• What areas are represented by their influence?
• What are your current areas of strength?
• Where might you choose to grow, expand, and integrate
  (k)new areas of awareness?
• Who will arrive to assist in this process?
• When might you be called to do this for another, too?

Just for today, ask yourself:

Are there any grievances I have yet to resolve?

Am I yet to forgive another person, or myself?

As so, allow these memories to surface.

“Far
better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even
though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits
who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray
twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” — Teddy Roosevelt

Do
you remember when you were a child and no dream seemed too big? Some of
us thought we would walk on the moon; some dreamed of riding with Roy
Rogers; others imagined stepping to the plate in a big-league game.
Every one of us, when we were young, had a common trait–we were
dreamers. The world hadn’t gotten to us yet to show us that we couldn’t
possibly achieve what our hearts longed for. And we were yet still
years from realizing that in some cases, we weren’t built for achieving our dream.

Eventually,
we started to let our dreams die. People began to tell us that we
couldn’t do the things we wanted. It was impossible. Responsible people
don’t pursue their dreams. Settle down. Get a job. Be dependable. Take
care of business. Live the mundane. Be content.

Do you know what I say to that? Hooey! It is time to dream again! Why? Here are just a few reasons:

*
Avoid regret. The facts are in, and someday, we will all lie on our
deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will
undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. I,
for one, don’t want to regret what could have been, what should have
been. So, I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.

 

*
Help others. 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 ol’ same ol’. Shake these
people up and remind them of how they could really help other people if
only they would dream!

 

*
Enjoy 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 lets us experience fulfillment. Having a
purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our emotions!

 

*
Make 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 naysayers and said to himself or 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 and J.F.K.s either. Think of all the people we have never heard
of who have started things large and small that help people world-wide
every day.

 

*
Leave a legacy. How will your children 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 an
overweight couch potato who could have been? Our children need to see
that we dream; that we search for something better. They, in turn, will
do the same!

So 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 the status quo?
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.

 *
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:

* A timeline. How long will it take to the end?

* Action steps. Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do it.

* Resources you will need to draw from. What 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 or not.

* 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. 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!