What if… you took a world renown concert violinist… someone who people pay hundreds of dollars to see…  someone who plays a priceless Stradivarius… someone who could keep a concert hall filled with people breathless in appreciation and awe… 

What if… you put him in a busy subway at rush hour?  What would happen?  How would it change things?

Would people appreciate the beauty?  Would people stop and take it in? 

Well… the Washington Post conducted an experiment like this with violinist Josh Bell.  (Here's the story.)

Check out the video to see what happened…

Amazing isn't it? 

Only a few people stopped to listen and acknowledge this man's amazing skills and talents.  A few threw in some change.  But most passed right by.

Now granted… it was during the morning rush hour.  People were busy. (On a busy day, I admit that I'm not sure I'd take time to listen.)

Interesting experiment. 

And here's my take away from it…

If you take one of the world's finest artists out of the concert hall and plunk him down in the middle of a busy day… he can become a distraction… and get totally dismissed.

In many ways… this is exactly why we do the BIG dream gathering.

Because for us… each dream sheet that goes up at a BDG is a piece of artwork. 

And each dreamer… an artist.   

And the BIG dream gathering allows some time for all of us to slow down… and take notice. 

To take notice of our own dreams… as well as the dreams of others.

So… what if you slowed down and gave yourself 10 minutes to think about some of your own BIG dreams today?  

Or… what if you took a few minutes to ask someone else about theirs?

What if you came to the BIG dream gathering at UNI on Tuesday night ? 

What if you took a couple of minutes (or a couple of hours) to slow down… to step out of your busy… daily… schedule… to acknowledge some of those BIG dreams in you… and in others?

What if?

Maybe you could even get a little help.  Maybe you could even give a little help.

It's fun.  It's safe. It's free.

And… you never know.   Taking just a few minutes to slow down and appreciate some of your own dreams… as well as the dreams of others… might just make all the difference!

Keep dreaming BIG and come dream BIG with us… tomorrow night!

Mitch

Thanks to Meta Hemenway-Forbes and the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier for the fantastic article about
the BIG dream gathering that's set to be held at the University of Northern Iowa tomorrow night!

Meta did a great job of capturing the heart of the BDG! 

Check it out by clicking here!

The University of Northern Iowa's student newspaper featured the BIG dream gathering this week!

Click here to check out the story by Anna Schreck.

Why not bring one… or ten… of your own BIG dreams to the BDG at UNI on February 16th? 

Remember… it's safe… fun… and it might just help you take some steps towards making that BIG dream happen!

Have you met her?

I'm betting if you've been a student on UNI's campus in the last few years… you've met Connie Hansen.

She's the Alumni Association's Assistant Director for Outreach & Engagement. 

If you know her… you know she's amazing at her job and she's been a driving force for bringing the BIG dream gathering to UNI's campus.

BUT… did you know that she has a "secret" BIG dream? 

That's right… check it out.

So… if you've been blessed by Connie in her day job… or if you want to see her pursue this secret BIG dream… click on comments and let her know! 

Share some encouragement… some ideas… or some connections with her!

We're big fans of Connie… and I'm betting if you know her… you are too!

Hey… and why not bring your own BIG dreams… to the BIG dream gathering at UNI on Feb. 16th? 

You can even keep them a secret if you want to!

Keep dreaming BIG,

Mitch

We met Nick at UNI's John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. 

It was his first day in his new office… and even though he was already cranking on his BIG dream… Nick was willing to take a break and talk with us about it…

You'll want to check it out… because his story is inspiring… plus… he shares some great advice for students who have a BIG entrepreneurial dream.

What struck me about Nick was that it seemed like he was thinking that he was just getting started… (maybe his first day in his office had something to do with that!)… but it was obvious that he'd already made some great strides towards achieving this (and many other) goal(s)!

It was great to meet him and hear his story. 

Plus… I'm thinking that Nick is a guy you should get to know.  He was a lot of fun to talk with on and off the camera… AND… with all of his experience… determination… and willingness to work… I wouldn't be surprised if he's strikes it rich someday very soon!

