Okay… we finally have some pics to share from our BDG at UNI!
(Yeah… I’ll admit it… our camera blanked out during the event and we were using my iphone for music… so we got out of there with no pics!! YIKES!)
BUT…. the awesome team at UNI just sent a boat load… so I’ll share some here and I’ll post the rest on our Facebook Fan page. Check that out by clicking here!
Can you find yourself?
Remember to check out the rest on our Facebook page by clicking here!
Kalli's BIG dreams are happening!
This just goes in the "fun" BIG dream category…
BIG dreamer Kalli… from UNI… let us know that another one of her BIG dreams happened since she came to the BIG dream gathering at the University of Northern Iowa.
She's wanted to meet country western singer… Luke Bryan for a long time.
Kalli told us, "He's always been very inspirational to me."
She's been to six of his concerts and she's in his fan club, but she's never been able to connect with him face-to-face before. So… she wrote this BIG dream down on one of her dream sheets and posted it on the wall!
Well… she and two friends found out they were able to get three of his coveted "meet and greet" passes for his concert in Ames, Iowa… and… this week… they were able to meet him!
How cool is that? Not bad turn around time for posting that BIG dream just 3 weeks ago!
We can't always explain how these things work out some times… but it's just cool when they do!
You just never know what might happen when you dream BIG!?!
So… What's one of YOUR BIG dreams?
Things are happening so fast… it’s hard to keep up with some of these BIG dreams!
Kalli is a student at the University of Northern Iowa… and she was willing to share about her BIG dream of going on a mission trip to Kenya.
Well… I just received an update from Kalli… and even though she thought she'd have to wait until she was done with school before she could start to work on this BIG dream… things have already started to happen with it!
Here's her update… in her own words:
"Also, I put down a dream that I wanted to go to Kenya to do mission work. I
visited Honduras in 2006 and absolutely loved the people and the work.
The church that I'm from funds a program in Kenya called "Made in the
Streets" and I have always wanted to go with the mission groups but
have never had the opportunity due to funding issues as well as
scheduling conflicts. Another long story short- I brought it up at
Christmas that I was interested in joining a group that went to Kenya
and my uncle said the he would let me know when the next trip was
planned. I found out last weekend when I went home that not only is a
trip now planned for this September, he offered to provide half of the
funding for me to go!"
Fun stuff.
You just never know when you might have a breakthrough that will help your BIG dream to happen!
Way to go Kalli… keep dreaming BIG and going after them! (Oh, and please keep us in the loop on the trip!)
Now… how about you…
What if you told someone you trusted about your BIG dream today?
What if you wrote it down?
What if you asked someone about their dreams?
What might get started because of it?
Keep dreaming BIG,
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,
Brittany wants to head to ___________ for an internship.
Intrigued?
Check out her BIG dream… in her own words.
So… do you know someone that could help Brittany out?
Do you have some ideas for scoring a great PR internship?
Do you have some encouragement for Brittany?
Just click on "comments" below and let her know!
And Brittany… know that we believe in you and your BIG dream! We can't wait to see it happen!
Emma's BIG dream is to be the first __________ from Iowa.
Intrigued?
Check out Emma's BIG dream… in her own words.
Now… how about clicking on comments below and shooting a little encouragement her way?
Maybe you have an connection for her… again… just let her know!
Or maybe you've got some ideas for her… join in the conversation… and leave a comment.
Lastly… thanks for dreaming BIG Emma! We believe in you and can't wait to see this BIG dream happen!
Calvin's BIG dream would ignite kid's BIG dreams!
One of my favorite stories from this year's winter Olympics has been the story of Shani Davis… a kid from South Chicago who was blessed to have some people believe in him enough to provide him an opportunity to connect with skating.
Calvin's BIG dream is to give kids with a similar story to Shani's… an opportunity to connect with digital media.
Check out this video of Calvin talking about it…
How cool is this idea?
We think it would be awesome to provide kids an opportunity to get to experience the magic behind video and music production. My guess is that Calvin's BIG dream would ignite the BIG dreams of countless kids!
Oh… if you are wondering whether Calvin has the skills… well… check out one of his demo videos from his website at: www.calvinjohannsen.com.
Reel 2009 from Calvin Johannsen on Vimeo.
So… If you've got some ideas… connections… or suggestions for Calvin… click on comments below.
Take a minute to let him know you believe in this BIG dream…
Keep dreaming BIG,
I was really impressed by UNI student and entrepreneur… Nick Cash… when I interviewed him recently. (Click here to see that interview.)
Then he came to the BIG dream gathering on Tuesday night… and he continued to blow me away.
But then Nick wrote about his experience with the BDG at his own blog and he surprised me again.
He really captured the essence of the event. Plus, Nick touched on the need that we all have to dream BIG.
Here's just a taste of what he wrote…
The experience was quite liberating much in the same way Postsecret is liberating — it was extremely easy to relate to all of the dreams
posted. Some were fun, some silly, many profound, and most were
absolutely doable with some support.
When written down the dream feels
real and nearly tangible. It isn’t some far flung thought to merely
continue to toy with or ignore; now, posted on the wall, it is up for
the world to see and comment on as well…This is important
for a number of reasons, but perhaps most important is the fact that in
an environment where anything is possible, where no dream is too large
or insurmountable, people find out what their real dreams are.We need
to free our minds of societal and personal blocks to aim high enough to
uncover these truths, for they are important to our journey in life.
Click here to read Nick's full post.
So thanks Nick for being a BIG dreamer… AND thanks for encouraging all of us to dream BIG with you!
NOTE: And if you came to the BDG on Tuesday night… be watching for your dream sheets in the mail. An incredible team of BDG supporters (led by Connie Hansen… THANKS CONNIE and team!) got them all out yesterday!
And in the meantime… keep dreaming BIG!
Mitch
Well… there were a lot of BIG dreamers at the University of Northern Iowa last night!
UNI students, faculty, Cedar Valley residents all converged on the Maucker Student Union to participate in the BIG dream gathering!
We even had people drive two or more hours to attend the event!
People came to post their dreams and encourage other dreamers!
We'll have a lot more photos and videos in the coming days… so be on the look out for that!
But in the meantime, we wanted to make sure to thank our sponsors for the event last night! They helped to make it all possible and we're very grateful for their support!
Our sponsors were…
UNI's John PappaJohn Entrepreneurial Center
So, THANK YOU to our sponsors and THANK YOU to everyone who participated last night! It was a great evening and we can't wait to hear from everyone as those dreams continue to develop and grow!
Keep dreaming BIG and keep checking back to hear from some of the BIG dreamers who attended!
Tonight’s going to be a good night!
Check out this fantastic video that BIG dreamer and Videographer TJ Warren has put together for us about tonight… the BIG dream gathering at the University of Northern Iowa…
So come to the Maucker Student Union on UNI campus
And remember… it’s free to attend and open to the public!
So… come and dream BIG! It’s going to be a good night!
