Summer can be a time for dreaming. We can think about what’s next, all the new things we want to do come September, and start planning and scheming. We can be full to overflowing with thoughts and ideas about how everything is going to be bigger and better than before.
That is until we ask the question, “where do I start?”
Suddenly all our optimism turns to pragmatism and our expansive dreams start to feel like a burden. We stop asking, “what could we do?”, and start thinking “but how will it work?!” It can all feel a bit overwhelming, and we begin to be tempted by the idea of just doing what we did last year…
When feeling like this - whether simply brimming with ideas and enthusiasm, or starting to feel the weight of turning those ideas into reality - a great question to ask yourself is, “what’s the next step?”
We have our goal, our vision in mind, but rather than let ourselves become overwhelmed with the magnitude of what we’d like to achieve - we can simply start with one small step. So what are you dreaming about, and what’s the next small, simple step towards making that dream a reality?
When we do this we immediately feel like we’re making progress, because we are! The huge dream starts to feel like maybe it’s achievable. We do the first step, and we ask the question again - “what’s the next step?” If we ever start to feel overwhelmed later down the line, we stop and ask the same question - “what’s the next step?”
We may not be able to figure out a detailed plan to make our whole dream a reality from the outset but we can almost always figure out how to take the next step.
Thinking like this prevents us from feeling top-heavy with ideas, from letting our heads spin with dreams that we’ll never make happen. It prevents us from making grand plans that never come to be - full of great visions that never came to fruition, and wonderful things we thought about doing but never did. It also prevents us from making our dreams smaller to make them seem more achievable, from lowering our expectations and our faith for what God can do through us and our ministries.
We don’t have to choose between dreams that are big and dreams that are realistic - we can dream big and make those dreams a reality!
What are you dreaming about for next year? Do you have a project or missional idea that seems too big, too difficult? What would happen if you simply asked, “what’s the next step?”
Are you a Student Worker whose students are coming to you with big dreams, lots of zeal but maybe not much of a plan? Could you ask them this question? What’s their next step to making their vision a reality?
For more help refining ideas and making dreams a reality, see what the Fusion Coaching Team has to offer.
If you have a big idea but funding seems like the obstacle, consider applying for a £1k grant through our partners Just Sow. The Fusion Coaching Team are happy to help with applications.
