Small Beginnings

"If all you can do is crawl, start crawling." -Rumi

This month I am celebrating the one year anniversary of wordsbytara.com. I have learned many lessons over this past year including the importance of small beginnings.

When I was first thinking about starting this site, I kept bumping up against two major roadblocks that are common for many people who want to live their God-inspired dreams.

The roadblocks were time and money. Often they are some of the main reasons why a person's dream goes unfulfilled. Sometimes, these perceived roadblocks are indeed real factors in a person’s life. I know for me they were, or so I thought.

These two potential dream busters were telling me that in order to write and have a business, I needed certain things that I did not have; and without them, I would never be successful so why bother? Yes, I needed money and time, but how much did I really need in order to get started?

I wanted to move forward in my dream and in order to do so, I had to shift my thinking. By slightly altering the way I thought about money and time, new possibilities and ideas became available to me. The way I was viewing my dream was no longer coming from a place of limitation, but instead abundance.

A perspective shift combined with creative brainstorming can help to combat the roadblocks that time and money present to the Dream Maker.

Here are some ways to make the slight shift:

Think about what you do have. Take inventory of your assets and list them in your journal. Include the positive things in your life such as people, experiences, and your strengths. Write them down as reminders of what is true about you and your current resources.

When I started wordsbytara.com my assets included pens, blank journals, a computer, $200 in my dream maker jar, my faith, my Bible, a part-time job, a commitment to my dream, a library of books on faith, small business and writing, a couple of supporters who I could talk to about my dream, a blue bag filled with my writings and relatives nearby for the occasional child care if needed.

Often times we focus on what we do not have. We convince ourselves life would be better if we had all the things we think are missing.

Do initial research on your dream keeping what you need and discarding the rest. Sometimes we think we need more than we do to get started. Before the launch of my site, I spent a great deal of time reading books and websites from people who are “experts”. The opinions and ideas were varied. Many were touting all the things one needed in order to have the best site and a successful business. Some of the recommendations came with a price tag that was too hefty for this Dream Maker just starting out. If I waited until I had all the money that was recommended as necessary, wordsbytara.com would not exist.

So I read, talked to people who were in the business of writing, took what I needed and then began to carve my own path. I started my site with $12 to buy my domain name. I immersed myself in learning how to create a blog, where to get images, and how to create a mailing list. After the research was complete, I began taking daily small steps by implementing the things I learned and deemed as necessary for my own definition of success. 

I also created a list of future things I wanted for my business. As I have been able to fund some of these items, I cross them off my list. For example, I have purchased business cards, increased my dream makers savings fund, taken a writing class and upgraded my computer since I first launched. 

Please don’t think you need a large amount of money in order to get started because it is not true. Don't allow the idea of not having enough of something, hold your dream hostage.

Begin by taking one small step at a time. Decide what you need the most to start and focus on that first. Think creatively to come up with ways to acquire what your dream needs in order to flourish. Refer to your assets list often because it may be the answers to solve whatever money issues arise. 


But, more than anything maintain your faith. This dream was given to you by God and provisions for the dream have already been made.


How will you begin pursuing your dreams? I would love to hear from you, so send me an email. 

In the next post, I will explore making time for your God-inspired dreams.

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