Play the 'Go Bigger' game to teach your kids to reach beyond the stars

Growing up, you might have been told there's a limit to how successful you can be. Like well-behaved children, we often didn't challenge those limits much. Sure, some of us rebelled, aiming to prove our parents wrong. Have you met a teenager? But ultimately, most of us stayed within those perceived boundaries.

Like many kids, I was also subject to limitations, but I don’t believe that there is an invisible bar that we can't rise above. Nope. I refuse.

There are endless examples of people who defied the odds and succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. These stories aren't made of miracles, and these people weren't given a special pass.

The key difference between those who push the limits and those who don’t is their belief that there are no boundaries. They believed they COULD succeed, and nothing held them back. They let themselves venture into realms beyond what most would consider possible. We receive from the universe precisely what we believe we're worthy of – no more, no less. So, why not aim for more?

So, when we set a bar and believe it's too high to clear, guess what? It becomes unbreakable causing us to shut down and pull back.

You may be thinking, "What bar? I don't have a bar." It's possible you may not even realize it, but if you ever uttered words like, "I can't, not me, I'm too this, I'm not enough that, not in this lifetime, etc." or scoffed at the very thought of having much more, then trust me, you have set a bar for yourself. Your kids probably limit themselves to that same bar too.

The good news? Just like rules, limitations are made to be broken. The key is to stretch our minds beyond the usual limits. Have you ever envisioned the perfect vacation, relationship or dream home, and then put on the brakes because it's too crazy of an idea?

Well, that’s where my Go Bigger Game comes in.

As a mom, it is super-important to teach my kids shortcuts to help them in the long run. This includes not putting limitations on their lives. I 100% believe they can achieve anything, and it's my job to teach them that.

So, when my then 11-year-old daughter and I went for a walk in the park, I thought it would be fun to introduce her to a game that I made up. I am pretty good on the fly, and while I knew what I wanted to achieve by playing the game, it didn’t yet have a name. We later coined it the “Go Bigger Game."

I explained that the objective was to name something we each wanted, and the other person would challenge them to go bigger and bigger. Per her request, I went first.

I told her I wanted a huge master bedroom complete with a large master bath and an attached master closet.

“Go bigger,” she said.

I expanded my wish to a large master suite in a huge house.

“Go bigger.”

A huge master suite, in a huge house, which was one of four houses.

“Go bigger.”

By the end of the round, I owned six huge houses around the world and traveled often. My favorite spot was our vacation villa on the Almalfi coast with amazing sea views.

We played the game for two fun laps around the park, laughing as our dreams grew from small wishes to big adventures. At first, my daughter just wanted a whiteboard. A whiteboard! But by the end, she dreamed of being an artist living in Paris with a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. She had an entourage of exotic animals including a sloth named Pickles. Now that’s more like it!

While we laughed and had fun envisioning all our adventures, we both stretched not only our imaginations but also our goals. We allowed ourselves to dream big and any silly bars we started the game with, were gone.

Why can't we dream big, be happy and have all that we want?

The answer is simple: we can if we allow ourselves to believe anything is possible. So, tonight at dinner, play the Go Bigger Game and allow your kids (and you) to dream, then go bigger and watch the magic begin.

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” – Christopher Reeve

Joelene Wolfe is a mom, actor, writer & marketer who recently moved to the Triangle from the NY/NJ area. She strives to live every day to the fullest and really enjoys helping others do the same. For the record, she never gets tired of being serenaded with the song, Jolene. You can follow Joelene on Instagram @joeyinthetriangle