Simply Delicious: Big Realities,...They come from "BIG DREAMS"

One day I woke up and asked myself,...Why on earth would I want to work for someone who no longer appreciates me? I had a great job in property management and was thrown under the bus in the cooperate world when push came to shove and ended up unemployed and with little hope and much doubt. A single mother with two kids now both in college I had to make some serious decisions and I had to make them fast. There was no time to sulk and sing to the choir, I had to make some decisions. I was raised in a naive world where people were good, and honesty and integrity meant something, unfortunately in today's world, people and businesses have lost touch with reality and perspectives of how life should be and they think nothing of stomping on you to get where they need to be.

Let's go back a few years shall we? Growing up I watched my parents save, and save and save for retirement thinking that life would be great, and they would travel the world. What I saw was new owners take over businesses where they worked for decades, and their dreams wash away at the blink of an eye. I viewed two of the smartest people that I knew have to reevaluate their lives and make serious changes. Oh they still did what they wanted to because they were quite determined to live the life that the waited for and like me they were not about to let life swallow their dreams.

So what did I learn from this and exactly where on earth I am going with this scenario? My parents had dreams, and my grandmother always taught me that if you were going to dream to dream big. This is also how I have raised my children. The problem for me was that while I was married, our dreams consisted of the future and not the present. I learned shortly after my divorce that I had cancer. What I did not know that it was a cancer that would continue to reoccur and a fight that I had to gear up for. Talk about feeling like someone just tossed you out a window...my hopes and dreams of what I saw for my life were systematically brought to a true reality and I decided right then and right there that I was going to be my own boss come hell or high water and I was going to succeed. I started a travel business and I love the perks, but that was not at all where my heart was. My heart was in giving women a sense of love and confidence within themselves, something we all tend to lose when we become wives and mothers.

We soon begin to put our desires, wants & needs on the 'back burner' if you will. Cancer is such a scary word and often women are discouraged by this. Don't be. This is the time now to buck up, pick yourself up by the shoe strings and take that bull by the horns. I learned that being positive and assertive worked best for me. No time to sit around and sulk. No time to cry, this was my time to make my dreams a reality and it really put my life into perspective so that years from now when I am gone, my children will have my businesses to either take over and run themselves or to sell. Somehow I cannot see the legacy that I created going to anyone other than friends and family that I love and respect so much. I foresee my dreams living for years and years to come. Whether I am a 'Mom and Pop' type boutique or I turn this into something amazing with the help of family, friends and great customers, I've already turned my dreams into a reality, and so can YOU!

Are your big dreams attainable possibilities or wishful thinking? You bet they are! Even if your answer is "wishful thinking," there are ways you can take your dreams out of that category and put them into the realm of possibilities. For most people, their dreams end up in the land of fear....fear of failing, fear of falling flat on your face, fear of not being able to make it work in today's economy. Guess what, I have some news for you..even with society in trouble, people are still traveling and I continue to make money, women still want to look and feel sexy so I am still selling lingerie. I was so confident with my first store that I wanted to find my niche' and I did, a women's intimate apparel store for the plus size gal. Women of all walks of life regardless of their shapes or sizes was my top priority to give them an affordable line of women's intimate apparel that they could call classy. I'm not out to break your bank, in fact, I am all about working with your budget.

You have to believe in yourself in order to do this and follow through. I wake up thankful that I stuck with my guns and followed through to make my hopes and dreams come true. Someday, I hope to be a name recognized by many. Someday I hope that I can give back to everyone that had faith in me and saw that my dreams and determination were worth the uphill battle of business ownership. What I am trying to say is this; if you have a dream, and if you are so strong about that dream, don't give up. Don't say I'll do it later, or it's too much work. Wouldn't you love to be your own boss? Take a vacation when you want to and make changes without having to jump through hoops and hear someone shoot your ideas down only to steal them and pull the rug right out from under you?

Hear this: You're most likely more equipped to convert dreams into reality than you ever thought you were!

Use these effective strategies in your life to reap the rewards of living those big dreams for real:

1. Want it for the right reasons. Before you go off chasing big dreams, stop and ask yourself, "Do I really want this for me?" If the answer is YES. There is your answer. Sometimes, it's so easy to get caught up in what your family wants or what society dictates that you eventually lose sight of what's important to you.

Really stop and think about how your life would change if you achieved that big goal.
Feel confident to tweak your dream so it's exactly what you want for you, and not what would make others happy.
Consider if the end result is really worth all that you're required to put in or sacrifice.

2. Don't bite off more than you can chew...take smaller bites. Once you've decided that your big dream is really yours and yours alone, you'll need to create a game plan for achieving it. A big part of that is to break down your humongous goal into smaller, more attainable goals.

For example, if turning your dream into reality has large costs, break down the expenses into smaller amounts that your income can accommodate over time.
If your goal entails great personal changes, divide these changes into a series of small, achievable steps that lead you closer and closer to your goal.
Once you've broken things down, set realistic targets for achieving the mini-goals and hit them!

3. Network. As the saying goes, "No man is an island." Take advantage of the knowledge, skills, help and support of others around you to help you meet your goals. You can obtain anything once you put your mind to it. You will hit walls and you'll feel upside down every now and then, but please don't give up. Stay strong!

Seek mentors that have already met goals similar to yours.
Discover how others in similar situations to yours have overcome challenges to meet their goals.

4. Sacrifice. Most successful people today could tell you of sacrifices they had to make in order to attain their goals. Turning big dreams into reality takes time and effort, but the end result is living the life you desire. However, if you continue to do things the same way you always have, you can only expect to get the same result! For instance, do you have unhealthy spending habits that are hindering your progress toward your goals? Put some frivolous expenses on the back bench in favor of expenses that are directly tied in with your dreams.

In order to bring some time into your schedule to work on your goals, perhaps you could substitute some of the time you spend watching TV with actions that lead you closer to your goal. Do reasearch. I spent years following lingerie companies and stocks. I watched store rise and fall. You always have to know who your competition is and what they are up to.

There's no reason that you can't turn your big dreams into bigger realities. You're the only person who dictates what you can and can't achieve! Use these tips to start on your journey towards transforming your dreams into reality. You'll look back and smile when you make it happen! Visit my store and watch for the new line coming soon that will turn my store upside down! http://www.simplydeliciouslingeire.com/ and http://www.simplylusciouslingerie.com/ is the place to shop! Share this with a friend and help me to show women that we can succeed in the small business world! We girls need to stick together, please, let’s unite so that our dreams stay our realities!