Although registering for the Next Top (self-help) Author competition felt like a BIG step, in was in essence one more small step in a series of small steps.

My entire journey has been a series of small steps that have led me to this point, a point where I felt confident enough and ready to take this next step.

At the same time, there were a series of small steps that helped me take THIS particular step and I’d like to share them with you today.

Know what you want.

You have to have some idea of what you want, even if it is just a ‘fuzzy vision’. You need to have some general direction you want to begin moving in and exploring.

Be open to opportunities.

Opportunities are all around us all the time. Once we have an idea about what we want, new opportunities will begin to come into our awareness. We need to be open to seeing them and open to exploring them.

Explore a little and gather more information.

Once an opportunity presents itself you don’t have to decide right away if it is the right one for you. Slow down and explore a little; gather a little more information. Research, reading, talking to others are all ways you can explore the possibilities.

Ask yourself “Is this the right opportunity at the right time?” Then ask, “Why or why not?”

Maybe you have too much going on right now, or maybe it’s just fear holding you back. Either way, you need to be brutally honest with yourself one way or another.

Make the commitment.

Once you know ‘why’ this opportunity is right for you, fully embrace it and commit to following through despite any fears, self-doubt, obstacles or roadblocks.

Clear the way.

Once you’ve made your decision and committed yourself to this new opportunity, review your current and future responsibilities and obligations. Some things will just have to go. You need to give yourself the time to follow through on your commitment and you can’t do that if you don’t let some other things go.

Gather your support network.

We don’t succeed on our own. Let you closest supporters and friends know what you are doing and tell them that you may need their help while pursuing this new opportunity.

Set mini-goals along the way.

Break it down, set mini-goals and identify the small steps that are going to take you from where you are right now to where you want to go.

Identify the milestones.

Once you break things down into small steps there will be certain goals and deadlines along the way to mark your successes. Identify them in advance, mark them on the calendar and set up reminders for yourself.

Celebrate.

When you meet one of your milestones, stop for a bit and celebrate. Take the time to acknowledge how far you’ve come and what you’ve accomplished. The celebration doesn’t have to be big, but does need to be meaningful for you.

Don’t stop. Keep Moving.

You’ve come this far, don’t give up. Remind yourself of why you are doing this and what it means to you and to others. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and taking small steps toward your big goal or dream. That’s all it takes, one small step after another.

Now, it’s time for me to take another small step and ask for your help.

My entry for the Next Top Author competition is titled: “The Power and Potential of Small Steps: How Learning to Take Small Steps Can Change Your Life in BIG Ways”

You can watch my video and vote for me by clicking this link: Vote for Sandy.

And, while you are on the site check out my friend and Dream Building 101 co-workshop leader Jami Yanoski’s entry: “Inspiration-Finding it every day, even when you’re not feeling it! A collection of short stories about inspiring people, places and things” You can watch her video and vote for her by clicking this link: Vote for Jami.

Note: You can vote for more than one book/author, you just can’t vote for the same book/author more than once.

Thank you in advance for your support!

PS… If you have comments or feedback I’d love to hear from you.
Or, if you’d like to share your story about how learning to take small steps changed your life and to possibly have your story shared in my book please contact me at: Sandy@TheDreamingCafe.com

This was suppose to be a top ’100′ list of blogs, but the list was getting way too long. So, this is a list of almost 100 top blogs. Feel free to leave a comment and share a link to your blog or some of your favorites.

Looking for a little inspiration, companionship on your own creative journey to self-discovery?

Check out these two articles, by two of my favorite bloggers/artists.

Dirty Footprints – What Was I Thinking?

Mildly Creative – Something Experimental: If It Isn’t One Thing, It’s Another

And, if you are looking for just a little more inspiration check out this week’s Dreaming Cafe Newsletter Start With a Fuzzy Vision.

As you may know my WordPress site was hacked twice in the last two weeks.

I have always been super aware of taking security precautions, but I am even more so now.

Here is a list of things I’ve done, past and present, to secure my blog.

Note: If you are not comfortable doing these things, hire someone. If you have a question or need help let me know and I help point you in the right direction.

• Back-up your content – Depending on how often you blog, use the WordPress > Export option once a week or at list once per month to export all of your content, pages, categories, tags, etc. The export creates an ‘xml’ file.This file can be used to restore your information at a later date if needed.
• Spam Blocker – You must have a spam blocker. The most popular spam blocker for WordPress is Akismet. You can get this free plugin at: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/akismet/ If you need a WordPress.com API key go to http://akismet.com/get/
• Updates – Make sure you are running the latest version of WordPress, as well as, the latest version of all your plugins.
• Admin Login – Remove the admin login link from your home page.
• Passwords – Change your passwords (WordPress login, hosting login, database/FTP user login, etc.) at least once every six months.
• Passwords – Make your passwords strong, meaning use a combination of lower case and upper case letters, numbers and symbols. Write your password down and keep it in a safe and secure place.
• Security Keys – A WordPress secret key is a password that makes your site harder to hack. Go to http://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_wp-config.php for more information and to https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/ to get your automatically generated security keys.
• Anti-virus software – Not directly related to WordPress, but it is very important to use an anti-virus program on your PC or laptop and to keep it updated. I was using the free version of AVG and it helped me catch and stop the virus link embedded in my WordPress site. I have recently upgraded to their full, paid version.

