This is what can happen when you dream BIG!

Need some inspiration on a Friday?  Try this out.

The story...

Okay... so this is the picture of what can happen when people are willing to write down their BIG dreams AND when others are willing to lend a hand!

Here's the story...

A student came to the BIG dream gathering at the University of Northern Iowa last month and wrote down a number of BIG dreams. 

She dreamed BIG and she got specific!

One of her dream sheets explained that she wanted to travel to Zimbabwe and connect with a specific ministry there. 

She said, "To see the work that they're doing with the church they've created there."

Now, keep in mind... this was at a BIG dream gathering in little ol' Cedar Falls, Iowa. 

So, writing down a dream about going to visit a specific ministry in Africa felt like a long shot!  

But... get this... someone that saw the dream... knew the family behind that ministry!  Not only that but they reached out to the family for this BIG dreamer!  They explained that this student wanted to come to visit them and in her words "See how God was moving in Zimbabwe."

Well... the family responded! 

Not only did they say that this dreamer would be welcome to come visit... but they let her know that an anonymous donor from their ministry was willing to cover her room and board while she was there!!! 

How amazing is that? 

So think about it... a UNI student had enough guts to write down a specific BIG dream... even though it seemed a little crazy and outlandish!  Then... someone in the room in Cedar Falls, Iowa not only knew about the ministry but knew the family behind it and was willing to reach out to them.  AND someone on the other side of the world believed in the dream enough to say they would cover this students living expenses while they came to visit?!?!

What are the chances?!?  (NOTE: I'd say that prayer helped to increase the "odds" on this one.  Wouldn't you?)

So... yeah... we are celebrating today!  That's just cool. 

At this point... I can't share names yet... because the details are still getting worked out... but we'll keep you in the loop as this story plays out!

What might happen?

What might happen if you were to dream a little BIGGER today?  What if you got specific?  What if you were willing to put it out there to a few people? 

What might happen?

What might happen if you asked someone about their BIG dream today?  What if you were able to help them... with a connection... an idea... or an encouraging word? 

There's a good chance it would only take a few minutes of your time... but it could make all the difference!

Keep dreaming BIG,

Mitch Matthews

What if my BIG dream involves staying with my company?

It's interesting... I think that a lot of people who come to the BIG dream gathering assume that their BIG dream has to involve leaving their company or their job in order to do something BIG! 

It's true for some but it's not true for everyone!

Successful BIG dreamer Megan Johannes is a great example of this!

Her story involves risk... taking a stand for her BIG dream... and going after a position that allowed her to play to her strengths.

When I first met Megan and heard about her BIG dream journey... she was at a cross roads.  She was working for Marriott and was in the middle of some "corporate restructuring."  Her job had been eliminated so she had some decisions to make... she could go with a "safe position" or she could take a risk on something BIGGER.

We talked about some of her BIG dreams... as well as the potential risks and rewards of pursuing them.

Well... she took the risk and it paid off! 

In fact, Megan's story is so inspiring... we wanted to share it with you.

Click here to read the full interview ( Download BDG Interview with BIG dreamer - Megan Johannes)

As you read... you’ll hear about how hard it was to wait for the right position.  You’ll find out how she took a leap of faith by turning down a “good” job in order to step into something “great.”  And you’ll find out how doing some small but significant things to build relationships and put her BIG dream out there... helped to open the door to her being able to walk it out within Marriott!

Now... for those of you who like the read the last chapter first to make sure there's a happy ending... here's a recent update on how things are going for Megan... in her own words...

"Some of the things that have been happening with my big dream lately are... the position that I created proved to be so successful that it is now a benchmark in the company for our new re-organization.

New larger hotels and resorts that are launching are now including this position. 

The position is now called " Destination Sales Manager."

I had a part in booking over $9.8M in the first year and showed a Closure Percentage of over 41%. (That's pretty darn good for a first year... especially considering that resort properties that have had the position for a couple years are only around the low 30%'s)

Be on the lookout for my next endeavor... I've done what I came here to do and I'm feeling a change coming on!"

