Dream BIG – even without the qualifications!

From an early age, I've had countless dreams that I've abandoned. One of them was creating a home line. My constant creativity is inspired by how my mother continuously poured love into our home by nurturing each corner with unique designs and not limiting the functions of the pieces we had.

I spent many mornings watching her thoughtful and delicate creative process. Growing up,?I remember feeling inspired and irritated because although we had a beautiful home, it rarely felt familiar with the constant changes.?It wasn't until recently that I could draw out the real lesson behind it all.?

When I first launched my candles through Aiya Candle Co., it was a shadow version of my dream of creating a home line.?I attempted to dream big while playing small because I lacked confidence.?Aiya Candle Co. wasn't a success in the traditional sense of building a thriving business; it was, however, a catalyst. The constant changes and a deep desire to create something bigger than Aiya Candle Co. gave me the courage to go after my real dream of creating an entire home line. For the longest time, I Imposter syndromed my way out of my true desire, and I thought the only way I could dream big was if I had the credentials to do interior design and create beautiful home pieces.?Limiting yourself, not thinking and dreaming big out of fear feeds a false narrative in which you aren't worthy of your ideas and opportunities. Rule number one: give it your all, and . . .?

Trust the timing of your life

I've been leaning into the audacity of ideas – every idea that visits you is a seed of confidence.?To dream big, you need confidence.?I cannot always tell you what will come or when it will happen, but with every idea you lean into, your confidence only grows stronger! Thinking and dreaming big takes time. When I look over my life and how things have unfolded for me, things didn't happen right when I wanted or expected them to, but that didn't mean they weren't for me. Timing is everything, so as you dream big, trust the timing of your life.?Delayed gratification does not mean denied dreams.?

I didn't allow myself to think or dream big because?I thought confidence was the complete absence of negative thoughts, self-talk, risk, and doubt.?In this life, we will meet resistance time and time again, but trust me when I say that?the biggest indicator of you being on the right track towards you dream is resistance.?Our actions shouldn't be ruled by the, at times, overwhelming yet fleeting emotions that we have of not being capable of the things that we dream of. Whatever it is that you desire to do, why not you?

The true strength of character comes from the courage to give an idea a home without knowing the outcome. – Hayet Rida

We often seek outside validation, credentials, certificates – permission to dream big, even though?we are more than capable of executing every idea we're drawn to in this life at this very moment, just as we are.?Even when it feels impossible and unattainable – your passions are yours for a reason. Dreaming big is hard, but as?Glennon Doyle ?said,?you can do hard things. All it takes is the audacity to?break out of the box you've placed your dreams and yourself in.?I'm able to keep building because I have developed self-belief, and if I don't know how to do something, trust and believe that I will find someone that can and ask for help. You've got to move towards the hard things.?Dreaming big is only powerful when it's tied to action.

Much like my mother's eye for design, there are no limits to the home you can create for your ideas to exist and grow. There are no rules when it's yours. Own every single idea and opportunity that visits you.?Don't get distracted, be fazed, or quit because of the constant change around you. . . because change is inevitable.?Roll with it. Having the audacity to bet on myself, even without the qualification, has allowed me to introduce to you one of my biggest dreams –??Aiya Home ?launching 11.11.22

Always unfiltered,

Hayet Rida, Creative strategist & influencer