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

Related articles

• So what’s been happening with your BIG Dream? (bigdreamgathering.com)
• BIG Dream Gathering Experience – San Antonio, TX (bigdreamgathering.com)
• BIG Dream Gathering – University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (bigdreamgathering.com)
• Get the word out about your BIG Dream every time you click send! (bigdreamgathering.com)

Thanks to the support of some amazing sponsors like Northwestern Mutual…

along with our University of Wisconsin – La Crosse on-campus support from the Campus Activities Board, the College of Business and the American Marketing Association…

we were able to bring the BIG Dream Gathering to campus!

It was an amazing night of dreaming BIG and connecting.

If you were there… you know that we had some fun and launched some big goals and dreams!  Plus, we had fun encouraging each other and helping each other on our big dream journeys!

So we invite you to check out that amazing pictures from the event taken by Casey Cole!  See if you can find yourself and make sure to tag yourself in our FACEBOOK photo album too! (Click here)

Lastly… we want to say a BIG DREAM THANK YOU to Brittany Bozmoski and Kailey Charlton!  They were our BDG Student Ambassodors on campus and they helped to make this whole thing happen!  Why? Because they believe in the big dreams of their fellow students and they want to see as many of those big dreams happen as possible!  I can tell you… the world needs more freakishly cool people like Brittany and Kailey!

Thanks to all who came… and thanks to all who were rooting for us along the way!

Here’s to more big dreams being launched!

Mitch Matthews

It’s hard to imagine but it’s been two months since our BIG Dream Gathering in Topeka!

I don’t know about you… but in some ways it feels like it was just yesterday… and in other ways it seems like it was a year ago!

How about you?

Well… we wanted to check in to see how things have been progressing for you?

We wanted to hear what you’ve been up to.

Now… I’ll admit… I do this with a little bit of caution.  Why?

Well… over the years of doing BIG Dream Gatherings… we’ve realized that all those big dream sheets that get posted on the walls are a lot like seeds.

Yup… when you tape those dream sheets up on the walls… it’s a lot like putting seeds in the ground.

BDG Topeka

And what happens with seeds?

They start to grow… some fast and some slow.  BUT sometimes… even though there’s growth under ground… it doesn’t look like anything is happening.

But there is.

So… likewise… for some of you… you might be experiencing some significant growth.  Something might have popped up out of the ground already… and you’re seeing things happening with some of the dreams you posted.

For others… your dream might be taking root… but you’re not seeing any “real growth” above ground yet.

Well… we need and want to celebrate both!

We want to celebrate:

BDG - Topeka

1. That you planted some big dreams
2. You’re letting them grow (fast or slow)
3. Things are happening (big and small)

Yeah… it’s with expectancy AND caution that we ask.  With expectancy… because we can’t wait to hear some of the fun stories of things that have been going on for you and your big dreams.  And… with caution… because we don’t want any of you with some of the dreams that are taking root but growing a little slower to feel bad about that growth.

Let’s celebrate it… no matter what!

Please send us an update.

Let us know how things have been going.

Here are two questions to help:

• What’s something (small or big) that has happened with one of your big dreams so far?

or…

• What’s something (small or big) that you’ve been able to do to help someone else with one of their big dreams?

  

  BDG - Topeka

Now… you can submit your response by either clicking on “comments” and leaving your update here.

Or… you can send us an email at contactus@bigdreamgathering.com.

Either way… we’d love to hear from you!

Lastly…

Just to help the process along… and to encourage you to send an update (big or small)… for everyone who submits something… we’ll give you a copy of my e-book called “The Power of 3 Project.”  This e-book will not only help you to put a plan together to go after your big dream… but it will also give you the opportunity to possibly have it be featured here on the BIG Dream Gathering website.

So let us know about your big dream… and we’ll send you a copy of the e-book for free!

That’s it for now.  We can’t wait to hear from you!

Keep dreaming BIG and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

PS… We wanted to say thank you again to our amazing sponsors for the BIG Dream Gathering in Topeka!

BDG Sponsor

BDG Sponsor

BDG Sponsor

BDG Sponsor

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

Thanks to the AMAZING support of the RJ McElroy Trust… we were able to hold a VERY special BIG Dream

Click here to find out more

Gathering Experience for The Boys and Girls Club and Teammates in Cedar Falls, Iowa this past weekend!

And we were able hold it on the beautiful University of Northern Iowa campus!

Let the kiddos dream!

We had awesome kids from Cedar Falls and Waterloo… along with their “Bigs” and their mentors come to dream big with us!

There were some great stories of kids and adults dreaming BIG… and writing down some of their goals and dreams for the first time!

Plus we had some all-star connections, ideas and encouragement for the dreams posted!

We also had a new BIG DREAM RECORD HOLDER!

In my talk that sets up the experience… I happened to mention that someone had once written down 27

A NEW record holder... 32 BIG dreams posted at one gathering!

dreams at a BIG Dream Gathering… and I jokingly said that if anyone beat that… I’d give ‘em a t-shirt!