Way to go Megan!  Thanks for being a great example of a real person going after her BIG dreams!

Okay... so I have two last things for you as you reflect on Megan's story... as well as your own...

First... do you have some encouragement for Megan?  If you were impacted by her story... why not leave a quick comment and let her know?  I'm sure she would appreciate it... and it will encourage her to go after that next BIG thing!

Second... do you have a BIG dream... within your current organization?  Why not let us know about it?  Leave a comment.  Even if you post it anonymously, it may just stir something in you to put it out there!  So go for it! 

Click comments and join in the conversation!

Keep dreaming BIG,

Mitch Matthews

Denise's musical dreams have found audiences... BIG and small!

Denise Forney has brought her family... her bright smile... and her BIG dreams to a number of the BIG dream gatherings!

Her dreams have involved music... whether it's performing for large audiences... writing music for kids... or creating a music ministry that reaches children and teens.

Well... she has worked really hard... and had a lot of success!  In fact, we could go on and on... but it would be best to just let her give you an update in her own words...

Thanks, Mitch!

The Big Dream gathering was the start of such great dreams of music. I've been able to do fun things, like start up "Music-n-Motion," a business of mine where I educate kids each week through music - singing, dancing, playing instruments... and have a great deal of fun entertaining at birthday parties.

My family and I performed out at "Every Family Rocks" in the fall. 

The creation of "Hosanna Montana" resulted from the Big Dream gathering too... :) "Hosanna" performed at the Des Moines Arts Festival last summer, and will be kicking off Indianola's Family outdoor movie night premier of "Hannah Montana, the Movie.." in April! Ha, ha... I love feeling like a rock star in the presence of kids! :)

My friend Susie Weppler and I started an acoustic duo called "Onyx2" last fall, and have been playing at events in the community, like Meals from the Heartland, Iowa Hall of Pride, East Chamber, and Celebrate Recovery at Hope. Playing with her is a total God thing, and we've been writing music together too. God's at work with our Big Dreams, and I praise Him for using you to place this venue in people's hearts... it's changing lives, and just filling me up in the process! :) The Big Dream Gathering has made me so happy with my choices now in my life... I feel like I'm living my life on purpose, for a purpose, for HIS purpose... does that make sense?!

Thanks for all you do, Mitch! :)

Isn't that great?  This is truly the picture of a real person... going after her dreams.

What I love about this too... is with all the success of her business getting started... and having the opportunity to perform in front of bigger and bigger audiences... when I asked Denise about what was one of her favorite memories from this journey... she said it had to be getting to perform with her daughter, Rachel, in front of a large audience this past Christmas Eve.

Check out the video...

(By the way, Rachel has a great voice too... BUT according to Denise... her BIG dream is to be a firefighter!  How cool is that?!?)

So... yes... Denise's BIG dream is happening and we can't wait to see what 2010 brings for her in 2010!

If you'd like to find out more or become of fan of Denise, check out Music in Motion's facebook fan page and Onyx2's fan page. 

Well done Denise!  Keep dreaming BIG!

One last observation... It's funny but when I talk with Denise... she almost seems surprised at how far things have progressed over just a few years.  Especially when you consider that she's a wife and a mom of 3 and works full time.  But what we've seen is Denise continuing to take those small but significant steps towards her BIg dream.  And as you can see... those small steps add up over time!

We hope this inspires you to keep taking some of those small but significant steps towards your BIG dreams. 

Keep dreaming BIG,

Mitch Matthews

PS - Denise is also a UNI grad and she's VERY excited about the BIG dream gathering at UNI on Feb. 16th!

A BIG dream that has really taken root!

A few years ago... we met BIG dreamer Adam Hammes... and he was willing to tell us a little bit about his BIG dream of bringing environmental education and the concept of sustainability to Des Moines.

Adam's an amazing guy... and here he is sharing about his dream...

