Ali Schiller's Dream BIG Guide

Posted In: Soft Skills
Posted On: 3/3/2016


As you know, I believe in Dream Boards. The one that I did for 2016 is front and center of everything that I am doing so far this year.  And, great news, I am actually working out in 2016!  That has been my one Dream Board nemesis for the past few years, so I am especially thrilled to be bringing that dream to life!

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to meet Ali Schiller, who is an amazing woman with a program called Accountability Works.  I love what she is doing because she is taking Dream Boards to a whole different level.  Her work takes your dream and helps you develop your own plan to make it happen.  I am thrilled to have Ali join Jane Knows as a guest blogger and resource for you!  Check out this blog and her website.
-Jane

Hi Jane Knows fans! I’m Ali Schiller, and I’m the creator of Accountability Works. I’m really excited to be here on Jane’s blog to talk you and share a fun process that I hope will inspire you.

I work mostly with female entrepreneurs who have really big personal and professional goals that they want to accomplish over 12 weeks. We break those goals down into weekly commitments (action steps). Then we meet every week, along with a group of their peers, to follow up on how the week went and whether or not they completed their commitments.Ali Schiller, AliSchiller.com

My approach comes from the power of observation. When you voice what you intend to do, to a group of people, it changes your behavior. You are more likely to do it. You will have that difficult conversation with a colleague or a partner, you will get up earlier, you will workout the number of times you commit to, and you will finish that project. All because you said you would to a group of people that you’ve never met face to face and that have no vested interest in the outcome. It’s like your group lends you an extra burst of energy and motivation that literally pulls you through your excuses and resistance.

When I started Accountability Works I was thrilled by the response. People got the results that I hoped that they would and my groups were growing mostly by word of mouth. However, I had missed something. I’d missed the need for a big picture! My work was all focused on the short-term. One quarter at a time. I hadn’t considered that if you get everything you want done for a few quarters in a row you start to want to work towards something bigger. 

When I read Jane’s post on creating a dream board for the year, I loved it. I have a similar practice that I share with my community and I know from their stories and my own experience what a big difference it makes to know what your big picture looks like. For one, your goals become more meaningful. You focus less on checking things off your list and more on what you really want. You don’t listen as much to what other people think you should be doing because you are clear about what you are after. You also begin to recognize opportunities and synchronicities where before you might have missed them. It’s almost as if you are getting help!

Since Jane already shared with you her method for creating a dream board, I thought I’d share my guide for writing a vision. The Dream Big Guide is available here. I hope it inspires you to really go for it, dream big and know that just by writing down what you want you are one step closer to achieving it.