Dream Year

Dream Year Plot Summary

Introduction

Have you ever felt that spark of an idea, a vision so clear yet so distant that it both excites and terrifies you? That space between what could be and what is represents the playground of possibility where dreams take shape. Yet for many of us, this playground remains unexplored territory, bordered by the walls of fear, self-doubt, and the comfortable routines we've established. The journey from passion to reality isn't about having special talents or advantages others don't possess. It's about embracing a mindset that transforms frustration into fuel, rejection into resilience, and uncertainty into unwavering commitment. When you learn to dream without fear, you discover that your greatest limitations weren't external circumstances but the boundaries you placed on your own potential. The pages ahead will equip you with practical wisdom to break through these self-imposed limitations and create tangible pathways to turn your deepest passions into your daily reality.

Chapter 1: Embrace Frustration as Your Guide

Frustration is not your enemy—it's the compass pointing toward your true north. Most people respond to frustration by complaining or retreating, but visionaries channel that same energy into creating solutions. Your irritation with the status quo is actually the first flickering of purpose trying to illuminate your path. Consider Ben Nockels of Oklahoma City, who in 2010 discovered a statistic that wouldn't leave him alone: 408,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, with over 107,000 legally adoptable and yet without homes. This knowledge created a frustration that burned within him. Rather than just lamenting the problem, Ben joined a coaching program to develop a solution. Looking at his home state's situation—8,308 children in state custody with 1,500 additional families needed—he saw an opportunity where others saw only a heartbreaking statistic. Ben launched the 111 Project, mobilizing faith communities throughout Oklahoma with a simple but powerful concept: one church, one family, one purpose. He calculated that with 6,100 churches in Oklahoma, if each church committed just one family to fostering, no child would be without a home. The frustration that might have left others feeling helpless became Ben's catalyst for creating systematic change. Howard Schultz, who transformed Starbucks into the world's leading coffee brand, similarly allowed frustration to shape his vision. As a child, he watched his father—an uneducated blue-collar worker—fall into poverty and depression after an injury left him without income, health insurance, or worker's compensation. This personal frustration became the foundation for Starbucks' employee-focused culture, where even part-time staff receive health benefits and stock options. His father's struggle wasn't wasted; it became the emotional blueprint for creating a company that would treat employees differently. The path to bringing your dream to life begins with recognizing that your frustrations aren't random emotional responses—they're precise indicators of where your unique contribution is needed. Pay attention to what bothers you that doesn't seem to bother others. What injustice or inefficiency do you notice that makes you think, "Someone should do something about this"? That someone is you. To harness your frustration productively, start by journaling about the problems that consistently capture your attention. Then ask yourself: "If I could solve just one of these issues, which would create the most meaningful change?" Your answer will reveal not just a problem to solve, but a purpose to pursue. Remember, without frustration, you'd never even recognize your dream, let alone find the courage to chase it.

Chapter 2: Design a Vision That Matches Your True Self

Your dream isn't something you invent—it's something you uncover. Like an archaeologist carefully brushing away layers of dirt to reveal an ancient artifact, you must gently remove the accumulated expectations, influences, and fears that have buried your authentic vision. The dream that will sustain you must be aligned with who you truly are. Take the case of Thomas Boto, who joined a coaching program in 2012 to create an animated children's book series. As a father of two young boys, he wanted to read them bedtime stories that showcased nature's beauty while teaching values. After brainstorming, he developed "Owlegories"—stories about owl students who travel the world learning lessons from their adventures. When it came time to design the characters, Thomas hired an artist, but the results felt impersonal and computer-generated. After months of unsuccessful revisions, Thomas sent over some rough sketches that were simple yet compelling. When asked who drew them, he hesitantly admitted they were his own work. The revelation that followed changed everything. Thomas had loved drawing since childhood and even created the cover art for his high school yearbook. His grandmother was a gifted artist and calligrapher whose brother's artwork hung in the Smithsonian. One of his favorite school memories was creating a five-minute animation about "a snail that saves the world" in eighth grade. His dream of creating children's content wasn't random—it was woven into the fabric of his life experience, waiting to be rediscovered. Your authentic dream has a history—a timeline of clues scattered throughout your life. These aren't coincidences but breadcrumbs leading to your true calling. Think about the activities that absorbed you as a child, the subjects that still capture your attention today, and the work that energizes rather than depletes you. Within these patterns lies the essence of your authentic dream. To uncover your dream's blueprint, ask yourself these revealing questions: What frustrations repeatedly capture my attention? What work would I gladly do without pay? What skills come naturally to me that others find difficult? What themes keep reappearing in my life? Which activities make time seem to disappear? Your answers will reveal not just what you might do, but what you were designed to do. Remember that even seemingly "wasted" experiences contribute to your dream's evolution. Failed ventures, difficult jobs, and painful setbacks aren't detours—they're essential parts of your journey, providing skills, insights, and motivations that will prove invaluable. Your dream isn't waiting for you in some distant future; it's been traveling alongside you all along, gathering strength from every experience, preparing for the moment you finally recognize and embrace it.