And... wow... has he been busy going after his dream over the past few years!  (We'll list some of the things later in this post.)  But something that's coming up... that involves his BIG dream and we wanted to help get the word out on... is the Hope for the Hungry event coming up on Saturday in Des Moines.

 

This looks like an amazing event... so click here to find out more. 

We're really proud of Adam and his willingness to pursue his BIG dream... as well as help others with theirs.  It's been fun to watch!

Need some inspiration on your own BIG dream?  Well... here's a short list of some of the things Adam has been up to since we interviewed him...

• Founded Urban Ambassadors in November 2008
• Participated in the 4th Annual Sustainable Living Bike Tour in California, 3 weeks-750 miles teaching sustainability, December 2008
  
  • Went again 5th Annual Tour, December 2009, video-blogged and made a DVD to share in Des Moines
  • Sponsored a local documentary film-maker to visit the trip and start planning a filming of the 6th Annual Tour
    
• Designed Sustainable Spring Break with Drake University, March 2009
  
  • DMACC Urban Campus joined forces and doubled the trip size for March 2010
  • Other universities are looking to model their own trip after ours (e.g. Grinnell)
    
• Designed Transforming Business Speaker Series, May 2009
  
  • Brought 4 world-class green business speakers to Des Moines
  • Designing a Green Business Starter Kit box with all of their info, books, DVDs, etc. to sell in 2010
    
• Adopted a parking space downtown and turned it into a park for a day (so did 4 other businesses) for International Park(ing) Day, September 2009
  
  • Building a coalition to adopt spaces every year
    
• Organized two volunteer days to help build an Earthship home near Lucas, IA
  
• Organized two volunteer days to help build a Strawbale education center near Colfax, IA
  
• Designed local food event, Hope for the Hungry: Feeding Greater Des Moines for Saturday, January 30, 2010
  
  • Already adopted by larger food coalition to train low-income neighborhoods in local urban agriculture
    
• Working on funding full-time Director position, upgrading website, and building membership services

Again... way to go Adam!  Keep up the great work!  And check out his website if you want to join in!

If you have ideas, encouragement, questions or connections for Adam... take a second and click "comments" below.  I'm sure he'd appreciate it!

In the meantime, keep dreaming BIG everybody!

Mitch Matthews

What seemed impossible in 2007 became a reality!

It's funny because when Christy Leibundguth came to help at a BIG dream gathering in 2007... she NEVER intended to share her dream on video. 

But with a little encouragement from friends... prompting from our video guru Brad and... okay... I pushed a little bit too... she sat down to talk about her dream. 

She kept it short... sweet... and contained.  But she got so excited she was about to burst in the end.  Here check it out...

(Can you tell we have fun at these BDG's... or what?)

Well... Christy stayed with her BIG dream and what seemed impossible in 2007... became a reality in 2009!  And it sounds like it's all been worth it.  Here's an update from Christy... in her own words...

"I launched my business in April of 2009 and opened my doors for child care in June. My goal financially was to have 4 children and I had that within 3 1/2 months. At the end of January this year I will be at full capacity with 6 children.  The thing I am most excited about is that I always knew this was a dream but I didn't know what my motive was for it and if it was 'to be'. The journey to get to this place has been long and grueling without end in sight or vision at times. But I know now that all those jobs, opportunities, tests, and struggles I went through were to prepare me to be the business owner that I am today and run a successful, high quality child care program where my parents continue to stay extremely satisfied....and I am satisfied as well and have pride in what I do. The best is yet to come."

If you spend two minutes with Christy... you'll know that she was made for this!  If you've ever gotten to see her interact with her kiddos... encouraging them... making them laugh... teaching them... having fun... you'd just know it. 

It's a beautiful thing to see her doing EXACTLY what she was created to do.  And she's doing it because she dared to dream... and go after it.

So we say... WELL DONE CHRISTY!

Okay... so let me ask you... which of your BIG dreams seems impossible right now?

What's something you were created to do?

I know... I know... it might feel like a hard question because the answer might seem impossible right now.

