Whose Dream Are You Building?
I was in the middle of writing a business proposal last week the kind with bullet points, projections, and promises, when I felt that familiar spark. The clarity, the conviction, the creativity.
And then it hit me…
I was about to pour my energy, my brainpower, and quite honestly, my heart, into building someone else’s dream.
Again.
Don’t get me wrong. Collaboration is a beautiful thing. And sometimes we do need income bridges while our own ideas take shape. But this wasn’t just a bridge. It was a detour. One that looked suspiciously like a shortcut back into safety, with someone else’s name on the door.
So why do we do this?
Why are we willing to go all-in for someone else's business... and hesitate to do the same for our own?
After some reflection (and a long mountain walk with a side of sarcastic inner monologue), I landed on this:
Hiding behind someone else’s logo feels safer than showing up behind our own.
When it’s your name on the proposal, your face on the homepage, your program on the line, the risk feels personal. The fear of rejection or judgment gets louder. So we duck. We cloak our value in someone else's brand. We choose “supporting role” energy over starring in our own show.
And that’s not a confidence problem. That’s a courage moment.
Because courage isn’t just about doing the scary thing. It’s about choosing to believe in your vision enough to back yourself, even when there’s no guarantee it’ll work.
So this week, I asked myself:
What would happen if I wrote that proposal for myself? (Clever suggestion from a fabulous fellow coach!)
What if I devoted the same clarity, effort, and conviction into my own ideas?
And what if the difference between “it didn’t work” and “I didn’t back myself” is a choice?
Because the truth is, I am capable of building something big.
And so are you.
But first, we have to stop hiding behind other people’s businesses and start showing up fully for our own.
Because your dream deserves your full attention, not just your spare energy.
