"Your ability to live with your dream may be closer than you think."

"Our dream, when pursued, is the most likely predictor of our future."

"A person who has a dream knows what he is willing to give up in order to go up."  *-- John C. Maxwell

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A dream puts everything we do into perspective.  Even the tasks that aren't exciting or immediately rewarding take on added value when we know they ultimately contribute to the fulfillment of a dream.  Each activity becomes an important piece in that bigger picture.  It reminds me of the story of a reporter who talked to three construction workers pouring concrete at a building site.  "What are you doing?"  he asked the first worker.  "I'm earning a paycheck," he grumbled.

The reporter asked the same question of a second laborer, who looked over his shoulder and said, "What's it look like I'm doing?  I'm pouring concrete."

Then he noticed a third man who was smiling and whistling as he worked.  "What are you doing?"  he asked the third worker.

He stopped what he was doing and said excitedly, "I'm building a shelter for the homeless."  He wiped his hands clean on a rag and then pointed, "Look, over there is where the kitchen will be.  And that over there is the women's dormitory.  This here ..."

Each man was doing the same job.  But only the third was motivated by a larger vision.  The work he did was fulfilling a dream, and it added value to all his efforts.

Vince Lombardi stated, "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."  A dream provides the perspective that makes that kind of effort possible.

A Dream Predicts Our Future

Katherine Logan said, "A vision foretells what may be yours.  It is an invitation to do something.  With a great mental picture in mind we go from one accomplishment to another, using the materials about us only as stepping-stones to that which is higher and better and more satisfying.  We thus become possessors of the unseen values which are eternal."

When we have dream, we're not just spectators sitting back hoping that everything turns out all right.  We're taking an active part in shaping the purpose and meaning of our lives.  And the winds of change don't simply blow us here and there.  Our dream, when pursued, is the most likely predictor of our future.  That doesn't mean we have any guarantees, but it does increase our chances for success tremendously.

Dare to dream and act on that dream.  Do it in spite of problems, circumstances and obstacles.  History is filled with men and women who faced adversity and achieved success in spite of it.  For example, the Greek orator Demosthenes stuttered!  The first time he tried to make a public speech, he was laughed off the rostrum.  But he had a dream of being a notable speaker.  He pursed that dream and grew towards his potential.  It is said that he used to put pebbles in his mouth and practice speaking over the sound of the crashing surf at the seashore.  His persistence paid off.  He lived his dreams:  He became the greatest orator of the ancient world.

Contributed by:
Your Road Map For Success - You Can Get There From Here : John C. Maxwell

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