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

Aubrie Wright is from Topeka, Kansas.  Her big dream started at 18 when she went on a missions trip to Juárez, Mexico.  She’s still working out the specifics… but she just feels called to help this city in need.

Check out her powerful and evolving big dream… in her own words:

When I was eighteen I had the opportunity to go to Juárez, México to build a home for a family in need. The ministry I worked with is called Casas por Cristo (Houses because of

Aubrie with a friend from Juárez, México

Christ). Little do many people know, most of the people in this city live in extreme poverty, surviving in homes made of cardboard and pieces of box springs and old mattresses. Because temperatures soar to above 110 and drop to below 0, people are in desperate need of adequate housing.

(more…)

Here’s a sample of some our favorite video interviews from over these years of dreaming big.

These aren’t in any particular order. Just watch ‘em and be inspired by people who are willing to dream BIG and talk about it!

Plus… I want to extend a special thanks to our film production volunteers over the years who have helped to make this possible!  Click here to find out more about them!

(more…)

It was an honor to kick off SUCCEED FASTER event in Chicago with the BIG DREAM GATHERING!

This was a conference for top-level college students and recent grads.  So, I can tell you that the room was FULL of possibility!

Plus, I know that we all worked together to launch countless BIG dreams over the course of the weekend!

Here are a few photos from Jocelyn Wallace to help capture the event…

Mitch and Jim - Succeed Faster 2011 - BIG Dream Gathering

Bills talking about his big dream!

Brit shares a dream and gets rewarded for it! - BIG Dream Gathering - Succeed Faster 2011

TJ talks to Mitch (and the group) about one of his big dreams!

The group listens in as a dreamer shares about their dream. (Love that smile Tim!)

BIG Dreamer TJ - Talking about Herky's Nest!

Some of the speakers from the Succeed Faster Conference... Mitch Matthews, Adam Carroll, Jocelyn Wallace and Tim Augustine!

A panoramic of the room after just one night of dreaming BIG!

So… were you there?  What do you remember?  What was one of your favorite moments?

Let us know!

More importantly… let us know how those big dream journeys are coming.

Click comments or shoot us an email at ContactUs@BIGDreamGathering.com.  We’d love to hear from you!  Plus… if you have photos to add to this gallery… we’d love to feature them too!

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

Until we hit a million dreams launched,

Mitch Matthews

Related articles

• BIG Dream Gathering Podcast with Dr. Mollie Marti (bigdreamgathering.com)
• Dream BIG: These BIG dreamers are small but MIGHTY! (bigdreamgathering.com)
• BIG Dream Gathering – Topeka, Kansas – September 6th (bigdreamgathering.com)
• IGNITE – a small book to spark your big dreams by Mitch Matthews (bigdreamgathering.com)

We’re gearing up for the BIG Dream Gathering in Topeka on Tuesday, September 6th!

So… we’re featuring some big dreamers from the area to let you know about some of the big dreams that are already getting stirred up!  Today’s featured big dreamers are small but mighty!

Inventor & Big Dreamer - Christopher Bush

Christopher and JaqSon Bush are brothers with some BIG dreams!

I’ll let Christopher tell you about their big dream… in his own words:

Me and My Brother’s Dream:

Our Dream and goal is for me (Christopher) to continue to work on developing an invention of my own or to invent something to enhance products and all other material to be better.

JaqSon my brother will use his gift of drawing and illustrate what I am visioning.  We will continue to work together in the present for our goals and dreams will come to life in the future.

Today we are still hoping to carry out our dream of developing a toothbrush and we also want to enhance the use of the toothbrush.

Artist & BIG Dreamer JaqSon Bush

We have spoken with some different groups and were referred to consultant in Kansas City, KS.  After explaining our idea we were invited to come discuss our idea and meet with a team.  Due to timing/ and scheduling we were not able to attend the meeting.

WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE:

What me and my brother do is read, research and watch T.V. to identify things we can invent/ or enhance.  We have several ideas, but our biggest today is the tooth brush.

The biggest thing we have in place is our parents!  Their knowledge and encouragement help to keep us focused and driven.

WHAT WE STILL NEED:

The big challenge for us now is finding a Intellectual Properties Attorney to do the research to see if there are current invention/and financial support, etc. to get the research done on our toothbrush design.

Okay… seriously. How cool is that?

What encouragement… ideas… or suggestions do you have for these young… up and coming… big dreamers?

Click comments and let them know?

