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!

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. I’ve shared it before, 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!