You have a vision.
That vision inspires you.
You build your dream team.
And now what?
You get to work, baby.
You make lists
And then, you make more.
And then, you start assigning roles, doing researching, and ticking off the boxes.
It feels sooooo good.
You start feeling alive and like this ethereal, vaporous thing of a dream is actually coming TRUE.
Yes, ma’am. Because you worked it.
Like I did with my first Italian retreat…
And then, you hit a snag. The person you want to cook at your retreat can’t do those dates. You can’t tick that box off. And the hunt begins but you’re emotional and a little defeated,
“I thought this part was done.”
“I really wanted that other person. A lot.”
“I don’t want to tell anyone that we have to start over.”
All that stuff that comes up.
And you have to erase other boxes that you thought were done.
And the insurance coverage you bought for that person has to be switched but you haven’t found that new person yet.
It’s real life.
And real life is not only in the desire, it’s in the details.
Boy howdy, THIS is where you will get confronted and tempted to give up.
I’m NOT kidding.
The paperwork, the legal stuff, the travel stuff, the money stuff, the changes, the snags… how everything that was in your head went smoothly when it lived in your brain but once you start digging in, it doesn’t.
You’ve probably heard the phrase before, “The devil is in the details.” It has several meanings but one of the positive meanings that resonates for me is that it’s in DOING the details that you can discover the issues that could undo your effort.
And here’s the gift you get to discover through that: You get to be asked a question every time an issue comes up:
Are YOU going to undo your effort?
Are YOU committed to your dream?
Are YOU going to do what you need to do to make this happen?
Are YOU waiting for someone to ride in on their white horse and rescue you
Or
Are YOU going to be your knight-in-shining-armor, badass, superhero?
THAT’s what gets worked out in the details.
Because here’s the truth:
Cinderella sings to us, “A dream is a wish a heart makes…”
And to that I say a resounding, “YES!” But it’s only part of the story.
There is also the reality that calls to us to fulfill our wishes and make our dreams come true.
No more wishing. No more waiting. Now’s the time to work.
Because if you’re not willing to work your dream, you won’t know the value of what it is to have it.
The work prepares you to receive the dream and appreciate the value of it, because YOU’RE invested.
If you don’t have something to lose, you don’t have something to gain.
A dream-in-action is your skin in the game. It’s your commitment. It’s your reputation on the line.
A dream in the heart has no risk. So it requires no bravery. And it gets no reward.
It can’t bless anyone or heal anyone by staying in your head.
The details will confirm your commitment, cause you to grow, and prepare you to receive the prize you’ve been working toward.
The details are essential for the dream to come true.
You can want to take a dream trip to Italy but if you don’t book your ticket, get your passport, pack your bag, and get to the airport on time — that dream will only stay in your heart.
There is no gelato in your heart.
It’s in Italy.
Waiting for you to show up for it.
The devil is in the details? Maybe it’s better to say, “God is in the details” because your dream is part of your divine spark that requires a list of actions to make it a reality — and what comes from working that list and doing that t-crossing and i-dotting is absolutely essential for you to be and BECOME the person who makes your dreams come true.
You get the reward of trusting you and you know what happens when you do that? Other people trust to join you. Their dream and your dream collides because YOUR work was the proof that you were serious about your dream and that’s why someone can trust you with theirs.
That, my friends, is a healing and inspiration to the world.
You know what I did everytime something wasn’t going as planned on my last retreat preparation? I wrote on my chalkboard next to that item: “Who will I become?”
That question beckoned me — “Who will you become, Stacey, to work that out? To have that person sign up? To make this happen?”
I was in a certain place to dream this dream of an Italian retreat but it also called me to BECOME the person I needed to be in order to do it.
So. Effing. Powerful.
Which is exactly how I felt when I hosted 8 women to Italy on my first international retreat. I felt powerful to lead them, to care for them, to support them, to create a gorgeous experience for them.
Your dream grows YOU into something so beautiful, so powerful… so becoming.
So, if there’s a dream in your heart that keeps you warm and a to-do list that leaves you cold, just take a moment to get back to that warm, fuzzy place of what inspires you. Then? Get up and start doing the work because “warm and fuzzy” is going to be replaced by something you don’t want to miss…
It’s not just a dream coming true —
It’s you coming true.