• Let them know you believe in them! Let ‘em know that you can’t wait to use their tooth brush.
• If there is a website or a resource they should know about… spill the beans on that too!
• And heck… if you’re an an IP Attorney with a little extra time… and a heart to help… let ‘em know!

I can tell you that we can’t wait to see this dream on the wall in Topeka on September 6th.. and more importantly… we can’t wait to hear the future success stories coming from these inspiring young big dreamers!

Keep dreaming BIG and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

Related articles

• BIG Dream Gathering – Topeka, Kansas – September 6th (bigdreamgathering.com)
• Michelle has faced incredible adversity but she is still dreaming BIG! (bigdreamgathering.com)
• A little person with a BIG dream… in her own words! (bigdreamgathering.com)

We’ve often had people ask about how the BIG Dream Gathering got started.

Mitch and Melissa - Co-founders of the BDG

And as many of you know… it happened as a “happy accident” back in 2006 when one of our own big dreams was on the ropes.

Photo from first BDG in the Matthews' home

That’s right.

Melissa (my amazing wife) and I were about to give up on one of our own dreams… and this little idea of a “BIG Dream Gathering” was a last ditch attempt to get some help… and to give some of our friends’ dreams a boost too!

It was only supposed to last for a couple of hours on a Tuesday night… but it wound up lasting for a FULL WEEK!

It was awesome to see… and it was incredible to experience.

“THE DREAM HOUSE”

But I also have to admit that it was a bit wild to have complete strangers showing up at your house because someone had given them the address for the “dream house.”

Photo from first BDG 2006

Now… in hindsight… I can say that some amazing big dreams got launched at that first BDG.  Dreams like Mandy’s dream of helping kids in Africa… Adam’s dream to get his book out to a million people… and two people connecting around an idea and scoring a contract with NIKE!

Plus… in the weeks that followed our big dream got some help too.

But… at the time… we thought this whole BIG Dream Gathering thing… was a one time event.

So, we didn’t really do much to capture how it all worked or what it looked like.

Photos from the first BIG Dream Gathering in 2006

Or so we thought…

But as we are getting ready for the BIG Dream Gathering in Topeka, Kansas on September 6th, 20011... a local reporter asked if we had any photos of that first night.

I initially said “no” because I didn’t know these existed.

But then Mel dug in and found these!

They are four photos from that first night of the BIG Dream Gathering.

Mel had taken them because she thought we were going to be taking those first dream sheets down soon.  And since it 2006 and it was prior to the digital age for us… we’d had these printed.  But then they got tucked in other photos of with birthdays, last days of school and summer vacations.

That is until now.

How fun is that?

So we wanted to share them… just to give you an idea of what that first BIG Dream Gathering looked like back in 2006.

MOST IMPORTANTLY

As you look at these dreams that were posted at that first BIG Dream Gathering… what gets sparked in you?  What would you have written down?  More importantly… if someone asked you today “Describe one of your big dreams,” how would you respond?

Let us know.  We’d love to hear about it.

Lastly… if you were at that first BIG Dream Gathering… we’d invite you to comment about that experience.  We know that it was something that changed our lives… we just didn’t know how much at the time.

How about you?

Join in the conversation.  We’d love to connect and hear your stories and thoughts!

Keep dreaming BIG and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

Related articles

• BIG Dream Gathering – Topeka, Kansas – September 6th (bigdreamgathering.com)
• What’s one of YOUR big dreams? (bigdreamgathering.com)
• IGNITE – A little book to spark your BIG dreams! (bigdreamgathering.com)

I first connected with Dr. Mollie Marti last year, when I was invited to speak at her MAKE AN IMPACT LIVE event in Chicago.

Dr. Mollie Marti

It was not only an honor to get to share the stage with her… but it was an awesome three days of dreaming BIG with an amazing mix of incredible speakers and flippin’ cool participants!

Well, during that time… I was blown away by Dr. Mollie’s story and her heart!  Since that time, I’ve wanted to have her on for a BDG podcast… and we were finally able to make that happen!

In this interview, we talk about:

• Dr. Mollie’s background as an attorney and a performance psychologist
• Her personal story of facing an rare infection that almost ended her life
• Her passion for inspiring kids to dream bigger
• Specific strategies to cultivate bigger dreaming in kids

Click here to listen in as Mitch Matthews interviews Dr. Mollie Marti

As you listen, I believe you’ll be inspired by Dr. Mollie’s personal story but I think you’ll also feel more equipped to march towards some of your own big dreams.  Plus, you’ll have some real… but simple… tools to help kids to dream bigger too!

