What are your “big bold goals” in life? If you think about it, these are really scary to set. It’s saying to yourself “I am worth it, and I deserve it”. Just two days ago I attended a luncheon where the keynote speaker talked about living your life with intention… setting big goals and putting yourself on a path to reach them. In order to do this, you have to quell that Negative Nelly that seems to constantly whisper in your ear, telling you all the reasons why you can’t and shouldn’t have all your dreams come true. We all have that voice inside of us that steers us in a negative direction. But in order to dream big, you have to ignore that whisper (that sometimes is VERY LOUD) and say “I am worth it, and I deserve it”.

The thing of it is- I know when I set my mind to things, the door of opportunity just seems to fly open. It’s happened to me again and again in my life. There was the time, at the very beginning of my career, when I was first offered a news reporting job right out of college for a small-market TV station in south Texas. It payed absolutely no money, and the hours were horrendous. Everyone in my family tried to talk me out of taking the job as they were simply worried I would not be able to keep a roof over my head at such a small pay rate (it was below poverty wages!). But I never once thought about the money. I had worked so hard all through college crafting my dream of becoming a news reporter/anchor that nothing was going to stand in my way of taking this job. Plus, I had spent the last 6 months sending demo reels to news directors all across the country only to be bombarded by rejection. Yes, I absolutely jumped at the first job that come my way!!! Looking back on it now, it was the best decision I could have made. I was dreaming big for myself and that’s all I needed to do. I worked hard, managed to pay my bills somehow, and learned an awful lot about the news business that first year. Before I knew it, I was moving on and UP to a bigger market that thankfully paid a little more money.

My point is- I look back on that period as a time when I was “dreaming big” and didn’t worry about the “how”. I didn’t worry about how I was going to buy groceries and pay rent, I didn’t worry about how I was going to handle being so far away from my family, I didn’t worry about how I was going to move up the ranks and get a better job… I just went to south Texas and started reporting the news.

Another time dreaming big has played out in my life is when I decided to leave the news business and look ahead to a freelance career in cable television. I had been out of the business for a couple of years and was now living in a brand new state where I had absolutely no contacts. I didn’t know a soul in the cable television industry and had no idea how I was going to get my foot in that door. Once again, I didn’t worry about the “how” and just got busy focusing on my big dream of hosting an entertainment-type show for a large cable network. I had always said “I’d love to host a show on HGTV one day…” Well, I’m here to tell you that big dream came true, too. I’ll never forget when Cecil Stokes of Tentmakers Entertainment called me and offered me a job hosting a 5-part series on DIY Network (a sister network of HGTV). I wanted to cry with joy. Another big bold goal coming true.

So now, I’m tasked with setting a new big dream. It’s been some time since I’ve done any on-camera hosting work as I’ve been a little busy these last couple of years having babies and being a mom. It’s been wonderful to stay at home and focus my work efforts instead to producing and writing. I’m always thankful for my blessings- and being able to stay home with your kids when they are little AND still have a career is a real win-win. But now I feel it’s time to once again “get in the game” and seek new opportunities for on-camera work in a field I’ve loved for so long.

So here’s the new big bold goal for me: I want Guy Fieri’s job on Food Network. Seriously! I am even willing to spike my hair and grow a goatee if I thought it would help. To criss-cross the country sharing the love of food with viewers in the most bizarre “hole-in-the-wall” type restaurants has got to be the most fun I can imagine. I mean, I don’t just want to be on camera and host a show for the paycheck. I really don’t. I want to do it because it is so freakin’ fun!!! And nothing seems more fun to me than being on TV  and talking about food.

So there it is. While I’m pretty sure Food Network isn’t going to fire Guy tomorrow and call me up, I do know that by putting my big bold goal out there the universe will go to work and do its magic.

What will your big bold goals be? I’d love to hear them and share in your glory when they come true. For I know that if you put it out there, it’s amazing what you can accomplish!

Cheers,
April