Or that inner-critic might be saying "I can't think about that because I don't have the money for that!"  Or... "My dream seems totally out of reach."  Or... "I don't have the credentials to do that."

All fair. 

But... what if you just took a few steps towards it... today?  Even though it felt impossible... what if?

That's how Christy did it.  One step at a time.  With a little help from friends... with some prayer... and with a whole lot of work... she was able to see her dream happen!

Listen... if you've been around the BDG long enough... you know that we're not trying to sell you something.  This isn't a set up for an "8 steps to success" cd set.  Nope.  We just want to encourage you to go after what you were put on the planet to do. 

And... we're the last people to tell you that it will be easy... but just like Christy found out... the process that you take to get to your dream (no matter how hard it is) will help to prepare you for your dream!

So go for it.  Take a step today.  You just never know where it might take you!

Keep dreaming BIG,

Mitch

An update on BIG dreamer Brent Houzenga!

Hey gang -

I thought it might be fun to shoot out some updates on some of the BIG dreamers that have attended the BIG dream gatherings in the past.

Today's BIG dreamer is the freakishly cool and incredibly talented Brent Houzenga.

Here's a brief description of Brent...

Brent Houzenga is an artist living in Des Moines, IA. Houzenga is originally from Fulton, IL. He studied printmaking and graphic design at Western Illinois University before moving to Des Moines in 2006. Since relocating to Des Moines Houzenga's work has been featured in many group and solo shows on the local and national level.

Houzengas inspiration stems from modern art, comic books, punk rock posters and album covers, graphic design, street art and the desire to accomplish something with his time spent on earth.

We first met Brent a few years ago when he attended a BIG dream gathering in downtown DSM.

Click here to check out his video interview from that BDG...

Well... Brent's been hard at work... and he and his art have been traveling the globe and making waves! 

His creativity is pretty dang unstoppable!  I mean... I've heard of painting on canvas... but how about minivans!?! 

Check out this recent interview with Brent to get an update...

Plus, he's been a HUGE advocate for the local art community in DSM.

What can we say... he's incredibly talented and so darn lovable!

So... let's help Brent keep that momentum...

• Who do you know that could help Brent? 
• Maybe a connection or an idea? 
• Or maybe you've just got some encouragement to offer this amazing artist! 

Leave a comment and join in the conversation...

And make sure you check out his website and help to spread the word! 

This is an artist that's going to make a BIG impact on the world... one spray paint can at a time!

Keep dreaming BIG,

Mitch

An update on a BIG dream!

Hey gang -

As many of you know... the whole reason the BIG dream gathering got started was because we needed some help with one of our BIG dreams.  (If you want to know more about that... just click here.)

The short version is that we were working on an idea for a question based game that would help people to connect.  We simply called it... "Q."

MANY of you have helped us get this idea of the ground... either with encouragement... ideas... prayers... connections... and/or elbow grease.  And for that... we are WILDLY grateful!

Well... today... we have a fun announcement for our BIG dream family!  It's that we've been able to work with the BIG dreamers at Flying Hippo Web Creations to bring Q to the iphone!

That's right... all the fun of Q... on the freakishly cool iphone.

So... if you want to laugh... relax... and connect with your friends and family... there's an app for that!

Not only that... but we've been able to introduce two NEW Q titles too!

 
That's right... Q chill and Q road trip (along with Q friends) are now available!!!

Thanks to everyone who's helped to make this happen!  And thanks to everyone for helping to spread the word!  Your support is priceless! 

So... click here to find out more... and even score a FREE version of Q friends lite!

Keep connecting and keep dreaming BIG!

Thanks again,

Mitch

BIG dreamer: Jennie Smith featured in the Des Moines Register!

Hey gang!

Did you see our fellow BIG dreamer featured in the Des Moines Register this week?

Yup.  The Register did a fantastic job of featuring this freakishly cool big dreamer, as well as tell the story of how she's walking out her BIG dream!

Check it out by clicking here.

