This past weekend, I attended the eWomenNetwork International Conference in Dallas, Texas. To the right is one of the photos snapped of my friends Heather Atherton, Kristi LeGue, and I at the Gala celebration on the first night.

From speakers, to breakout sessions, to networking, this year I truly felt like a powerful underlying message was being communicated – THINK BIG and Invest in Yourself.

Thinking big isn’t just about setting a goal. It is about opening your mind and heart to the possibilities that lay ahead. It is about opening your arms to the universe and saying, “I accept.” Now, what is meant to happen for you may not come at the time you think it should, or in the way you think it should, but it will come when you are ready for it, and when the world is ready for it.

Thinking big is about creating a vision of where you want to be in one year, three years, five years, and even in ten years, and then creating a step-by-step plan of how you are going to make your vision a reality. It is about looking at what you are, and are not willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals. It is about understanding how hard you are going to have to work to get to your destination and being willing to put in the time and effort.

To succeed, entrepreneurs need four things: determination, passion, a big idea, and action. Thinking big is about knowing you can do anything and achieve anything you put your mind to as long as you are willing to never give up and go the distance. It is about saying NO MORE NO, ONLY HOW! It is, according to Lisa Nichols (The Secret), about saying NO MATTER WHAT to one thing and going for it until you achieve it, stretching so far to reach it that you don’t even recognize yourself!

In order to think big and truly believe you are capable of achieving your goals, you must invest in yourself, in your skills, and in your mindset. You need to give and serve yourself first, to ensure you are giving your best to others. One of my favorite quotes from this past weekend was from Lisa Nichols. She urged us to, “Fill your own cup until it overflows, then serve others from your saucer.”

How does this apply to you? Often times as entrepreneurs, we are so focused on giving and serving others – our clients, our prospects, our children, our spouses, our friends, our volunteer organizations – that we leave very little time to serve ourselves. We work and work to give and share and provide, and in the end many times we are left exhausted, burned out, and drained. You may even feel at some point like you have no more left to give.

So, I urge you from this moment on to serve yourself. Make yourself a priority on your to do list. Nourish your mind, your heart, and your soul with good food and valuable information. Take time to rest, replenish, and relax so that when you are ready to tackle a new goal, you have the energy and the fuel you need to make it happen NO MATTER WHAT!

Are you thinking BIG?