Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams

Close your eyes and tell me what you see when you dream of your future? What kind of work are you doing? Where do you live? What does your family life look like? What is your economic status?

Dreams are a good thing. Everyone dreams – some just take their dream to the next level. They dream in more vivid detail and dream on purpose. I want to be an on-purpose dreamer. Care to join me?

Aristotle once said … “The soul never thinks without a picture.”

Paint a picture of your future. Splash on some bright orange. Mix in a dab of yellow. Surely there is a place for a touch of blue, and some pink and rose. Paint to your heart’s content, but paint your picture for your soul’s sake. Use a big canvass for your painting. Make a large statement. People might just marvel at your dream and come along and help you reach it.

A wise man once said “Once I see it I will be it.” We see it first in our mind’s eye, and then we move in the direction of our dreams and our dominant thoughts.

But we have to create a clear image of the end result. That is what empowers us toward achieving the desired end.

This quote hangs in a prominent place in my office.

“Only Those Who Can See

the Invisible Can Accomplish

the Impossible.”

It all starts with hopes and dreams. Then comes the doing. Dreams without action are like flowers without rain. They wither and die for lack of nourishment.

Give your dreams feet and wings. Allow them to grow, to run and soar to heights yet unseen, all because you dreamed and nourished the dream.

FEET
AND
WINGS!

I like that




Can you spend a few hours some morning on your dream? Go off by yourself, take a pen and paper, or your computer, get a nice cup of coffee and sit and think about your dreams. Ask this question …


“What would I do

if I knew

I could not fail?”

The answer to this question will give you a real sense of what beats inside of you.

Whatever the answer is, write it down, live with it for a while. Write down all of the possibilities for a dynamic life in pursuit of your dream. See where your thoughts take you.

My dream? To be a writer and speaker and reach thousands, even millions of people!!!

There! I said it out loud.

Some may say, “But you’re older now. Come on. Don’t you need to adjust your dreams just a bit?”

No way. If I’m gonna dream, I’m gonna dream big and bold and OUT LOUD.

Henry David Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.”

The Jump

Sometimes we just have to make the jump. We have to jump from where we are to where we want to be. 

Kevin Hall has a word for this in his book Aspire.  The word is “Ollin”.  It means “all in” 

Full commitment. 

     Full speed ahead. 

          No turning back. 

               No second guessing. 

When you know what to do, and it’s time to do it, then go ahead and make the jump. 

I love this quote I found in my files: 

“The jump is so frightening between where I am

and where I want to be…because of all I may become,

I will close my eyes and leap!”

Mary Anne Radmacher

So, close your eyes and leap. 

I’ve done that a few times.  I’ve gone for it.  I’ve stepped out, with no sign of a step or board or safety net to catch me.  No brass band played.  No one paid much attention except me.  But I’ve made the leap a few times.  I’ve stepped out in faith. 

And now …

I’m still here. 

I’m still living and breathing. 

I’m still alive and able to look back on those moments of faith when I abandoned all to the possibility of success.

Yeah, that’s it … I’ve abandoned myself to the possibility.

            Possibility! 

“Possibility” is wrapped in a hint of the “unknown” and sprinkled in is a lot of “what-if”.

But just think of what might be possible.   

What could be possible if only I would ___________?

I’ve made moves before when I wasn't sure if that town or state really held what I hoped for.

I’ve taken jobs when I wasn’t sure of where I’d end up.

I’ve invested money into plans and dreams with no real assurance that I was investing with assured success.

 

But I’ve made the leap.  And look at the benefits. 

 Knowledge I didn’t have before

   People who have turned into friends

    Expanded life experiences

Not to mention a journal full of stuff I can write about. 

Some people say that getting out of bed is a gamble.  Driving my automobile on the interstates of Seattle is a gamble every day.  But I have to get out of my driveway and make the journey in order to arrive at my destination. 

That’s the end we all seek, isn’t it?              

                              

        The destination. 

Where might you end up?

What is your destination?

What are your hopes?

What do you dream of accomplishing?

Maybe it’s time to make the jump. 

What might you become?

People who make parachute jumps know that the instructor gets on the plane with you for your first jump.  When it is time to make the jump you are instructed to stand in the open doorway and place your hands on a handle overhead.  If you don’t release your grip in a timely manner after he says “jump” your instructor will gently rap on your knuckles forcing you to release your grip and make the jump.  