If this link doesn't work, click here to download a pdf of the article. Download BDG - Jennie Smith - Grower follows her tomatoes to the table | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register

It's an awesome story and it's especially fun because Jennie has been along side us with the BDG almost since the beginning!  She's dreamed BIG... and she's volunteered at many of our events to help other BIG dreamers think even BIGGER!

If you've met Jennie, you know that you could power a small city by tapping into her energy and enthusiasm!  

So, Jennie... keep dreaming BIG and keep walking out that BIG dream.  We're proud of you!

And to all of you other BIG dreamers... keep walking (or running) towards your BIG dreams!

We can't wait to see where it takes you!

Keep dreaming BIG!

Mitch

A BIG dream update from Carly!

Hey gang...

Many of you have been asking for an update about Carly's BIG dream of building a well in Africa!  (Click here to check out the original post.) 

If you haven't heard, she's the amazing high school senior who came up the idea of having her school raise enough money to drill a well in Central Africa!

Carly shot us an update last night... and it's going GREAT!

Since our last post, she has been busy...

• She met with her principal and he LOVED the idea!
• She pitched it to one of the clubs at her high school... and they LOVED it!  She said she was blown away by how many people signed up to help!
• And she has a school-wide presentation this Wednesday, to get the school on board!  Go get 'em Carly!

Then... you may remember that Carly wanted to get 1,600 bracelets in order to raise the money for the wells in Africa.  In her video, she asked for help on this.

So... the BIGGEST update is that one of her sister's good friend's dad works for a company that makes give-away items... including promotional bracelets!  He heard about the dream and talked with Carly about it. 

After the conversation, he let her know that his company had decided to donate half and pay for the rest! 

That's right... she got the bracelets that she needed!

Plus, they have cut the normal delivery time from 6 weeks down to days, so she, and her team, can have them to sell before the end of the school year!

How cool is that?

So... yeah... here's a high school student who is teaching the world about dreamin' BIG!

If you want to help out Carly... or just leave her an encouraging word...  just click on "comments" below.

Oh and hey... what if we all followed Carly's example... and her wisdom? 

I'd say the world would be a better place!

Keep dreamin' BIG!

Mitch

"BIG building, BIG crowd, BIG dreams!"

This is the title of the article written by the San Angelo Standard-Time's Rick Smith.

Rick attended the BIG dream gathering in San Angelo last week and captured the essence of the gathering.

Click here to read the article...

Here's an excerpt:

"People from a 100-or-so-mile radius of San Angelo began arriving at the center two hours before the scheduled start to write their dreams on paper and post them, anonymously, on the building's walls.

By the time the event officially opened at 6 p.m., people were already crowded together, reading what others had written."

TMCN, our sponsor main sponsor, has also posted a number of great pictures of the event. 

You can click here to see those!

 

This was a FANTASTIC event and we are so grateful for all of the people who came out to dream BIG and to support other BIG dreamers! 

If you came and posted a dream, let us know about your experience by clicking "comments" below.

Plus, keep us in the loop as you go after your BIG dream! 

We want to hear your story AND root for you as you go!

So, again, just let us know... and keep dreaming BIG!

You can email us too, by sending an e-mail to info@akickinthepants.com.

THANKS!

Mitch 

Last night was a HUGE success!

Wow!  THANK YOU San Angelo!

What an incredible night!  We had a fantastic turn out and the people of this incredible region of Texas got on board with dreaming BIG and helping each other with their dreams!

The event officially started at 6 pm, but we had people showing up as early as 4 to post their dreams!

It was amazing!

I'd love to post a bunch of pictures this morning, but I have to admit that I got so caught up in all of the people and activity, that I totally forgot to take photos!  But, there were plenty of people who did, so photos will be coming!

But I did wake up to an awesome e-mail that helped to capture the feel of the night... so I'll share that with you!

Mitch,

My name is Jodi Olesen. I am the Founder and President of a home-based animal rescue Organization. It's called the Purrs & Puppy Breath Nursery, Inc. We are a Non Profit Organization. We specialize in infant animal rescue and rehabilitation. I've been doing this type of rescue for over 20 years. But, about 5 years ago I decided to become a "professional". 