Chapter 3: Create a Unique Model That Breaks Rules

Everyone has ideas. What separates dreamers from doers is not the quality of their ideas but the distinctiveness of their approach. In a world saturated with similar offerings, your dream needs more than passion—it needs a revolutionary model that challenges conventional wisdom and creates a category all its own. Robin Chase faced this challenge in 1999 when living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with just one car to share with her husband. She drove so infrequently that buying a second car seemed wasteful, yet occasionally needed transportation for short periods. Recognizing this underserved need—and sensing others shared it—she imagined a car-sharing service leveraging emerging internet and cell phone technology. In 2000, Robin raised funds from friends, recruited her husband as chief technology officer, and launched Zipcar by positioning four cars throughout Boston, each equipped with card readers allowing members who reserved online to access them. What made Zipcar revolutionary wasn't the concept of rental cars, but its unique model that broke industry rules. While traditional companies required in-person paperwork and returned vehicles to staffed locations during business hours, Zipcar created a self-service system accessible 24/7. This wasn't merely an improvement on rental cars—it was an entirely new category of transportation. The model proved so disruptive that in 2013, Avis purchased Zipcar for $500 million. Similarly, Fabien Riggall transformed the film industry when he created Secret Cinema in 2007. Noticing how music festivals engaged attendees through participation while film festivals merely required passive observation, he broke every rule of cinema-going. His events kept the film title secret until arrival, transported viewers to mysterious locations, and surrounded them with actors, props, and sets that brought the movie world to life. For a screening of Lawrence of Arabia, attendees were greeted by horsemen in Middle Eastern garb, led to Alexandra Palace in London, and watched from cushions in a marketplace filled with food vendors and performers. By 2012, Secret Cinema was selling out shows at $72 per ticket, outperforming local IMAX theaters. To create your own revolutionary model, start by listing all the rules and conventions in your industry. For each one, ask: "Why does this exist?" and "What would happen if we did the opposite?" Consider how Airbnb challenged the hotel industry by asking why strangers couldn't stay in people's spare bedrooms, or how Ben Milne created Dwolla by questioning why payment processors needed to take a percentage rather than a flat fee. Your opportunity lies not in copying existing frameworks but in identifying which rules can be productively broken. The best innovations often seem obvious in retrospect but revolutionary at inception. Remember, your unique advantage isn't just what you offer but how you offer it. The world doesn't need another version of what already exists—it needs your distinct vision that solves old problems in new ways.

Chapter 4: Build Financial Sustainability Through Value

Your passion deserves more than to remain a hobby. Dreams that change the world must be financially sustainable, not just emotionally fulfilling. Understanding the economic engine behind your vision isn't selling out—it's ensuring your impact can continue and grow over time. Duy Nguyen joined a coaching program in 2011 to help his struggling restaurant, Ozen, an Asian-fusion café in downtown Quebec that was losing money monthly. His first challenge wasn't culinary but financial—his revenue consistently fell short of expenses. Like many passionate entrepreneurs, Duy focused on the craft while neglecting the spreadsheet. When asked to show his financial records, the problem became clear: his numbers were scattered across different documents with no clear categorization of revenue and expenses. He was using spreadsheets to record data but not to guide decisions. The solution began with creating a structured financial model that organized expenses into clear categories—rent, food costs, payroll—while breaking down revenue into measurable streams: lunch sales, dinner sales, catering, and carryout. This financial clarity revealed which aspects of the business were performing well and which needed adjustment. By examining the model, Duy discovered that while lunch service thrived, dinner service struggled. With this insight, he implemented targeted changes: dimming lights in the evening, changing the music, adding new menu items, and giving lunchtime customers coupons for dinner visits. By treating each revenue stream as a separate business unit requiring individual attention, Duy transformed his restaurant's performance. Within three months, Ozen became profitable, and one year later, he opened two additional locations. The financial model held the key to his success. Creating your own sustainable model begins with this simple formula: Revenue – Expenses = Profit or Loss. While the equation is straightforward, finding the right balance requires thoughtful consideration. Start by identifying all possible revenue sources for your dream. Could you create tiered service packages? Develop digital products alongside physical ones? Offer consulting based on your expertise? The most resilient dreams often have multiple revenue streams—a portfolio that can weather changes in any single market. Next, create "levels of engagement" that allow people to experience your offering at different price points. Imagine an inverted triangle: at the top (widest part), offer something free that introduces people to your work. In the middle, create moderate-priced options that provide substantial value. At the bottom (narrowest part), design premium experiences for your most dedicated supporters. This approach allows people to "wade into the pool" rather than face an all-or-nothing decision. Finally, examine your expenses with ruthless honesty. Identify areas where costs can be reduced without compromising quality. Consider partnerships that share expenses, freelancers instead of full-time staff, and technology that automates processes. Remember, sustainability isn't about maximizing short-term profit—it's about creating a model where value flows continuously between you and those you serve, ensuring your dream can thrive for years to come.

