Angela Breidenbach is a captivating speaker, coach, and author of A Healing Heart from the Abingdon Press Quilts of Love series, Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-Filled Life (women’s Bible study & small group book), and countless articles, devotions, and compilations. She is certified in mentor/peer counseling as a CTA life coach, a Stephen Minister, and a weight-loss/nutrition/fitness coach. Angela volunteers as the Christian Author Network’s public relations director. Her professional positions include editor with Choose Now Publishing and support editor for the Thinking About Suicide blog. Angela is owned by #Muse, the dog-like cat whose antics and articles can be found on his own blog, A-Muse-ings. #Muse also knows social media and visits Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, sharing his favorite books as the most well-read cat in the world. http://www.AngelaBreidenbach.com (& A-Muse-ings) Twitter/Pinterest: @AngBreidenbach Facebook Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/AngelaBreidenbachInspirationalSpeakerAuthor)

After years of trying, I hadn’t achieved any of my dreams. I didn’t know how to turn a dream into a goal. I had to get educated. But at my age? I’d been raising kids and working to feed them, while other women went to college and blossomed into their true callings. My calling felt foreign after ignoring it for so long. Was it a mirage? When could I call myself a real writer? Confidence wasn’t exactly in my vocabulary.

I decided to attend a writer’s meeting. At the door, my resolve almost melted. I didn’t want to be embarrassed among people who knew the craft while I knew nothing. People with college degrees to my onecommunity college creative writing class.

Desire overcame fear when I asked myself, “Would I be happy to die never trying?” I pictured myself in old age, looking back, eyes wrought with regret. The fear of failure lessened in the aged face of regret. The goal outweighed the fear. I walked in . . .

I needed a holistic view of my career as a part of my future, but I didn’t know how to get where I wanted to go.

The word holistic hit me full force. POP! Fireworks blazed. I had to stop making it about achieving the goal and make it about creating a fulfilled lifestyle. This fulfillment had to incorporate my whole life to be sustainable. I learned about my likes, dislikes, sleep cycles, and biorhythms for optimum productivity. I learned about my talents, strengths, and the writing industry. I found other writers to watch and learn from as mentors. And I gained confidence with each new step toward my career goals.

Today I’ve been blessed to publish numerable freelance articles, nonfiction and fiction books, and to speak nationwide. Now I coach other writers toward their dreams. God had a plan for my career, and He does for yours too. Think about such things.

How do you translate a dream into an attainable goal?
In business, problem solving starts at the end and works backward. If disaster occurs, start at the disaster and trace the steps back to where the problem began. Holes in communication or the breakdown in procedures are more visible. It’s a great practice for goal setting, too.

Work from the farthest date and note deadlines in reverse to create a steady and consistent schedule with each goal. Write on your planning calendar when these smaller goals need to be completed and constantly review how you’re doing in following your plan.

Living a holistic, fulfilled life and reaching goals become a part of that life organically. Confidence is not natural. It’s built intentionally, one degree at a time, by keeping the lovely dream in mind. Every small success is a foundational brick in a confidence mansion.

Recipe for a Holistic, Fulfilled Life
1. Think on the goal. Let it grow noble and lovely and bigger than the fear.
2. Be willing to learn what you need to reach your goal.
3. Change must be integrated holistically into your life.
4. Change one degree (one thing) at a time for long-term success.
5. Be consistent by breaking down goals into small steps and schedule each step.
6. Talk about plans and goals.
7. Allow questions about progress to create natural accountability with people who care.