Hope this helps.

And, if you have any more suggestions please leave a comment and share them. Thanks!!

Related links (about my hack and crash experience):

Test
Slowly Rebuilding

Well, they aren’t exactly ‘old’, but here are a few of my favorite posts from the past year in case you missed them.

Words of Comfort

Five things-words of advice I wish someone had told me when I was growing up…

Staying Motivated and Inspired – Eleven Simple Steps You Can Take

Building Dreams-“The Secret”

The Power of the ‘to-do’ List

The Power of the ‘to-do’ List Part 2

If you liked these posts and enjoy hanging out with me here at The Dreaming Cafe, why not sign up for a little weekly inspiration and information? The Dreaming Cafe’s weekly newsletter is delivered every Sunday morning and explores the topics of personal growth and self discovery, creativity and creative entrepreneurship.

I started The Dreaming Café in early 2009 because I had a strong desire to share what I had learned on my own life’s journey and to help others begin and continue their own creative journey to self discovery.

As The Dreaming Café has grown I began to look deeper. What was I really trying to do? How did I help people begin and continue on their creative journey to self discovery?

The answer that came is one I could not have foreseen prior to actually beginning to work with people and trying new things. The answer came out of doing, not just dreaming. I began to see what people needed and what I could provide overlapped. I realized that I really enjoyed what I was doing and that I was actually helping people.

So, what is it that I discovered? What is it that I do?

I help people see the world of possibilities open to them, help them begin to dream and show them how to take one small step at a time to turn their dreams and possibilities into reality.

Working with individuals and with groups I help people see the possibilities open to them to them for self-discovery, to creatively expressing themselves and possibilities for more personal freedom and independence through self-employment.

Working together, exploring, writing, and playing each person begins to see a whole new world of possibilities and dreams.

Once the light goes on, and their eyes light up with hope and possibility we move into stage two which is learning how to turn ideas and possibilities into reality. We break things down into small steps, set goals, establish accountability and begin moving forward one day at a time.

This is a process that has worked again and again for me throughout my life. But, it wasn’t until I consciously thought about it and began to systemically apply it in my life to build the life I dreamed about that I realized what a powerful tool breaking it down and taking one small step at a time is.

Now I show other people how to do this.

Between The Dreaming Café blog and weekly newsletter I share tons of free information.

I also teach online workshops, I work with individuals online and in person and I teach workshops and teleclasses.

And, I finished my first e-book, “Growing Your Business with Social Media and Other Free and Almost Free Online Tools“ and I am working on two more.

Everything I do is geared toward helping people see the world of possibilities open to them and turning them into reality.

I want people to visit The Dreaming Café and work with me, but then walk away with the tools they need to make their own dreams happen.

The creative journey to self discovery is about possibilities and reality. It is about dreaming and doing. It is about discovering who we are, why we are here and how we can best serve.

The Dreaming Café is my possibility, my dream, my reality, my path to self discovery and my way of serving others.

How about you? Are you ready to embrace your own path, to open your world to possibilities, to dream? Are you ready to being taking action and make your possibilities come alive?

To get started visit:

Events – workshops & teleclasses
Let’s Work Together

To stay updated subscribe to The Dreaming Café’s Newsletter.

And, if you want to stay connected and join the conversation:

Follow me on Twitter: http://Twitter.com/sandydfromnj

Become Facebook Fan: http://facebook.com/thedreamingcafe

Do you like the Chicken Soup for the Soul books?

I have to admit, I don’t really.

There’s not enough story for me; not enough depth.

To me they are more like chicken broth for the soul, than chicken soup for the soul.

I like stories with a little more detail. I want names, places. I want to know why someone made a specific choice, a decision. I want more depth than the Chicken Soup series offers.

That’s why I love BJ Gallagher’s book “It’s Never Too Late to Be What You Might Have Been”

This book is filled with stories with lots of details. Most of the stories are interviews and reveal the stories within the stories.

The book is broken down into several sections with two-three stories/interviews in each.

It’s Never Too Late to…
Make Your Dreams Come True
Start a New Career
Go Back to School
Express Your Creativity
Gather Wealth
Become Athletic
Find True Love

I enjoyed this book immensely and want to pass it on. And, even though I’ve read it, it is in mint condition. I never (rarely) write in my books and I don’t break the binding or dog ear the pages.

