Dream Big. Three keys for making your dream a reality.
The Greatest Showman
One of my favorite movies to date is the Greatest Showman. There is just something about this movie that gives me joy and hope. It inspires me, moves me and inspires the dream in my heart. When I first saw the movie with a friend, I was moved to laughter and tears. Why you ask? Well, that actually took me weeks to discover because I had to face off with myself.
You see, I believe we all have a dream inside us just waiting to break forth. Just like P.T. Barnum. His dream was to create the greatest show on earth. And many would say he achieved it. I think most of us hear the whisper (or for some a roar) in our hearts telling us there is more to our lives than our 9-5’s. We all want more joy, peace, fulfillment, pleasure, freedom and adventure in life. Wouldn’t you agree?
But what do you do when doubt begins to creep into your mind, causing you to disconnect from the dream in your heart? What do you do when doubt crushes any hope for your future possibilities? What do you do when you listen to those seeds of doubt and give them permission to take root in your heart?
Your Childhood Dream
Let’s go back for a minute to your childhood days. Who did you want to become when you were younger? You know. That person you dreamed of becoming before someone said you couldn’t. You know. The person you dreamed of becoming before others said you weren’t smart enough, talented enough or good enough to become.
Or, what great work did you aspire to do as a child? You know. The kind of work you dreamed of doing before someone said you couldn’t. You know. Work you couldn’t possibly do because someone said you’re too young, old, poor, unattractive, awkward, clumsy, overweight, quiet, quirky, or stupid to do. Yeah that thing. What was it?
What stopped your dream?
Now let me ask you the following. Why did you stop pursuing who you wanted to become? Why did you cease and desist on your dream?
For me, it was my doubt. My unbelief. I just didn’t believe certain things to be true about who I could become or what I could possibly do. Some of the negative beliefs that cut off the dream in me were:
I’m not ______. I can’t _____. I don’t ______.
It really is true that we become our thoughts because our thoughts precede our actions (or inaction). This reminds me of the following quote by Henry Ford. “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
Imagination. Hope. Hustle.
I believe our lives are the sum total of our thoughts. If we want to lead happy, successful and purposeful lives, it starts with our beliefs. When we can learn to master our minds, we will be able to master our lives.
When I look back on what was stopping me from actualizing my dreams, and when I consider what I needed to do to make them a reality, I discovered I needed to do three key things:
- Imagine: form a mental picture in mind of the life I wanted to have
- Hope: believe God’s promises for my life
- Hustle: create a dream-plan with clear goals, timelines and deadlines AND determine the action I would need to take every day to move me from just dreaming a dream to achieving my dream
We can’t conquer what we won’t confront.
So what about you? What’s holding you back from pursuing your dream and becoming who you were meant to be? What’s stopping you from doing what you’ve always dreamed of doing?
We can’t conquer what we won’t confront. And we can’t confront what we are unaware of. We must be honest with where we’re at in life and understand the mindsets that led us there. Then, we must take deliberate action in ‘minding our minds’ so we don’t find our ‘be-hinds’ at a life destination we never desired.
So what’s that thing you’ve always wanted to do? You know what? You should go do it. And who is it you’ve always wanted to become? You should go become him/her. And just know you’re not alone on your journey. I’m right there with you. Still fighting for that childhood dream in my heart. Just like you.
Let’s start believing we can change the world with our dreams so we can actually go and do it!
Share your thoughts
How are you making your dreams a reality? Drop me a comment below. To hear more about daring to dream, check out this Ted talk by Dan Pallotta
Or, for more insight on what’s getting in the way of making our dreams a reality, check out this post
