TEDxOStateU! Big IDEAS!

Ok kids – I have done it…

One of the dreams that I have is the opportunity to give a TED Talk.  I am now one step closer to this reality!  I had posted earlier what my TED Talk would look like, read it here…

For TEDxOStateU this post would not work, so I am working on an alternative idea, one that I think will be excellent.  Next stop is a three minute audition March 24.  Why do I share this with you?

Because having a big dream is important.  Having goals to reach for is important.  Having the opportunity to do something you have always strived for is important.  It is also not about the end result but the journey along the way.  I am terrified of blowing my audition.  What if I forget what I want to say?  What if I stumble and stammer?  What if my topic comes across as boring and not a big idea?  What if?  What if?  What if?

Here is a what if: what if I never took this step?  What if I let imagined issues keep me from reaching out?  What if I did nothing, then look back and wish I had done something?  What if?

I heard once – If your dreams don’t scare you they are not big enough.  This phrase made me stop and think about my dreams, what I wanted to accomplish, what I wanted to do, what legacy do I want to leave for my students and my family.  My current dreams did not scare me – so I moved myself to a scary place: full time graduate student.  Now I spend tons of time reading and writing and learning and working on all kids of things I never anticipated doing.  Why?  To reach my dreams…

You see, in order to reach my dream of giving a TED talk, I needed to take a step out of the comfortable.  I moved away from my comfort zone to embrace scary.  This move led to this opportunity.  How many opportunities have I missed because I was scared?

Whether I fly through my audition with blazing color or splat on my face, the journey has been great.  People have been super duper encouraging to me!  I have really given lots of thought to what I want to share, I have had the opportunity to do some reading on my topic, it has been fun.  The important thing is this: I am going for it!

What is your dream?  Does it scare you?  Why say yes to every good thing that comes along?  Work hard to put yourself in position to say yes to the extraordinary!  Take the risk – get out there!  So what if you fail along the way, there will be other opportunities to reach toward.

Would I be disappointed if not chosen?  You bet!  I’m human, this is one of my dreams!  But guess what – its not the end of the world.  There will be other things that will come along – the question is this: Will I be in a position to do them?  Will I take that risk?  Will I set my dreams big and scary (a good scary)?  Will you??