece of advice that you’ve needed?

What if just one person offers you a bit of encouragement to keep you on your big dream journey?

What if?

Not only that… but what if your BIG Dream Project inspires just one person to think about their own BIG dream?

That might make it worth it… right?

Well, not everyone will do it.  And that’s okay.  Not everyone should.  But… if you read about this and think… “Maybe I should.”  Or you think… “What if this was a way for me to put it out there?”  Or if you read this… and your heart races at the thought of the world knowing just a bit more about your big dream… then maybe just maybe you want to consider it.

And if you do… send us an email.

That’s right.  Shoot us an email at contactus@bigdreamgathering.com.

Show us your footer and we’ll include it as an update to this post!

Sound good?

Hope so.

Keep dreaming big and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

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