In 2009, I went to my very first writing conference. I sat in a banquet hall in Denver, surrounded by hundreds of other writers, listening to Debbie Macomber give the key note speech. She talked about dreaming big.
It was 100% inspiring.
Now here I am, three years later, on the cusp of my first ever book release. Wildflowers from Winter hits shelves in twenty-one days (insert hyperventilation here). And most of the time, I find myself playing the part of a giant pendulum.
Swinging back and forth.
Picturing a career like Karen Kingsbury one minute. Grounding myself in reality the next. Climbing imaginary ladders that reach into the stars. Then curling up into a ball on the ground, afraid to dream of anything remotely grand.
I won’t lie.
The balance between dreaming big and staying realistic is not an easy one to maintain.
On one hand, it’s important to dream big.
Because big dreams inspire us to reach for something higher than ourselves. Big dreams motivate us to work hard. Big dreams fill us with excitement and possibility.
You don’t accomplish big things by dreaming small.
But on the other hand, big dreams can be dangerous.
Because those dreams can set us up for disappointment. They can lead to discontentment and disillusionment. They can become idols.
So what’s a writer to do?
Rachelle Gardner told me something once that really stuck with me. It was at the 2010 ACFW conference. We were having a little chat and I remember her saying this:
Big dreams are great. It’s when those dreams become expectations that we get ourselves into trouble.
Let’s Talk: How do you maintain this balance? Are you more prone to dreaming big or are you more prone to staying grounded?
Julie Cantrell is interviewing me on her blog today. Stop on over and leave a comment for a chance to win an advanced copy of my book!