Have you ever had a dream or goal that seemed impossible, so you simply gave up on it and settled for something less? Or, as a coach, do you see your clients falling into this trap?
I had a client once who was in that position. She had a dream of buying a beautiful house – one with a yard and a fence, in a nice neighborhood where her child could be happy and safe.
But… she couldn’t afford it. Her dream was so far outside her budget that it seemed impossible.
Some people might have suggested that she take the time to earn some money before pursuing her goal. There’s a common misconception out there, that you have to have everything in place before you can create the life of your dreams.
But I knew that it is possible to start from wherever you happen to be at the time. So I asked her: “If it wasn’t impossible, what would be your first step?”
“Well,” she said, “I guess it would be to look for a house.”
“Good,” I said. “Go ahead and do that.”
So she went out to look for a house. It took some searching, but she found it: a beautiful home, with a lovely fenced yard. When she came back to me, she felt even worse – she’d found the house of her dreams, but it was way outside her price range!
She was ready to give up again, but I challenged her to talk to the owner of the property, and to see if she could afford the house with what money and skills she currently had. So she did, and, sure enough: it needed a bit of fixing up. She didn’t have enough cash for the down payment, but she could put some ‘sweat equity’ into it. And when she combined her work with the money she had… it was enough!
Her dream seemed impossible at first, but she kept on exploring it, taking it one step at a time. So the next time your goal seems to be completely out of reach, just take the next step in faith, believing that the step after that will become possible.
As a coach, you can help your clients to do this as well. Believe in them more than they believe in themselves, and help them to continue to move forward, one step at a time.
Here’s to moving forward towards your dream!
Mary