 After all, parachuting is all about jumping. 

 Is it time for you to jump?

“The jump is so frightening between where I am 

and where  I want to be…because of all I may become, 

I will close my eyes and leap!” 

 Mary Anne Radmacher

The Answer Is in the Doing

I’m here. My dream is over there. There is a gulf between us. What am I to do?

Why, keep on doing, of course.

Ever felt that way? Perhaps you feel that way now.

The road is long and I’m so tired.
--Keep going.

I’ve put out nearly a hundred resumes.
--Put out one more.

Yet another round of treatments. When will this end?
--Go for another round. Your cure may be just around the corner.

But I’ve reached out to him time and again. He keeps rejecting me.
--Reach out one more time. Maybe ten more times.

I’ve told her a thousand times how to make that work. When will she ever learn?
--Tell her a few more times. She’ll get it soon.

I’ve trained; I’ve tried; I’ve put in the hours, yet they keep passing me over for my next promotion. I’m so discouraged.
--Keep training. Keep improving. You work is not in vain.

He’s hurt me so many times. I don’t have any more left to give.
--Keep giving and forgiving. An apology; a change is coming soon. Have hope.

I’ve taken that test three times already, and every time I’ve missed passing it by a few points. I give up.
--Don’t give up just yet. I know a guy who took the bar exam 17 times before passing it. See, it can be done. Just do it.

I’ve practiced this piece for a month now and I still sound like a beginner. Help!
--Practice more, only this time with perfect practice. Slow the passages down, perfect them, and then put them together.

I’ve written page after page until I’m blue in the face, and nobody is paying attention. Will I ever become a recognized and published author?
--Yes. One word, one phrase, one idea at a time. The answer is in the doing.

What did you say?



"The
answer is in
the
doing."







It’s true in all of life – music, relationships, education, medicine, recovery.

The answer is in the doing!

What are you doing?

Are you about to quit?

Don’t give up.
Keep trying.
Have a little faith.
You can if you think you can.
Try, try again.
Keep going back for more.
Learn from past failures.
Get back up on the horse.
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.

I Choose

It’s quiet here in our home where I sit. The sun is still below the horizon. It’s cold out. There is frost on the windows. The streets are still. No dogs bark; no cats meow. Few birds are up and about their business yet.

I think about my day.

I plan.
     I dream.
          I speculate.

Soon it will be time to choose.

My feet, my automobile could take me a dozen places today.
I could visit some less-than-righteous places if I choose. I could speak words that are harmful to someone.



I could read material that is demeaning, harmful, causing less than uplifting thoughts.

I could choose these things you know.

I know some people – I call them friends – and they are of a different culture from me. I could think less of them just because they think differently. I could show a severe attitude of distrust, even hatred just because they are different. I could belittle them, ignore them, talk down to them, and hate them.

I could call someone up and give them a large slice of my mind for offending me in some way. I could do that.

I could cheat someone out of a financial gain today. I could pay less, or complain in hopes of getting something more in return, if I choose to.

I could lie to my wife; I could mislead her and perhaps she would never discover the truth. But I know the truth. I could do this if I choose.

I could cheat my employer today. I could take less that great care of the customers that enter our door. I could do less than my best on projects. I could lie to a customer or two simply to make sure their purchase gives me a financial advantage; regardless of what is best for them. I could choose that approach if I wanted to.


INSTEAD!


I choose good, wholesome thoughts, honest dealings, sincere and esteeming words and actions.

Allow me to let the words of St. Francis of Assisi to say what is in my heart.

     Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
     Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
     Where there is injury, pardon.
     Where there is doubt, faith.
     Where there is despair, hope.
     Where there is darkness, light.
     Where there is sadness, joy.


     O Divine Master,
     Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
     To be understood, as to understand;
     To be loved, as to love.
     For it is in giving that we receive.
     It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
     And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

I choose this today.

Tomorrow …

If for some reason I missed the mark today, tomorrow I will purpose to correct my course. New beginnings are a gift. Every day is a chance for a new beginning.

Tomorrow I will make choices that are good and wise as I purpose to do today.

After all, our greatest power is To Choose!!!