Big Dreams Can Feel Scary, At Any Age

However, no obstacle can withstand doing this one thing.

In my last publication, you got to hear from Dinah herself the mission of “I Believe In Me.” Today, I want to share the tender story behind that video.

If you had told me I’d be on a journey to impact a million people with my niece just over a year ago, I would’ve looked at you a bit wide-eyed. Yet here I am.

There’s no playbook for dreaming with an eight-year-old. Heck, there’s no playbook for anything in life. And yet, a year ago, I embarked on a journey to bring my niece’s little idea to life. A little idea that turned into a big dream.

Dinah and I met every Saturday to dream, scheme, and shape the book we believed the world most needed.

Then, after a turn of events with a marketing partner that initially felt quite discouraging, I realized there was a dream behind the dream. That trajectory-changing conversation is posted here.

Now came the time to share the news, an even bigger dream with Dinah. I wanted to get Dinah on board with it as this journey is as much hers as it is mine.

I decided to bring it up during our weekly FaceTime chat that Saturday. I told her I had a big announcement about “I Believe In Me.” I saw her eyes light up with curiosity.

I started to tell her about the conversation with my husband and about the dream behind the dream. She listened intently without saying a word.

I told her we now had an official mission for “I Believe In Me.” When I said “one million people,” her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped slightly. 

“Dinah, do you know how much one million is?” I asked.

“It’s like, a lot!” she replied. 

“Yup! That’s how many people we’re going to impact.”

Then, I invited her to take the most empowered thing a human can do - speak the words out loud.

What happened next is the part of dreaming that gives me goosies. 

I asked her if she was on board with the book’s new mission. She paused, and I saw doubt flicker across her face. She looked away and shifted uncomfortably before replying, “I think so.”

I knew she wasn’t all-in with me yet, so I reverse-engineered it. I said, “Dinah, I’m going to ask you what the mission of ‘I Believe In Me’ is, and you tell me the number, OK?”

“Ok,” she replied.

“Dinah, what is the mission of ‘I Believe In Me’?” 

She stared back at me, blinked, and remained silent. I needed to slow down even more.

We chatted about the ‘why’ behind us writing a book. I asked her to think of how many boys and girls at her school could find value in the book's message. I asked her to think of all the kids, parents, auntie, uncles, and teachers who would read the book and begin to move toward their dreams. 

I asked her if she still wanted to get that message into the hands of lots of people.

She said yes. 

I asked her if she believed in herself to make this dream a reality. She said yes.

Again, I gently asked, “Dinah, what is the mission of ‘I Believe In Me’?” 

“The mission of ‘I Believe In Me’ is to impact one million people.”

I asked her again. She responded again. I did this a handful more times.

I looked at her grinning face and said, “I love you, Dinah, with all my heart. We’re doing this!”

That night, I received the video below from my sister. Dinah had been repeating the mission over and over again.

Listen to the tonality of this little human’s voice. There is no doubt in her voice. It’s the sound of a self-assured little human who is all-in on her dream!

We have exciting news about our big steps towards one million in the coming weeks.

I invite you to listen to this heartwarming video clip and ask yourself, “What dream of mine has yet to be spoken out loud?”

Declare your dreams, say them out loud, and share them with others as many times as it takes to feel their truth in your bones!

See you next time…Luisa and Dinah.