Anyway, I just happened to stumble upon an article in today's paper (The San Angelo Standard Times) that was about tonight's event. So, I went. 

WOW!! THANK YOU so much for making this forum available to all of us! I have absolutely no expectations after posting my dream of obtaining a facility to use as a Nursery (as it is right now, I do what I do in my bedroom). But, I still have the excitement about the "what ifs" from tonight's event. 

So, again, I thank you for giving those of us, who truly have dreams that we cannot fulfill without someone else's help, a place to go and be heard. That means more to me than I can adequately express. 

Jodi Olesen
Purrs & Puppy Breath Nursery, Inc.
nursery@suddenlink.net

http://www.sanangelopets.net/  

So, again... THANK YOU San Angelo for such an incredible gathering!

THANK YOU TMCN and all of our other great sponsors!

And THANK YOU to all of you BIG dreamers who came to dream together!

Keep dreaming BIG...

Mitch

BIG dreamer... Angela Maiers... launches new book!

Last week, blogging guru, Mike Sansone, gave me the head's up that BIG dreamer, Angela Maiers, published her first book!

I was excited because I've known Angela for a while and she is a fantastic person. 

Plus, she's been a HUGE supporter of the BIG dream gathering!

In fact, this book project is one of the BIG dreams she posted at our gathering in May of 2008! 

So, needless to say, we were freakishly excited for Angela!

Then... I was flippin' blessed with the opportunity to see Angela this past weekend and hear a little more about the book!

It sounds fantastic.

It's called "Classroom Habitudes - How to teach 21st Century Learning Habits and Attitudes."

The book is full of strategies to help educators of any kind (teachers, home-schoolers and I'm guessing even parents) teach our young ones how to be better learners, more critical thinkers and more effective additions to the workforce in the future! 

It even includes lesson plans that teachers can use right away!

I'd also suggest checking out Angela's blog and find out more about her.  You'll find that educating kids in new... exciting... and effective ways... is a life-long passion for her! 

She's truly someone who decided to pursue her passions, purpose and BIG dreams!  And she's been one to help other BIG dreamers to pursue their own passions and purpose!  (One example is our friend Laura Hecht!)

So, I wanted to help get the word out!

Plus, I know that a lot of you have aspirations of writing a book, too!  So, I thought this might provide some encouragement and help to remind us all that it is possible!

So... keep dreaming BIG and keep moving towards those BIG dreams!

Photo credit and kudos to Mike Sansone!

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An update on a Caroline and Tenley's BIG dream

You might remember Caroline and Tenley's story.  Yeah... Caroline was the BIG dreamer who's water broke the day of our BDG in February...

Our fantastic video team shot this video with them in May..

And now, we've gotten an update from Caroline, and I'll let her share it in her own words...

"Thanks for checking in.  We are doing great!  Our business has provided us a very nice creative outlet, and our customers seem to enjoy their custom art.  In 2008 we focused on building our portfolio of products and finding out what appeals to our customers.  For 2009 we will branch out our marketing efforts, although we have really enjoyed letting orders trickle into us so that we don’t ever have more than we can handle with our 5 preschool children at home.  (Tenley’s having a baby tomorrow, so we have scaled back to enjoy the holidays and her new baby!)  So far our endeavor has paid for itself, and hopefully in the future we can even take out some small distributions for a rainy day. 
 
Thanks for all the inspiration and encouragement you gave us!"

 

If you want to find out more... click here to check out their site!

So... how's your BIG dream going?

Shoot us an update at info@akickinthepants.com.  We'd love to hear from you... and possibly feature you too!

Oh... and hey... keep dreaming BIG!

An update from BIG dreamer Laura Hecht!

You may remember Laura Hecht's story... and her BIG dream of getting school supplies to kids in Africa.

(If you don't, just click here to listen to a 15 minute podcast about her freakishly cool BIG dream.)

Well, she shot me an update... and you'll LOVE it.

Here it is... in her own words...