If you’d like to find out more about Dr. Mollie… I’ll include her bio below.  But be sure to check out her website by clicking here.

Dr. Mollie is a performance psychologist and founder of BestLifeDesign.com, a life design resource that provides tools, advice, and inspiration in all areas of life design, including health, fitness, relationships, finances, career, spirituality, and success.

Mollie is a successful entrepreneur and coach with a prestigious list of clients, including Olympians and business superstars. She is widely published in academic journals. She also shares her work in peak performance and success in her books, The 12 Factors of Business Success: Discover, Develop and Leverage Your Strengths and Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success.

As a psychologist, lawyer and trained mediator, Dr. Mollie has years of experience in conflict resolution, negotiation, facilitation, group dynamics, team building and alignment, motivation, performance effectiveness, communication strategies, strategic planning and change management.

With her unique ability to combine the science of success with the art of living well, Mollie is a popular trainer and speaker. She is a frequent resource for local and national media, and has been featured in Self, Newsweek.com, and Parents Magazine, on the Montel Williams show and more. She lives with her husband, 3 children, and large family of pets on an apple orchard in scenic northeast Iowa. Now this is a woman who really knows how to take a bite out of life!

I hope you enjoy this interview!

And I’m hoping it inspires you to dream BIGGER and achieve more!

Until we hit a million,

Mitch Matthews

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• Dream BIG with Bob Burg – Co-Author of the Best Selling Book: The Go-Giver! (bigdreamgathering.com)
• Dream BIG-Achieve More: What to do when someone says no. (mitchmatthews.com)
• BIG Dream Gathering Podcast with Paul Young, author of the Shack (bigdreamgathering.com)

Image by Falcon Motorcycles via Flickr

Shawn Feddern has a big dream… and here it is in his own words:

“While listening to the radio this morning, I heard Mitch Matthews talk about Big Dream Gathering.

I was very encouraged to know such a group existed and to know that I could share my big dream with others and hopefully recieve and give encouragement to others.

My biggest dream is to use my love of motorcycling to help others see the love of Christ in themselves.  While some of the minor goals to get to this overall goal are a bit selfish in my opinion that is the biggest overall goal of my big dream.  Idealistically i would love to become a builder of bikes and have products that demonstrate love and craftsmanship and beauty through design for the common buyer.
Since my biggest goal is to use my love of motorcycling to help others see the love of Christ, I have started my own blog in order to try to be a witness to others.   It seems easy for some people to say Christ this and Christ that, but I try to do it in a way that Christ is revealed in a non threatening way.

For my selfish dream, I am trying to save up money so that I can learn how to build bikes through a course in Minnesota or Illinios called Chopper College, I may have the name wrong, but I wrote a bit about it in one of my blogs.   I’d also maybe like to take some classes in motorcycle or engine maintanence so I would know how to repair whatever it is i wish to build or make, as I have also toyed with the idea of having my own repairshop/ or buisness.

The biggest thing I need for this dream to become a reality is encouragement.  I know my dream will take time and money, and of course God’s help along the way.  When I try to look at the big picture it’s easy to become frightened.  Depending on who you share things with, it’s easy to become discouraged due to their own understanding and faith.  While this is good in some ways, it’s also very easy to think oh I can never reach my big dream, so why even bother.

In closing, I’d just like to thank you for being an encouragement to me and others in sharing and trying to live their big dreams out.  I’m sure you’ve seen all kinds of dreams, and it has been interesting to read the dreams of others on your website.  I have included a link to my blog so that you can see that as well.  http://onewildridescfedd.blogspot.com/

What do you say?

Do you have some ideas… some connections or some much needed encouragement for Shawn?

Click on comments and let him know!

I first met Michelle De La Isla at an SME event I spoke at in Topeka earlier this year.

As she approached me, I thought “This is a woman with some big dreams!”  And… wow… was I right!  Not only that, but she is a person who has overcome incredible adversity and is still dreaming BIG!

BIG Dreamer: Michelle De La Isla

Michelle has had to deal with everything from a challenging childhood and to being homeless at the at of 17.  At her young age, she’s also had breast cancer and has suffered from a stroke.   But amid all of the challenges… she has continued to dream BIG!

THE BIG DREAM…

So here’s Michelle’s BIG dream… in her own words:

“I NEVER thought I’d be involved to the level that I am now, yet with all of my failures in life, all of the hurt, and challenges have made me get to where I am at today…, while I try to show others that amidst all difficulties WE CAN OVERCOME OUR CIRCUMSTANCES… WE JUST CANT STOP DREAMING.  So my next step is working on helping my community grow and develop.

