What’s your dream? I believe we all have one. Or a few. I have a few, but there is THAT one. The one that means a lot, the one that has a BIG part of my heart. About 13 years ago I was sitting at a training for a call center position, and it was extremely boring. My mind started to go into daydream mode, and then all of a sudden an idea of a little boy with a magical watch popped in my head. I truly believe that idea was from God. I wrote down a story on a napkin, and I asked the lady sitting next to me would she ever read this to her children, and she said yes! During my break, I called my brother on the phone and I told him about the idea. He is a digital arts major and he’s super talented. He was excited about it, and saw the vision from the beginning.

Well that was in 2005. For 5 years I never did anything with the idea, except write a few stories here and there. When I became a substitute teacher with the Broward County School Board, I saw a poster with an apple with “core” character traits; cooperation, responsibility, citizenship, kindness, respect, honesty, self-control, and compassion. That’s when I connected the two, and I decided to write a story based on each one of the character traits. By that time I already had 2 kids, and I was familiar with a lot of the cartoons that were out  such as Backyardigans, Dora, Wonder Pets, and more! One thing they all had in common was there was a formula for each story. Kids like to know what’s coming next, even if the story is different. To make a long story short, in the summer of 2010 I wrote 8 adventure stories that focused on a little boy with a magical watch. His name is Peacebe. The name of the series is titled, The Adventures of Peacebe and the Heartwatch. Heartwatch can make Peacebe fly, transform, become invisible and so much more! There’s nothing he won’t do to teach Peacebe what it means to be a kid with character! After writing the 8 stories I shared it with my brother, and we were under the impression that he could finish illustrating all 8 stories by the end of that summer. Boy were we wrong! It was new to both of us, so neither of us understood the magnitude of work it takes to create something from scratch. In 2012, we were not even finished with the first story. However, a lot of work was done for the series, but a full book wasn’t finished yet. I sat down with my brother and told him thank you so much for everything, but I decided that I would pitch the idea to literary agents in New York, because it just seemed that we weren’t getting far at all. I let it go, and let God. Well, 1 week later, my other brother Paul, decided to invest in our vision, and we founded Peacebe and the Heartwatch, LLC. in 2012.

The summer of 2014 all 8 books were ready to print. However, all the money my brother invested was already spent. We decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign and successfully raised  over $10,000 from family and friends to go to print. We printed 300 sets of books. Our series was approved by the Broward County School Board, and today we are currently in 30 schools! Peacebe has come a long way! We have a mascot and have done readings at several schools and libraries in Florida. We also have a theme song that was produced by a Grammy Award winning music producer, Fredrick “Bam” Scott! We have 8 printed books, coloring pages, certificates, a website, posters, stickers, pens, pencils, shirts, bags, and more! (As I type that, I truly understand that we really have come a long way!) With all of those blessings there were definitely challenges that came along with it. Late nights, exhaustion, a lot of tears, doubt, frustration, fear, wanting to quit, others suggesting it’s a waste of time and money, and a lot of other negative experiences and feelings. However, I’ve learned that we have to rise above our feelings, and push through towards our purpose.

Here’s the truth. Although we have come a long way, and we are super grateful, we are definitely not where we want to be.  The ultimate goal for Peacebe is for it to become a popular animated series one day, and reach many children around the world. I see the need for more positivity and light in this world, and who better to get that message to than our children. The story line for the cartoon would be a little different than our character series, but our character series will always have a place in schools. I love kids, and getting them excited about being kids with character in a fun and exciting way is one of my missions.

Although I am passionate about my mission,  my reality right now is my husband and I have 4 kids and another company which takes up most of our time. We have bills, laundry, house work, homework, practices, meetings, games, and a busy life like everyone else! So how do I make time to balance my dream with my reality. Honestly, I MAKE the time. It could be when the kids are sleeping or when they are at school, but I find a way to MAKE the time. For the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time doing other things, but recently I’ve been thinking about Peacebe, more than usual, and I realized now is the time to go all in. This time last year my husband and I took a leap of faith and left our jobs, and what I learned from that leap of faith is God provides. Now, for this year I am going to be more intentional about going after my dream relating to Peacebe! We have a few things in the making for Peacebe, and another partner on board that is very connected and knowledgable, so the timing is perfect. There are still a lot of things that I need to focus on to make this dream a reality, despite the many hats I wear.

I read one of the BEST quotes a few days ago, it said, “A possibility is a hint from God. One must go after it.” There is a possibility that Peacebe can be a cartoon and positively impact many kids around the world, but I’ll never truly know if I don’t go after it with my absolute best effort. Same for YOU and YOUR dream! You can start that business, write that book, lose that weight, leave that job, write that script, produce that song, make that movie, write that blog, start that school, move to that place, be that person, run that race, start that church, build that nonprofit, win that battle, pay that debt, forgive that hurt, build that credit, read that book, dance that dance, sing that song, paint that painting, design that outfit, market that brand, break that habit, you CAN live your BEST life despite the trials you’ve been through. You CAN go after THAT dream, even if your current reality is time consuming and exhausting at times. Just continue to keep the faith and keep the fight, and always remember your dream is BIGGER than you! I truly believe our dreams are meant to encourage, motivate and strengthen others. Holding onto that helps me balance my dream with my reality. I continue to put my trust in God, and realize that things happen on His timeline, and not by my deadlines. However, I have to do my part, by giving my best. I’m excited for what the next year will bring, and looking forward to finding a healthy balance of going after my dream, and embracing and enjoying every minute of my crazy, exhausting, beautiful reality. I hope YOU find a way to go after your dream. The first step is to START. Hope this can be a blessing to someone, somehow. God Bless!

Scripture:

Do not grow weary in doing good, because you will reap a harvest if you do not not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

Tips on how to balance your dream with your reality:

1. God and Family first- My husband and kids know they are more important than my dream, because they are. I make them a part of the process, and keep them in the loop with all the ups and downs, and they all know God is my #1.
2. Have Fun- Life can be exhausting, but have fun and make great memories with the people you love.
3. Time Management- With all the different hats that I wear I try to wear one at a time. The confusion comes when I try to put on 3 hats at a time. For example I wouldn’t try and write a story when my daughter needs help with her homework or I wouldn’t write this blog post with all the kids awake..lol 🙂
4. Purpose-For years I was afraid to even share my dream with others. Then over time, I realized that my dream has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with God’s purpose! I realized what a blessing it can be to children, and that’s what keeps me going.

Check out Peacebe’s website and Instagram and follow us on our journey!

www.peacebekids.com

www.instagram.com/peacebekids