Ten Steps for a SAHM to Pursue a Dream

Do you have a dream? This is the perfect day to dream a dream. J

Following a dream can be a bit like putting on pantyhose. {My apologies to any men reading this. Perhaps you’ll still understand.}

You sit down and slide the pantyhose over one foot, then pull them over the other foot. You inch them along on one leg. Then you inch them along on the other leg. At some point, you stand up. You keep inching them up until they reach the top, bit by bit, tugging and stretching, steadfast, unwavering. Finally, you jump up and down a few times to set them, rejoicing at your success.

I know it’s an odd analogy, but being a Stay-at-Home-Mom doesn’t mean putting away our dreams. {Although it does mean putting away the wearing of pantyhose every day. Yippee!} Many of you know this. You run successful at-home businesses or you’ve found a part-time job that works with your children’s schedule. You pursue art, scrapbooking, writing, research. Dreams can be accomplished with persistence and patience, even when we have a myriad of other responsibilities.

My dream…*deep breath*…is to publish novels. You know, Christian fiction, Francine Rivers, Jerry Jenkins, Beverly Lewis, it-was-a-dark-and-stormy-night, stories of redemption and forgiveness and finding God’s way.

Obviously, I like to write. But there’s so much more I’ve been doing, behind the scenes so to speak, to work at this dream. Whether or not it will happen, time will tell. But here are some suggestions for how you can work toward your dream.

1. Give yourself permission to dream. It’s okay, really. You never know what God will do. In fact, your dream might be a blessing to others!
2. Research. What all is involved in achieving your dream? It’s hard to know if it’s possible until you know what it will take.
3. Examine Scripture. Does your dream line up with God’s will? If the answer is no, switch to another dream!
4. Enlist your family. You’re going to need the support and encouragement and probably a bit of help with the housework.
5. Pray together. Pray alone. Pray unceasingly.
6. Take one step. Test the waters.
7. Eliminate anything unnecessary. You’ll know what needs to go.
8. Pray some more.
9. Take another step. Even just 15 minutes every day can add up.
10. Pray and step. Pray and step. Continue on, steadfast, unwavering.

So, how do these steps looks for me?

My husband has been telling me for years that I should write a book. I finally decided he was right and allowed myself to consider that possibility and all the ways it might take form. I also knew I wanted my writing to honor God and encourage others. That lines up with God’s will.

My baby steps have taken, and continue to take, many forms. Here I am at the blog, generating ideas and shaping them into something worth reading. It’s taught me self-discipline as I meet my self-imposed deadlines.

I also have been writing and selling articles and short stories to various periodicals and Sunday school publications. It hasn’t been many yet, but each sale keeps me going.

Another step I have taken is to attend a local writers conference the past two years. I plan to attend a national conference this fall, and I also have a shelf full of books about writing.

My priority is still my family and homeschooling. Those two callings are immovable. So, I write at naptime to keep it from detracting from my family. Very rarely, I’ll ask the Mr. to occupy the children for a morning so that I can get a few extra words down.

How will this play out at the end? I have no idea. But for now, I pray and send out another short story. I pray and hit publish on another blog post. I pray and type out a few more words on my manuscript.

If I can do it, you can do it.

Continuing on, steadfast, unwavering.

If you’d like, share your dream. What steps are you taking to achieve it?

{We’ll return to the Big Family Idea Bonanza Series on Wednesday!}

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