- Your Dream Can
Be Your Future
- by Chris Widener
Here is a basic truth you must
accept and believe if you are to achieve your dream.
Your dream can be a reality! That's right, your future can actually
see you living your dream. It doesn't just have to be a big wish!
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When we are young we are dreamers.
Nothing seems too big for us to accomplish. Nothing seems too
outrageous. The world is ours on a string as the old song goes.
Until.
"Reality" hits. Reality is what others want to box
you in with: "You can't do that." "Nobody has
ever done that before." "It will never work."
"You've gone off the deep end now!"
All dreamers (who eventually
become accomplishers) have heard these things. Yet they overcome
them. They refuse to accept someone else's "reality"
for their own life. They let the average people live their average
lives, bound by fear, while they pursue their chosen future -
their dream! So don't believe the people who tell you that you
can't or won't. Believe your dream. Believe that it can be your
future!
Once you have determined that
you can actually live your dream, I want you to memorize this
acronym. |
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I shared it in an article a number
of months ago but I found that it is tremendously helpful for
reminding and motivating us
toward our dreams.
D is for Dare (dare to dream while others don't)
R is for Relentless (relentlessly pursue your dream no
matter what)
E is for Excellence (strive for excellence in all you
do)
A is for Abandon (abandon any other alternative plans)
M is for Measure (constantly measure where you are in
your dream journey)
Okay, that's great and motivating, but what about the practical
stuff? Well, there is certainly practical stuff. No matter how
lofty your dream, no matter how spectacular, you will live most
of your life in the mundane.
Richard Nixon said of the presidency
that you "campaign with poetry, but govern with prose."
The vision is beautiful, the actual is mundane (not bad but "everyday"
so to speak).
If you are to achieve your dream, you need to plan and work and
work and plan. Here are my thoughts on how to go about reaching
your dream and securing it as your future: Decide that you will
do it. This may seem elementary but many people never decide
and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking"
about it.
Tell others that you are going
to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming
about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for
no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You
must sit down and write out a few things:
1. A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
2. Action steps. Point-by-point what you will do
and when you will do them.
3. Resources you will need to draw from. What will
it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
4. An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from
time to time whether you are progressing or not.
5. A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should
already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!
I have found that there is no better time than now to start making
your dream a reality. So, set aside some time today to get started
on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for
the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did! |