So… do you have some ideas… encouragement… or connections for Nick?  Why not click on comments below and let him know!

Why not bring your own BIG dream to the UNI BDG on February 16th?

Hey gang!

Why not come to the BIG dream gathering at the University of Northern Iowa on February 16th?

Here's the scoop on the schedule…

• It's going to be held at the Maucker Student Union.  
• Registration starts at 5:30 pm
• The doors officially open at 6 pm. 
• We'll be dreaming BIG until 9 pm. 
• NOTE: You can come for all or part of that time!

Here's the rest of the story…

First… it's FREE to attend and it's open to the public!

Second… when you come… you'll be given a dreamer number so you can post your BIG dream(s) anonymously.  So it's a safe place to dream BIG!

Third… you'll be able to see other people's big dreams and be given the opportunity to leave encouragement… ideas… or connections for them  (Hey… who doesn't need a little help on their BIG dream?)

Fourth… you can come and go as you'd like during 6 and 9 pm.  Stay for part of it… or stay for ALL of it.  It's up to you!  (Warning… you might just get addicted to it!)

Fifth… you can be sure that it's a safe place.  This isn't a set up for a sales pitch or a 8-steps-to-success program… it's just real people helping each other with their BIG dreams!  And we figure that's a "recession proof idea!"

So… come… have some fun… connect with some great people… and dream BIG with us!

Lastly, just click on "comments" below if you have any questions!

We can't wait to dream BIG with you,

Mitch Matthews

Adam is another awesome UNI Student with a BIG dream… and maybe… just maybe… he can help run your town.

Check out his BIG dream… in his own words…

Now… what words of encouragement… connections… or ideas do you have for Adam?  Click on comments below and let him know!

So… if you're in a smaller town that's charming… or wants to be a little more charming… and you're in need of a city planner in the coming years… why not reach out to Adam?  You might just be a perfect match for each other!

Lastly… what's one of YOUR big dreams?  We'd love to hear about it!  Click here to let us know!  Or… bring it to the BIG dream gathering that's happening at UNI on February 16th.  Click here for the specifics!

Keep dreaming BIG,

Mitch

Have you heard about Jake Olson's story?

Wow!  It's inspiring and humbling and it puts things into perspective…

Check it out.

There are some common themes here with the BDG…

I love the fact that it's real people coming alongside Jake to help to make some of his BIG dreams happen!

I love that it took someone's connection with USC's football organization to get him in… but once he was there he had a HUGE impact on the players and the coaches.  

I love the fact that they wanted to help and bless Jake… but you can tell that they have gotten as much out of it as he has… and isn't that usually the case when you help someone?

I love the fact that Jake's BIG dream had an impact on everyone around him and he continued to walk it out… and to be the person he was created to be… no matter the challenges he faced.

Yup… it's a great story to end the week with!

Be like Jake… and keep dreaming BIG… no matter what,

Mitch Matthews

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

Okay… so as I toured around the University of Northern Iowa… I was blown away by the students… their passion… their heart… their skills… and their willingness to dream BIG.

UNI's Student Body President… Adam Haselhuhn is a great example of this!

And… boy oh boy… does he have a BIG dream…

Adam wants to work at the White House… yes… that White House. 

Click here to listen in on how this BIG dream got started… as well as why it's wildly important to Adam.

So… do you have some suggestions… encouragement… or connections for Adam?  Take a minute and let him know you believe in him… let him know you appreciate him… or let him know if you have an idea to help him out.  Just click comments below or email us at: contactus@doyouQ.com! 

We'd love to hear from you and we'd love to see Adam walking out this BIG dream!

Lastly… do you have a BIG dream? 

Why not bring it to the UNI BIG dream gathering to be held on February 16th? 

It's FREE to attend and it will be filled with real people helping each other with their BIG dreams! 

So… come… have some fun… post a dream or two… get a little help… give a little help… and dream BIG!

See you then!

Mitch Matthews