I am hoping to become Topeka’s first Hispanic Youngest Mayor in hopes that the rest of the nation see’s what our community is all about… forward visioning, overcoming obstacles, diversity  and growth.

After that step I am considering working up the ranks and running for Senate and being able to make an impact on the policies that affect education and health care and being able to empower others with my story.

Finally in ten years or so running for Governor of this amazing state I live in.

If after all I have seen I haven’t stopped dreaming, no one should.

Thank you so much for wanting to share my dream with others. I want people to dream, it’s all we have….

I believe God wastes nothing we go through.

How about that?

Do you have some encouraging words, some connections or some “I have a similar big dream” comments for Michelle?  Well, click comments!  I’m sure she would love to hear from you.

Just join in the conversation and let Michelle know that you believe in her and her big dream journey!

Plus, you can come to dream BIG with Michelle and others at the BIG Dream Gathering that is coming on Tuesday, September 6th in Topeka!  Click here to find out more!

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The BIG Dream Gathering is coming to Topeka, Kansas!

Here are the specifics:

• DATE: Tuesday, September 6th

• TIME: 6 to 9 pm (come for 15 minutes or stay for hours!)

• WHERE: Ramada Convention Center – Downtown Topeka (Click here for directions)

• COST: Thanks to our sponsors… It’s FREE to attend!

• WHO CAN ATTEND: The BIG Dream Gathering is open to all! (This is a family-friendly event!)

Frequently Asked Questions:

WHAT IS IT?

Previous BIG Dream GatheringThanks to our amazing sponsors, the event is FREE to attend!WHO IS WELCOME:

The BIG Dream Gathering is a fun and safe event that allows people to think about some of their big goals and dreams, write them down and post them anonymously.  Then everyone is encouraged to go around the room to look at the other dreams posted and offer ideas, connections or an encouraging word to at least one other dreamer!

If you’d like to find out how this got started, just click here.

WHY COME?

Why should someone come to a BIG Dream Gathering? Well, that’s a good question! There are a lot of different reasons for people to come.  Some people come to get some encouragement or help with a big dream they are working on.  Some people come to see the dreams of their community.  Some come to help inspire others to go after their dreams.  And some simply come to be inspired to dream again!

People encouraging the dreams!

This is all about REAL people helping each other to go after their big dreams… and we figure that’s a recession-proof idea!

Plus, we’ve had all sorts of fun stories come out of these events.  Everything from two dreamers connecting and scoring a contract with NIKE, to a dreamer getting help with collecting and delivering school supplies to Africa, to businesses getting launched, to non-profits getting started, to a single mom posting that she wanted to provide a piano for her kids… and someone gave her one! These are just a few of the countless stories of the amazing things that can happen when real people come together to dream big!

So why don’t you bring a friend or your family… and come to dream BIG… together?

The BIG Dream Gathering is fun for the whole family!

HOW DOES IT WORK?

When you come to the BIG Dream Gathering, you will be given a dreamer number and some dream sheets.

Safe and fun!

You can write down some of your big dreams and goals on the dream sheets.

Next, you’ll write your dreamer number at the top of each sheet so you can post the dreams anonymously.  Then you’ll tape your dream sheets up in one of 11 “BIG Dream Categories.”  The categories range from business to travel, from health and fitness to education, from politics to the “dreams that defy categorization” category.

Then we’ll encourage you to move around the room to look at the other posted dreams and offer some ideas, connections or encouragement to the other dreams!

It’s been incredible to see what can happen when a community comes together to dream big and to support each other in going after those big dreams!

Is this a set up for some sales pitch or seminar?

Good question.  Fair question.  But the answer is “Nope!”  That’s not what this is all about.  This is about real people coming together to dream big together.  It’s not a sales pitch or a set up.  And thanks to our amazing sponsors… we can make it FREE to attend!

A Special THANK YOU to our sponsors:

We want to thank our sponsors for this BIG Dream Gathering…

BDG Sponsor

BDG Sponsor

BDG Sponsor

BDG Sponsor

• Heartland Visioning
• Washburn University Small Business Development Center
• WIBW TV
• Washburn School of Business

For more information:

The local contact for this event is William Beteta, Executive Director for Heartland Visioning.  You can reach William at 785.231.6006 or email him at wbeteta@topekachamber.org.

If you’d like to contact Mitch Matthews and his team from the BIG Dream Gathering, you can call 800.491.5316 or email ContactUs@bigdreamgathering.com.