Joy Attmore considers the importance of holding onto your dreams and what you can do to help see them come to pass.

I came across this quote the other day and it stuck with me - 'Never let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big.'

As I pondered over the words, they went from sounding like a Hallmark saying, to something that actually made me want to dream bigger. I realised that I have a history of dreaming on a larger scale than my circumstances and, although I have always been fortunate enough to have plenty of people surrounding me that would champion these dreams, I also experienced the doubts of those who could only see the impossibilities.

When I was 17, I met the man who is now my husband and was immediately smitten. Granted I was a teenager living in the Midlands of England and he was an artist from Los Angeles, so the likelihood of us staying friends, never mind marrying each other, seemed fairly unlikely. However, I began dreaming on that day of a happily ever after and told a good friend whose input I also valued. Her response was, "What's so special about him? There's plenty more fish in the sea, you've got plenty of time to find someone." She was right, but she was also wrong; there was something very special about him!

At the age of 19, I first felt inspired to start my own non-profit and began envisioning seeing lives restored and the possibility of a world where sex trafficking no longer exists. When I told some people of this desire I would receive the response of, "That's nice Joy, but it probably won't ever happen." Sex trafficking unfortunately does still exist, but now so does my non-profit!

These are just two tangible examples I have in my own life, where I chose to believe in the largeness of my dreams over the smallness of someone else's thinking, or perspective.

When we look back at history, the names that come to mind and the people whose lives we quote, are ones who did not give in to narrow thinking and the fear of impossibility.

Daring to dream takes faith wrapped in courage, it is not for the faint-hearted, but it is so worth the journey.

Are you dreaming of something right now that scares you? Does the thought of it feel greater than your own capability?

I would challenge you that that dream is exactly the one you should be giving your all to pursue.

So how do you go about seeing the impossible come to pass?

1. Write it down

There's a book in the Old Testament of the Bible called Habbukkuk and in chapter 2 God gives some great advice on what to do with a dream that captures your attention.

'And then God answered: "Write this.
Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
pointing to what's coming.
It aches for the coming-it can hardly wait!
And it doesn't lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait.
It's on its way. It will come right on time.'

Record your dream in some way and hold onto it like a promise. It will come to pass in its perfect timing.

2. Make Yourself Accountable

Tell someone about what it is you want to accomplish. It's important to share your dream and get some cheer-leaders in your life. Make sure it is someone you trust and who you know will support you in your venture.

3. Strategise

Create a step by step plan that will help you reach your goal. Dreams can sometimes overwhelm us with their size, but breaking them down into smaller pieces will enable you to actually see how you can achieve them.

So enjoy dreaming! May you thrive in the adventure of pursuing all that is in your heart and may you be surrounded by people who champion the vision within you. May stories unfold of seemingly impossible dreams made possible through your faith and courage and may no small thinking hold you back from doing so.

"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable." Christopher Reeve