Mitch,
I don't even know where to start in getting you up to speed with what God has been doing with my dream.  So let's just list them out (like good teachers do)

1.  I am going with my church missions group to Malawi in June 2009.  Yes, that's right.  I am going to Africa!!!   I will be part of the educational team and distributing my supplies that I have been collecting.

2.  I have an appointment to meet up with Eric Idehen on Wednesday, 10/22 to discuss the needs he has in the orphanage and how I can serve those needs.

3.  Eric introduced me to Pastor Lawrence Bomett, who runs a school in Kenya.  I have been in communications with his son and I plan to provide needed educational supplies to that cause.

4.  I just met with Dr. Blessman (contact from Brad Krehlik, at Lutheran Church of Hope) and Jacques van Bommel from South Africa.  The bulk of my educational supplies will be shipped with their supplies of food in November to aid the people of South Africa.

As you can see, I have been a very busy girl.  Thanks to your virtual introductions, I have been able to make contacts with, and potentially bless, many eager minds yearning for literacy.  Thank you.

Laura

Isn't it cool to see how she's walking this out?  She's simply a teacher (with a HUGE heart and a BIG dream) who's going after her BIG dream and getting some help from other BIG dreamers along the way.

If you'd like to help Laura or if you have some ideas or connections for her...  just leave a comment here or shoot her an e-mail at laura@laura4literacy.com.

And this is why we do this...

By Mitch Matthews

So... meet Katie Wittrock.

She came to the BIG dream gathering this week. 

She was nervous.  She didn't know what to expect.  She wasn't even sure about putting up her BIG dreams.

Well... she does a better job of telling her story.  Click here to hear about Katie's experience.

The cool thing is... this is just the picture of REAL people taking a risk... taking a stand for their dreams... and then being open to getting a little help from other REAL people.  No hidden catches.  No elaborate 27 steps to success. 

Just real people dreaming BIG and helping each other out!

It's cool and it's a little taste of heaven!

Thanks Katie... for taking the chance and for telling your story!  You are going to impact the world!  We all just know it!

Oh... and thanks to that person who steeped up as a connector and advocate for Katie!  You made a huge difference in the life of a fellow dreamer!  (You know who you are!)

So... what's one of YOUR BIG dreams?  Why not write it down and put it out there?  You just never know what might happen!

Keep dreaming BIG!

BDG Podcast: Hear Mandy's BIG dream story that took her to Africa

By Mitch Matthews

Okay... so I had the honor of getting to interview Mandy Van Maanen about a BIG dream that got a boost at our first BIG dream gathering. (click here to listen)

Listen in on how she wrote down a BIG dream that seemed impossible, and then hear how... over the course of a year... the dream played out to become a reality!

And remember... we don't tell these stories as a "how to."  We tell these stories to inspire you to remember and uncover your own BIG dreams and get clear on them. 

Then... we hope that inspiration will enable you to think about why your BIG dreams are important to you. 

Cuz, we figure once you're clear on the "what" of your BIG dreams, and the "why it's important," the "how" of your dreams... will come.

Listen to Mandy's story and you'll hear how this played out for her.  It's an awesome and inspiring story!

By the way... do you have a BIG dream that's played out?  Let us know and maybe we can feature your story this way.  Just click "comments" below or send us an e-mail at contactus@doyouQ.com!

And... remember... you can come and meet Mandy at the next BIG dream gathering on May 13th in Des Moines!

BIG dreamer update... Charlie and Kate's BIG dreams

Posted by Mitch Matthews

Well... Lucas and Mike have done it again.  Yup... our video dream team have put together a video update of two BIG dreamers.

Click the video link and hear about Charlie's inspiring dream to bring a taste of New Orleans to the world and to bring help from the world to New Orleans.  Plus, you'll hear an update from Kate about her BIG dream to bring heart AND fashion to real people. 

So, why not come to the next BIG dream gathering on May 13th and dream BIG with Charlie and Kate?  Who knows where it will take YOUR BIG dream?