This week I will launch a project three years in the making. By society’s standards it’s nothing big. For me, it’s life-changing.
I’ve long been in the business of giving back, not in large, flashy ways, but quietly, with small gestures. The company I founded in 2005, Healthy Hound, was the perfect vehicle for philanthropy. Because of it’s success, I was able to give when and where it was needed most at any moment.
After selling Healthy Hound three years ago to an amazing couple, I conceived a project through which I could help others achieve their dreams. I didn’t realize I was going to have to let go of my own to make it happen.
Giving back through my new project meant letting go of everything familiar. It meant moving somewhere I’d never been, saying goodbye to my home, friends and livelihood. At the time, I gave it all up to support my husband, and the passion he chased. He has supported me in many ways throughout our marriage. It was my turn to champion his goal.
In the process, my dreams became less important. After relocating, I was stripped of the familiar methods and contacts I’d always employed, and could no longer see any way to obtain my dreams.
Make no mistake, giving up dreams is NOT the same as giving up your vision. To me, a dream is an imaginary idea of what can be. With vision I can see my goal. Once seen, the steps to take in getting there become easier to visualize, plan and execute.
I let go of my dream to be a best-selling author, and learned to be happy with simply publishing a book. I let go of my dream of wealth, gaining an appreciation for the treasures I already possess. Gone were my dreams of being a GREAT leader. It their place was the desire to share my experiences with the hope of empowering others to lead.
Even with a strong vision, action steps can be hard to take. How do I determine in what order to take them? What should come first? These questions dominated me for over a year.
Recently, I saw a story on Medium describing what a storyboard is, why it is important and how to create one. I’d alway though of it as a tool used in Hollywood, in movie creation, not something practical I could use to bridge the gap between my vision and its manifestation.
I’d never given any thought to creating a story board. I have a vision/dream board, one that has done nothing more than remind me of what I don’t have. I know dream boards can be powerful tools for the right people. I’m just not one of them.
A storyboard, on the other hand, conveys an idea from mind to paper. It creates substance from vision. It manifests life. As I write this, mine lays open next to me, inspiring me to create, to act. The mundane is giving way to this new vision. The storyboard is becoming the story, a new chapter of an anything but ordinary, life.
Robin Aldrich is the author of Bootstrapped! Creating a Small Business on a Budget. Robin founded the Boomerang Business Project in 2015 to help entrepreneurs thrive through personal and professional development.
For more info, please visit Robin’s website!
If you like my articles and stories, please clap and share! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work. I wish you a blessed and prosperous day! ~ R.
Originally published at medium.com