Dream Big and Live your Dream!

I want you to think back, when you started your business, what was your Dream?

Are you living it? Has your dream expanded? Are you way off your original dream? Have you lost your dream a long the way?

When God called Esra to build the temple it started with a dream and then building the foundation. As with him I learnt over the years that to achieve our Dream we need to build a strong foundation first, and to be able to build this foundation we need to plan we need skill’s, we need people with other specific skills to help us, we need to build a client base and to get all this in place and building a solid foundation takes time. Esra took 25 years to build the Temple's foundation. Our time is not God's time.

While we are building our Business foundation, we are also building on our character, self-mastering crucial personal characteristics  a entrepreneur and business owner needs to be successful and stay successful like: 

• Leadership
• Drive and determination
• Self-reliance
• Willpower
• Patience
• Integrity
• Optimism
• Self confidence
• Building relationships and communication

I found there are three actions you need to self master, that will contribute to the success in your Business. Usually we already do one of these actions because it is part of our personality but if you are not already doing it, it is something you can learn and self master:

• Plan ahead. For some people this comes naturally, everything you do is meticulously planned ahead. Due to all the information and courses out there, how to plan is more easily self mastered these days - just follow the steps.
• You sometimes need to take things as it comes and manage situations as they arise. For some people this is how they go through life and for a Business this is a good trait to have since life throws curve-ball's and sometimes we just need to go with the flow and make on the spot decisions that we have not planned for. This is a harder skill to learn if it is not part of your personality or character but is however a skill you can teach yourself. God usually helps with this one by giving us all these circumstances that is not part of our plan and we have to learn to adapt and make fast decisions.
• Get out of your Comfort zone and become bold:  If you are and extrovert you don't tend to have this problem but for the rest of us, we tend to fall into a comfort zone due to various reasons. One is because of low self-esteem - what if I make a fool of myself? Then there is the fear of man - what would people say? What will people or my friends and family say if it doesn't work? We can overcome this by understanding who we are in Christ, that we are wonderfully made. Discovering your value and understanding that you must live your value not someone else's. You don't and actually can't be like someone else - Yes we have flaws but so has everyone. Nobody is perfect. Start stepping out of your comfort zone and connect with people on a regular basis.  Attend as many networking opportunities as possible and talk to as many people as possible this will help you overcome your fears.

 A business is like participating in a sport such as running. It starts with a passion then a Dream. However you do not set you to achieve a marathon right away. You are taught to build your endurance by running shorter distances and adding the miles on slowly. Building physical strength is only one part of this strategy; it also builds mental endurance, your skill’s. 

To reach your dream you set achievable, realistic goals you are more likely to accomplish what you set out to do. 

Goal setting is one of the most important activities you can do in your business, regardless of how old your business is, where you are located, how profitable it is, or what you sell or service you provide. 

Goals help you stay focused and they can prevent your business from becoming stagnant. 

Your business goals keep you moving forward and set the stage for ongoing success.  

Although we often think of goal setting as something we do at the start of every year, the truth is that it is extremely important to work on your business goals all year long. You should be setting goals multiple times each year, tracking your progress, and refining the strategies you are following in order to achieve your goals on an ongoing basis. 

I also realized over the years that the common denominator of all businesses is that we are there to serve, we serve our clients, our suppliers, our colleagues, our family. 

So building relationships along the way is extremely important. A tip I would like to give you is never burn your bridges. Your industry is smaller than you think, you can be sure that you will be in contact with that person again in the future directly or by who they know. 

Your dream is your purpose, it is part of God’s bigger Dream and plan for the World! 

When things go touch such as COVID-19 just always remember know that nothing can stop your dream but you. Problems, diversity, trials and tribulations even people are only teachable moments to be used to reach your Dream. 

Just like having Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see so is your Dream being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do no not see. 

Just keep going and live your dream!

Enjoy your journey while building your foundation for your Dream.

With Love

Liesel