In the first run of #DreamDareDo: The Workshop, I reminded workshop participants that all of our dreams have a cost.

(Or at least, the ones that we take seriously enough.)

Sometimes, they cost us money. Sometimes, they cost us time. Sometimes, they cost us both.

Other times, they cost us our current way of life and our current comforts—but all in exchange for something greater and higher than us.

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In 2014, one of my major goals was to shed 40 lbs. in six months, without crash or fad diets, or any surgical procedures. It cost me my comfort zone to completely overhaul the way I ate and lived, but in exchange  I gained a fitter self that was stronger, more confident, and more physically (and mentally) able to take on a host of challenges.

In 2016, my major goal was to step up in my career and be an influencer in the sectors that mattered to me (i.e., women, startups, and entrepreneurs). It cost me a lot of time and a bit of money to commit to certain organizations and events; and to teach, give talks, and mentor; but in exchange I earned a way to create impact and make a difference in the lives and work of people and organizations I cared about.

Before entering 2017, I thought I was going to be able to train for and run a full marathon by mid-year. But because my bigger dream is to multiply and scale that impact I’m starting to make, by writing a book* and setting up a company (on top of my day job), now I know that I would have to pay the price of more time, some money, and a lot less rest and sleep in order to get the chance to do what I really love to do.

It won’t be easy, and I can already see what my dreams will cost me. But this cost is nothing compared to the value that this will create for both myself and others. So I am going to take it all in and take the plunge, because I know that it will all be worth it in the end.

How about your dreams?

What are they going to cost you?

 But more importantly, what are they worth?

Not just for yourself, but for others?

What value are you creating in the world around you?

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One of the hidden costs of our dreams, which I love writing and talking about, is time. That’s because we tend to take time for granted, and we also often use the “lack of time” as an excuse for not getting things done.

But if you think about it—and I often say this in my workshops, too—time is the one thing that we all have in common, everywhere around the world. Regardless of age, sex, race, geography, faith, ideology, and so on, all of us on Planet Earth have 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week. Each year has 365 days—but we don’t know how many more years we’ve got to live—so all that we know is that we have today to use in the best possible way.

We also have exactly the same amount of hours in a day as Steve Jobs did when he was still alive; that Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Arianna Huffington, and Sheryl Sandberg still do have; and that our boss, our favorite celebrity, or our favorite #lifepeg have in their days. Yes, some of them have more money and support staff than we do, but time is the exact same thing that we have just as they do.

What differs is how we see it, how we use it, how we manage ourselves around it, how we make the most of it (or not).

So in the section of #DreamDareDo called the “Dare + Do” Sprint, I ask workshop participants to study and reflect on how they usually spend an average weekday and an average weekend. I ask them to list down the components of their day, write down how much time they spend on what, be mindful of how much time in a week it would take to accomplish their goals, then plot out in their calendars the time that they would actually spend to make their dreams real.**

Because oftentimes, it doesn’t take too long to get something done. Sometimes, all it takes is 30 hyper-focused minutes in a day—roughly the same amount of time we waste by checking our social media notifications and allowing ourselves to get swept in the wave of posts—to get a little bit fitter, to be a little bit more productive, to learn a new language, to finish reading (or writing) a book, to have a quality chat with someone who matters to us, to declutter a portion of our room, or whatever it is that we want to do. Not one whole day of doing big things, but every day of allotting just 30 minutes and making “dream-doing” a part of our everyday routine.

So, let me ask you again: What does that look like in your life?

What in your life—if you spent an extra 30 minutes on it—would create a lot of impact and dramatically change the outcome of life as you know it?

Jot it down.

Plot the daily 30 minutes in your calendar.

Start getting it done. Day by day, by day.

Our dreams may cost a lot, but if we start banking and investing our time in small pockets every single day, we’ll see results sooner than we think. We’ll also make “dream-doing” a part of our everyday lives, making life just a little bit more meaningful and inspiring every single day.

Now, doesn’t THAT look and sound like a great way to live? 😉

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*Stay tuned for the-book version of Kick Your Fire, coming out in March. (Thank you, as always, to my awesome cosmic collaborator, David O’Hagan, for being “the Dave Drive” behind the company and the book!)

**I’ve developed a new life planning template that I’m testing out for myself, and will send you a copy soon to see if it’s something you’ll find useful. Please keep posted for that!

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