Chapter 5: Execute with CEO Mindset, Not Employee Thinking

The gap between dreaming and doing often comes down to one crucial shift: moving from an employee mindset to a CEO mindset. Employees wait for instructions; CEOs create systems. Employees worry about hours; CEOs focus on outcomes. This transformation in thinking is essential for bringing your vision to life. A Dream Year participant once confessed, "My dream is less about who I am than who I need to be." This insight captures the fundamental challenge of execution. When you pursue a dream, the obstacles you face—procrastination, disorganization, fear of rejection—aren't just practical problems but symptoms of approaching your vision with an employee's perspective rather than a leader's. Consider how differently these mindsets approach the same tasks. When faced with an important phone call, an employee might postpone it indefinitely, while a CEO recognizes it as essential to moving forward. When confronting financial constraints, an employee sees immovable barriers, while a CEO creates separate financial statements for the dream that aren't limited by personal finances. The employee asks, "Who will tell me what to do?" The CEO asks, "What systems can I create to ensure this gets done?" One Dream Year participant struggled with this transition. As a full-time engineer with a modest coaching business on the side, he found himself operating at "120 percent capacity"—giving 60 percent to his job because of his dream and 60 percent to his dream because of his job. This unsustainable approach led to exhaustion and minimal progress. The breakthrough came when he shifted from an employee mindset (trading time for money through one-on-one coaching) to a CEO mindset (creating scalable offerings that could reach more people without requiring more time). He developed a conference for bloggers that generated higher revenue per person while simultaneously serving more clients. Within a year, this strategic shift allowed him to leave his engineering job and pursue his dream full-time. To cultivate your own CEO mindset, start by creating an organizational chart for your dream—even if you're the only person involved. Define the key roles: CEO, operations, marketing, sales, finance. Write YOUR NAME in each position if necessary, but treat each role as distinct. When wearing your CEO hat, focus on strategy and accountability. As your own operations manager, execute the plans efficiently. As your marketing director, consider how to build awareness. This separation creates psychological distance between your ordinary self (who might be tired, insecure, or unmotivated) and your CEO self (who maintains unwavering commitment to the vision). It allows you to hold yourself accountable in ways that would be impossible otherwise. Remember, no great dream has ever been accomplished through sporadic effort. Success comes from creating systems that ensure consistent progress—schedules that don't bend to moods, processes that don't depend on inspiration, and accountability that doesn't accept excuses.

Chapter 6: Ask Boldly and Handle Rejection

The moment you begin pursuing your dream, you become a rainmaker—someone responsible for generating opportunities, resources, and connections. This role requires one essential skill that many dreamers resist: making bold asks and handling the inevitable rejections that follow. Bob Goff, an attorney and founder of Restore International, demonstrates the surprising power of asking. On September 11, 2001, as Bob processed the tragic news with his children over breakfast, his daughter had an audacious idea: writing letters to world leaders requesting personal meetings with them. Though skeptical, Bob helped his children retrieve addresses from the CIA website and set up a post office box. To their astonishment, replies began arriving—some polite rejections, but also acceptances from Bulgaria, Switzerland, Israel, and ultimately twenty-nine countries in total. Bob and his children visited each leader who said yes, forming connections that would later support his humanitarian work—all because they made an ask that most would consider impossible. Making asks feels uncomfortable because we fear rejection. We imagine worst-case scenarios: humiliation, burned bridges, damaged relationships. Yet in reality, rejection rarely proves as devastating as anticipated. When Justin Wise, a Dream Year participant, wanted to attend financial guru Dave Ramsey's exclusive EntreLeadership event priced at $4,000, he faced a choice: accept his financial limitations or make a bold request. Justin emailed Dave directly, explaining his desire to attend despite lacking funds. A week later, Dave not only invited him as a guest but covered his airfare and hotel room as well. The secret to effective asking lies in understanding that people aren't opposed to helping—they're just busy. When someone doesn't respond to your first outreach, it rarely means rejection; more likely, your message was lost among countless others demanding attention. Persistence matters. As one executive advised, "At the moment when you think you're harassing them, they're just starting to notice you." When planning important asks, remember these principles: First, frame your request around the other person's interests, not just yours. A publisher wants to sell books. A hotel chain wants to fill rooms. Second, start with a small ask (like a brief phone call) before making larger requests. Third, build relationships before making significant asks—make friends first, sales later. Fourth, consider who should make the request—sometimes a mutual connection carries more influence than you would alone. Perhaps most importantly, never say no for other people—that's their job. When you assume rejection without asking, you deny others the opportunity to participate in something meaningful. Babe Ruth, known as baseball's home run king, also held the career strikeout record for decades. The very thing that brought him failure—swinging at many pitches—was precisely what brought him success. Similarly, your willingness to face rejection will distinguish you from others who harbor similar dreams but lack the courage to act on them. Rejection isn't just something to endure—it serves a purpose. It might be redirecting you to a better path, developing the emotional resilience your dream requires, or serving as a barrier that keeps less committed dreamers from succeeding in your field. With each rejection, you grow stronger and move one step closer to the "yes" that will transform your vision into reality.