If you’d like to read this book, I’d like to pass it on to you.

If you are subscriber to The Dreaming Cafe’s newsletter you are already entered to win.

If you are NOT a subscriber, sign up here:

The Dreaming Cafe’s weekly newsletter is designed to inspire, inform and empower you as you travel your own creative journey to self discovery.

I will select a random winner from all subscribers on Saturday, March 6, 2010 and the winner will be announced in the Dreaming Cafe’s Sunday, March 7, 2010 newsletter.

Related Posts (free book giveaways):

Making a Living Without a Job
The Art of War

Today The Dreaming Cafe is one-year-old.

The Dreaming Cafe started out as a free WordPress.com blog on Monday, February 23, 2009.

My first post was called “What is The Dreaming Cafe?” If you are curious, it is still a public post and you can read it here: http://thedreamingcafe.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/what-is-the-dreaming-cafe/

A year later and my vision and mission remain, although much clearer, like a picture coming into focus.

I know I am on the right path.

I know The Dreaming Cafe is headed in the right direction.

My mission is to use the written word to share stories, ideas, and resources in ways that inspire, motivate, inform and empower others to embrace their own creative journey to self discovery.

Self-knowledge, self-care, self-expression and self-employment are all topics The Dreaming Cafe explores.

It sounds selfish, but it’s not.

To be the change you want to see in the world, you must first know who you are and what you want. Peace, love, change…they all flow from the inside out.

The Dreaming Cafe is a safe place to start.

The Dreaming Cafe is about…

Exploring who we are now and who we can become in the future.

Embracing the moment, while dreaming of better tomorrow.

Taking responsibility for ourselves, our hopes, our fears and our dreams.

Moving forward despite our fears, self doubt and insecurities.

Putting one foot in front of the other, and taking one step at a time.

Leaning into the vision we hold for ourselves, our family, our community and our world.

Exploring from the inside out and discovering who we are and why we are here.

Dreaming, learning, exploring, creating and taking action.

Leading by example in both word and in deed.

Kindness and compassion.

Love and peace.

Hope and inspiration.

And, using the written word to communicate, to teach, to share, and to help heal the world, one word, one idea, one person at a time.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for hanging out with me over the last year and making this one of the most rewarding adventures of my life.

In The Dreaming Cafe’s newsletter today I made a big mistake.

The feature article, “Making a Difference” was written by Julie Jordan from A Place for Writers. Julie is a fascinating and inspiring woman who introduced me to the equally fascinating and inspiring 16-year-old Riley Carney.

When Julie agreed to allow me to publish her profile of Riley I was very excited to share both of their stories with my readers.

But, in the very first sentence in the very first paragraph I introduced Riley Carney as Riley Jordan instead.

I proofread and proofread, but something always, always slips past me.

Today, I would like to publicly apologize to both Julie Jordan and Riley Carney for my mistake.

Please read today’s newsletter and visit both Julie’s website and Riley’s.

If you just ignore my mistake I think you will be both amazed and inspired at the accomplishments of both of these highly motivated and talent women.

The Dreaming Cafe’s newsletter: “Making a Difference”

Julie Jordan: http://aplaceforwriters.wordpress.com/julies-page/

Riley Carney: http://www.rileycarney.com/
and Riley’s literacy/book charity: http://www.linkbylink.org/1.html

You can also follow Julie on Twitter at @Writers_Cafe.
You can follow Riley on Twitter at @RileyCarney and @linkbylink.

If you live in my neck of the woods…South Jersey…I will be presenting at the NJAWBO March Breakfast Meeting.

Get out of the house, hang out, have fun and learn some cool stuff. And, afterward, if you want to hang out a little longer, we’ll head down to the Harrison House Diner and I’ll answer any additional questions you might have.

When: Thursday, March 4, 2010. 830am – 1030am
Location: Gloucester County Library
Cost: $10 (and you do not have to be a member to attend)

TOPIC: Increasing Your Internet Presence – Starting with Twitter

Using the many free online tools (and almost free tools) is about working smarter not harder. Social media tools like Twitter allow you to meet prospects from all over the world, begin to build authentic relationships based on mutual interests and goals plus increase the reach of your business beyond your physical geography.

Session Objectives:

• What is Twitter?
• Why should I join?
• How do I get started?
• How much time will it take?
• Social media etiquette.
• Brief overview of other free, and almost free, online tools to help build your business and make more money.

Please Note: Although it is not a necessity, we encourage you to bring a laptop (and use the library’s free wifi) to make this a hands on experience.

For more information and to register go to:
http://www.whoscoming.com/njawbo-tri/Mar10Breakfast.html?trig=new

If you prefer a more personalized approach and want to set up a private session email me at: Sandy@TheDreamingCafe.com