Episode 5 of Never Stop Dreaming BIGGIE breaks down the essential framework for turning visions into reality

“It was all a dream…” but what’s the difference between a dream that stays on your vision board and one that becomes your reality?

In this week’s episode of Never Stop Dreaming BIGGIE, I’m diving deep into something I’m incredibly passionate about – the critical difference between dreams and goals, and why ambitious women absolutely need both to build something extraordinary.

The Great Confusion: Dreams vs Goals

Here’s what I see happening all the time: women get these two concepts completely mixed up. They think having a dream means they have a goal, or they set goals without any connection to what truly lights them up inside.

Dreams are what make your heart race and give you goosebumps. They’re those expansive visions that call to your soul – the things you think about when you’re falling asleep, the possibilities that make you feel like you’re on your favorite ride at Disney World, completely surreal and exciting. Dreams don’t come with timelines or specific metrics, but they create the emotional fuel for everything you’re about to build.

Goals, on the other hand, are the bridge between your dreams and reality. They’re specific, measurable, achievable steps that move you toward your vision. Think of goals as your dream’s GPS coordinates – they tell you exactly where you need to go and how to get there.

My Personal Dream-to-Done Journey

For 29 years, I built my career in PR and events. I was really good at it – successful, well-paid, naturally talented. But during COVID, when I lost everything, I had to face a difficult truth: just because I’m good at something and it makes money doesn’t mean I should keep doing it.

I started praying and asking God to show me what I was really meant to be doing. The visions that came were about mentoring women, creating communities, helping ambitious entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality on a bigger platform. These weren’t just passing thoughts – they were persistent, heart-racing dreams that wouldn’t leave me alone.

The breakthrough moment came during a hurricane relief trip to Asheville. Our church hike was cancelled because of Hurricane Helene’s devastation, so I organized a group of women to go help with disaster relief instead. We stayed at this incredible place overlooking a lake, and from the porch, I could see a huge, illuminated cross on a hill.

Standing under that cross, I felt God’s presence wash over me. A week later, I woke up in the middle of the night with complete clarity. I got up and wrote down everything – every vision, every passion, every skill I wanted to use. That’s when The Brighter Side Society was born.

But here’s the key: that dream only became reality because I coupled it with concrete goals.

The Four Essential Goal Types Every Female Entrepreneur Needs

When you’re ready to transform your dreams into reality, you need to focus on four foundational goal categories:

1. Systems Goals

This is where most people skip ahead, but you can’t build anything lasting without solid systems. I’m talking about your business structure – LLC, 501c3, whatever applies. Your bank accounts, legal documents, organizational tools. I use Notion for everything and love it, but find what works for your brain and commit to it.

2. Revenue Goals

You need money to make big things happen. Don’t just hope for the best – work backward from your target. With The Holmestead project, we have a specific financial target, and I know exactly how much that means per year, how many partners we need, how much income needs to come from my other businesses to funnel into the bigger project.

3. Impact Goals

What transformation do you want to create? For me, it’s helping ambitious women accomplish big dreams and goals – whether in business, family life, or personal growth. Your impact goal becomes your North Star when motivation gets low.

4. Implementation Goals

These are your tactical, everyday objectives. Write a business plan. Build a team. Launch social media. Create marketing materials. These goals turn your vision into actionable steps you can check off your list.

The Dream-to-Done Method in Action

Here’s my five-phase framework for bridging dreams and reality:

Phase 1: Dream Expansion – Allow yourself to think bigger than you currently believe is possible. I want The Brighter Side Society to reach tens of thousands of women. I want Like Minded Charleston to grow to hundreds of members. I want this podcast to reach millions. Think big first.

Phase 2: Dream Distillation – Get crystal clear on what you really want. Use meditation, prayer, breath work – whatever quiets the noise. Write it down. The more emotionally connected you become, the more likely it is to manifest.

Phase 3: Reality Assessment – Honestly evaluate where you are right now. What resources do you have? What skills? What connections? This isn’t about talking yourself out of anything – it’s about being strategic.

Phase 4: Gap Analysis – What do you need to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be? Skills, knowledge, connections, money, team members?

Phase 5: Goal Hierarchy – Create connected stepping stones. For The Brighter Side Society: The dream was helping women achieve big things. The 3-year goal is 1,000 active members. The 1-year goal was launching successfully. The 90-day goal was beta testing with 50 founding members. This week’s goal was refining the program based on feedback.

The Power of Honest Evaluation

Success requires constant, honest evaluation. Not to beat yourself up, but to stay responsive to what’s actually working. With The Brighter Side Society, I continuously ask members for feedback. I take notes during every session. I pray about whether this is really what God wants me doing and how He wants me doing it.

Some things haven’t taken off exactly as I planned, and that’s okay. The goal isn’t perfection – it’s responsiveness to real results and staying connected to your why.

Why Most People Give Up Too Soon

I have a sign on my desk that I look at every day: “Do not give up.” That’s the number one reason big dreams don’t come true – people abandon them right before breakthrough.

Building something meaningful is hard work. It’s going to be discouraging. It’s not going to unfold exactly as planned. You might need a side job to pay bills while building your dream business. That’s not failure – that’s strategy.

The magic happens in that space between visionary thinking and practical action. Dreams provide the direction, goals provide the pathway. Without dreams, goals feel empty. Without goals, dreams remain fantasies.

Your Challenge This Week

Take time to quiet the noise around you. Use breath work, meditation, prayer – whatever works for you. Think about what truly lights you up and makes you excited. Write it down.

Then identify one dream that’s calling to you and create three specific goals with deadlines to make it happen. Share them with someone who will hold you accountable, or better yet, post them in our community.

Finding Your Community

The women in The Brighter Side Society and Like Minded Charleston are doing exactly this work – turning big dreams into reality through practical goal-setting and community support. These aren’t just networking groups – they’re spaces where ambitious women learn the building blocks for making anything big happen in life.

Like our featured member Amy Griffin, who’s building her Pinterest marketing business while creating genuine connections with other Charleston entrepreneurs. Amy understands that success isn’t just about individual achievement – it’s about lifting each other up and creating community.

The Truth About Big Dreams

Your dreams aren’t getting any smaller, so why should your actions? The question isn’t whether you’re capable of achieving what’s calling to your heart – it’s whether you’re willing to couple those dreams with the practical goals and persistent action required to make them reality.

Remember: behind every woman living her biggest dreams is a clear vision coupled with concrete steps, supported by a community that believes in her success.

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Ready to transform your biggest dreams into actionable goals? Join The Brighter Side Society, where ambitious women learn the building blocks for making anything big happen in life. Learn more at sipindipity.com.

Listen to Never Stop Dreaming BIGGIE every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts. Connect with Angel Holmes on Instagram @angelpholmes and join our community at @neverstopdreamingbiggie.