There was a time when I felt completely overwhelmed with my college studies. To clear my mind, I decided to take a drive and look at houses. For some reason, this simple activity had a way of centering me. It was something my cousins and I did often, turning it into a game of imagining the future. “One day, I’ll want this,” they’d say, pointing out beautiful homes.

But me? I didn’t really play along. I’d sit quietly, watching and thinking, I could never live in a place like that.

Looking back on my past and considering my current situation, it felt impossible to dream that big. How could I? My circumstances didn’t align with such thoughts. Yet, on this particular day, something shifted. For the first time, I let myself imagine living in one of those nice homes.

As I drove, I noticed a house with a “For Lease” sign in the front yard. I don’t know what came over me, but I called my husband and said, “We need to see this house.”

Here’s a little context: we had just moved into our first apartment after living with his grandma for six months. We were finally starting to adjust to life on our own. And now here I was, suggesting we look at a house. It sounded crazy.

But we went.

The owner, who was also the leasing agent, greeted us. After some discussion, he told us, “You don’t have what I usually look for in tenants. But for some reason, I feel like I need to lease this house to you.” He even said he didn’t understand why he felt this way.

Then we told him we couldn’t afford the rental price. It should’ve been the end of the conversation, right? But instead, we proposed something bold: if he reduced the price, we’d commit to staying for two years. To our shock, he agreed.

We walked away stunned.

That moment changed something inside me. Up until then, I had been so used to playing it safe. I didn’t dream big I focused on what felt manageable, what I thought I could handle. But this experience taught me to believe in the possibility of more.

Joyce Meyer once said, “I’d rather wish for some things and get some of them than wish for nothing and get all of it.” That resonates deeply with me now. What I thought I could never do or have opened the door to dreaming bigger—and I’m forever grateful for it.

Sometimes, we just need one moment, one step outside of our comfort zone, to realize that the limits we see are often the ones we’ve placed on ourselves.