Chapter 7: Build Your Platform One Connection at a Time

Even the most brilliant dream remains invisible without a platform to share it. Your platform—the community of people who follow your work, engage with your ideas, and support your endeavors—is the bridge between your vision and its impact on the world. In 2006, Scott Harrison reached a turning point in his life. After spending ten years promoting nightclubs and fashion events in New York, living what he described as a "selfish and decadent life," he volunteered as a photojournalist with Mercy Ships in Africa. There, he discovered that 80 percent of the diseases he encountered were caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. On his thirty-first birthday, September 7, 2006, Scott invited friends to a party in New York, asking them to donate $20 for clean drinking water instead of buying gifts. By the end of the night, they had raised $15,000, which funded repairs and construction of wells at a Ugandan refugee camp. From this modest beginning, charity: water was born. What made Scott's organization succeed when so many similar causes struggle wasn't just his passion but his platform—the network of relationships he had built during his nightclub years. Rather than abandoning these connections after his values changed, Scott leveraged them to launch a movement that has now funded over 100,000 water projects serving 15 million people. Building your own platform starts with identifying your area of expertise—the one thing you can become known for. Sarah Bray puts it simply: you should be able to fill in this blank: "I am the __________________ guy/gal." This specificity isn't limiting; it's clarifying. It helps people understand exactly what you offer and makes you memorable in a crowded marketplace. The more specific your expertise, the more readily people will seek you out when they need precisely what you provide. Once you've identified your expertise, choose the medium that best showcases your talents. Not everyone thrives as a blogger or social media personality. Perhaps you excel at organizing in-person gatherings, creating visual content, or delivering powerful presentations. Elliott Bisnow discovered his platform by inviting young entrepreneurs to ski trips and retreats, which evolved into Summit Series—now ranked among the country's top business gatherings. Amanda Hocking built her platform by self-publishing paranormal romance novels on Amazon, selling 1.5 million copies before securing a multimillion-dollar publishing contract. Whatever medium you choose, focus on delivering consistent value over time. People follow those who consistently solve problems, provide insights, or create experiences they can't get elsewhere. Start small—quality matters more than quantity in the beginning. Aim to cultivate what Kevin Kelly calls "1,000 True Fans"—people so deeply connected to your work that they'll support everything you create. Remember that your platform grows one genuine connection at a time. Ree Drummond, "The Pioneer Woman," began her blog simply to keep in touch with family while living on an Oklahoma farm. By consistently sharing authentic stories about her life, cooking, and family, she built a following that now reaches millions of monthly readers, has spawned bestselling cookbooks, and led to her own Food Network show. Her success came not from chasing numbers but from forming real connections with readers who saw themselves in her stories.

Summary

The journey from dream to reality is not about having extraordinary abilities—it's about taking ordinary courage and applying it consistently. Throughout these pages, we've seen how frustration becomes fuel, how financial clarity creates sustainability, and how bold requests open doors that seemed permanently closed. As Howard Schultz wisely observed, "It will crush your heart like nothing else. It will deliver the most disappointing setbacks, but also the most extraordinary moments in life." Your dream isn't waiting for perfect circumstances or divine intervention—it's waiting for your decision to begin despite uncertainty. Start today by identifying one small, concrete step you can take in the next 24 hours. Perhaps it's registering a domain name, scheduling a conversation with a potential mentor, or simply writing down your vision in detail. The size of the step matters less than the direction it takes you. Remember: ships in harbor are safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Your life gains meaning not from what you imagine but from what you dare to create.

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Ben Arment

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