Why Have a Dream?

"...In spite of the difficulties of the moment, I still have a dream." --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Avoid regret. Someday we will all lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives--it's true for most of us. We will undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. My own grandmother told me to avoid regretting what could have been, what should have been. So I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.

The world needs people like you to dream of something great and then to pursue it with all of your heart. Maybe you belong to a business, school or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled into the same ole, same ole. Shake them up and remind them of how they could really help people if only they would dream! Start your own supportive community of dreamers via www.meetup.com - it's not too late.

Personal and family fulfillment. One of the things that happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and we become disheartened, if only in that area of our lives. Stepping up and pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the capacity for and it's truly contagious. Having a purpose helps us feel alive and engaged in the world around us. And when we're happy, everybody wins!

Making the world a better place. All of the great accomplishments that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the nay-sayer and said to herself, "This can be done, and I am the one who will do it." And in many instances they changed the world for the better. It isn't just the Martin Luther King's, the Mother Teresa's and the J.F.K's either. Think of all the people most of us have never heard of that have started things large and small that help people every day.

Leaving a legacy. How will your children (nieces and nephews) remember you? As one who sought all that life had to offer, using your gifts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family with a zest for life, or as a grouchy complainer who "could have been a contender"? Our children need to see that we dream; that we search for greater and more authentic creative expression. They in turn will do the same!

WHERE DO WE START?

Here are some ideas:

Reconnect with your dream. Set aside some time to let yourself dream. What have you placed on the backburner in order to live play it safe? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. Don't come up with too many. That will only deter you further. Remember, you can't successfully train for a marathon by running 26 miles on the first day.

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...and beat themselves up for never getting started - digging themselves down further into the hole of defeat.

Tell supportive 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...but the key word here is SUPPORTIVE 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:

• A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
  
  
• Action steps. Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do them. Commit to an end date for each of these actions...then check them off all along the way.
  
  
• Resources from which you will need to draw. What research must you do? What resources will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
  
  
• An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing and feeling connected to this dream or not. Sometimes our initial "dreams" are someone else's for us...i.e., the parent who wished we'd gone to Notre Dame and would have become a doctor.
  
  
• A celebration. When you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big or at least invite a friend to sing your praises!

I have found that there is no better time than now. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights high! As my favorite writer once said:

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." --George Eliot