Carinne Bird - Don't Shrink Your Dreams – Supersize Your Courage

Things changed at work and I was pulled into a virtual team to stage a major event in Melbourne Australia to help reposition the company. I was on fire! I worked 16-18 hour days and was obsessed. I had found a new niche and at the end of the event I was on my way to becoming a Marketer. I remember declaring this among friends at work and I will never forget the response of one….. “What do you mean you want to further your career in marketing? You can’t just decide one day that you will become a marketer!” Her tone was most indignant. I believe that a passion inside me had been ignited and I had become unstoppable in the face of such adversity but how many times do you have aspirations and dreams of a bigger future and someone comes along and pours cold water upon your ideas. In that moment do you STOP or does it give you even more determination to SUCCEED? Well here I am more than 20 years on from that moment with an undisputable marketing career behind me and have held a marketing director position for a world leading IT brand across the global emerging markets. That would never have been possible if in that moment I had given up on my dreams and aspirations. I did not live into the small thinking of others but stepped into something much bigger than I knew myself to be and so can you! Below are three thoughts to keep you moving forward - 

1. Dream Big – if you were to talk to every successful person in the world, whether in business, sport or anything they will all tell you that at some point they got a vision, a dream that was at the heart of their aspirations and no matter how big the goal may appear to others, to successful people, the goal burns on the inside and is not insurmountable. Don’t shrink your dreams, supersize your courage. Great quote from Jayne Hrdlicka CEO Jetstar – To accomplish great things you must not only ACT but DREAM. You must not only PLAN but BELIEVE. 
2. Positively Affirm every day – as we live through our day to day lives the weather of life happens! Some days are sunny and some are filled with rain, even snow in terms of our emotional mood but there is real power in rising above the seasons of everyday life and holding firm to the vision of your dream and saying out loud everyday a powerful mantra or affirmation that programs yourself that one step further towards your goal. It’s important you declare this daily and be your commitment, not succumb to your feelings. Feelings are never a reliable gauge of what you are truly possible of!  
3. Surround yourself with Lifters – as we journey through everyday life we know those in our lives we may be inclined to call a “leaner”. Those who tend to sap our energy rather than energise us and could also be quite detrimental to our confidence and self-esteem. Then there are those that are “lifters” who wear a smile of welcome no matter the weather and encourage us in our dreams. Surround yourself with more “lifters” than “leaners and be sure to be a “lifter” to others! Listen to those around you much bigger than they are willing to listen to themselves.