Well… I didn’t know that Ian was in the group!

The minute I got done talking… Ian went to work!

He not only set his sights on hitting 28 dreams… but he “wanted to be the biggest BIG dreamer ever… and keep the title for a while!”

So… he decided on 32.

And guess what?

He made it!

Personally… I have to tell you that I LOVED that Ian was all about dreaming big!  That was inspiring

Ian and his "BIG" that supported him all the way!

for EVERYONE.

But what was equally inspiring was that his BIG Brother… stayed with him to the very end to see him get it done!

It was awesome to see… and the picture of what BIG Brothers and BIG Sisters… as well as Teammates are all about!

So it was an honor to get to partner with all of them to make this very special BIG Dream Gathering Experience happen!

Video

Would you like the see more?  Here’s some video from KWWL from the event:

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU to all that came to dream big and encourage each other!

THANK YOU to the amazing volunteers and supporters from BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS… and TEAMMATES!

And THANK YOU to the team at the R.J. McElroy Trust for sponsoring the event and for being fantastic to work with!

Keep dreaming BIG and helping others to do the same,

Mitch Matthews

The BIG Dream Gathering in Topeka, Kansas was AMAZING!

First… we wanted to say a very special THANK YOU to our sponsors! We couldn’t have done it with out them!

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

Second… we wanted to say THANK YOU to all of our AMAZING volunteers!  As I told you that night… you guys are the ones who make the difference!  We were so honored to have you be a part of the BIG Dream Gathering family! And we so appreciated how you blessed everyone’s socks off!

Lastly… we wanted to say THANK YOU to all who came to dream BIG and connect!  I have to tell you that it was one of my favorite groups that we’ve ever had… simply because you came to think about your own big dreams but also to help others with theirs! So thanks for coming to draw a line in the sand for your own big dreams… as well as stand by others as they do the same!

And just to show how much fun we had… and to see some of the big dreaming that was happening… here are some photos from the gathering itself…

Related articles

• BIG Dreams from the archive! (bigdreamgathering.com)
• BIG Dream Gathering Podcast with Dr. Mollie Marti (bigdreamgathering.com)
• Jay hit a major milestone in his BIG dream journey last night! You can help him keep moving forward! (bigdreamgathering.com)
• BIG Dream Gathering podcast with YouTube Sensation Alix Lapri! (bigdreamgathering.com)

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)

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!

Kate Phanmaha is working on one of her BIG dreams.  Better said… she’s cooking up something BIG!

She talked with us about it at a recent BIG Dream Gathering… and we wanted to give her a little boost by featuring her today. So check out her dream… in her own words:

What do you think?

Could you help Kate cook something up?  Could you offer her a little encouragement?  Could you offer her some insights or a connection?  Heck, could you offer her a favorite recipe?  I’m sure she take it as she moves towards this big dream!

Just click comments and let her know.

By the way, thanks for dreaming BIG with us all month!  The response has been amazing!  So we have more dreams to feature and we’ll be doing that over the coming weeks in July!  So keep an eye out as we continue to dream BIG into July!

Until we hit a million dreams,

Mitch

Related articles

• What’s a question you have about moving towards one of your big dreams? (mitchmatthews.com)
• Kimberly Price has a BIG dream of helping families who have been impacted by cancer! (bigdreamgathering.com)
• A little person with a BIG dream… in her own words! (bigdreamgathering.com)

Today’s featured BIG dream is a BIG dream update from Sean Moore!

You maybe remember Sean’s inspiring story from last year.

Rattlebox LIVE

He is the awesome dad, hubby and member of his small community… who had a dream.  That dream was to form a band… and rock the house. (Check out the story by clicking here.)

Now that may sound a little simple… and it would be fine if it was.  We want to celebrate all kinds of dream pursuits!  But as we talked with Sean, we found out that the “why” behind this dream… had a much deeper heart connection than just getting out with the “band” from time to time.  This dream was also important to Sean because of his sister Kendra and her battle with something called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.  You can read more about Sean’s story in his own words by clicking here:  BIG Dream Gathering – Sean Moore -big-dream-story-2010.

Well, the update is that RATTLEBOX has continued to ROCK!

(more…)

Image by thaths via Flickr

Today’s featured BIG dream comes from the heart.  And although it only consists of a few words, it’s one of the most profound dreams that we’ve had submitted so far…

It’s from nine-year-old Jessica.

Here it is in her own words:

“I would like a dad.”

The things she said she has in place:

“A Mom.”

The things she said she still needs:

“A Dad.”

What would you want to say to this brave young dreamer?  Do you have some encouragement?  Do you have some words of wisdom to share? Do you have some ideas for her?

Why not click comments and let her know?

And hey… thanks for being in this together!

Mitch Matthews

Related articles

• June is the month to dream BIG! (bigdreamgathering.com)
• A BIG dream to travel with family! (bigdreamgathering.com)
• A story that will blow you away and a big dream involving a knight in shining armor! (bigdreamgathering.com)
• April is living her dream… and now she’s going for more! (bigdreamgathering.com)