Put Your Dream To The Test (part 4)
Posted By Aaron Marcelli on February 4, 2010
Another barrier I am having to overcome in allowing myself to have a dream and pursue it is to realize it’s ok to do what I like to do. I grew up with a background and personality of self-denial and somehow in church world we give the idea that such makes one spiritual. Ever notice though how the people you admire enjoy their lives? You admire them because they are successful and they are successful because they are doing something they enjoy.
In chapter three of Put Your Dream To The Test, John Maxwell says, “People who achieve success love what they do and do it well.” It was a breakthrough for me in high school when I realized that the way God was leading me was through the desires He was putting in my heart. Doesn’t it make sense that we are going to try to become good at what we like? And we are going to want to do the things we like? So won’t we be most content and efficient to do that which we enjoy? In making that happen we become deeply connected with our dream so that it is not just what we do from nine to five, but it’s who we are.
We then build and work toward that dream in continuous small steps. We should examine our habits. Whatever our dream is, it’s not going to just happen one day. We have to use the talents, materials, and time that are within our possession and control to work toward our goal.
When that begins to happen our dream creates momentum to where we begin to see progress but may still be nervous about our future or the security we may loose if we fully commit to whatever it is we are pursuing. Chapter four addresses this by asking if our dream is so real to us that it compels us to follow it. Maxwell says, “to succeed in life we must stay within our strength zone but continually move outside our comfort zone.” This is where things get hard. For me, I feel in some ways I am in that place now and it can be quite scary at times. But this is where our passion must come in. The vision of our dream making us a better person or causing change in our work, family, or world must cause there to be enough passion to get us out of our comfort zones. Because if passion doesn’t pull us out into the unknown, nothing will.
That thought leads into chapter five which was great for me because it talked about setting goals and making plans for your dream. I love making plans!!! And having them is important in pursuing something. A dream may be one big idea or vision but goals are necessary in getting there. The dream is the “what” and the goals are the “how”. If you’re ever going to get others to buy in to your goal, you are going to have to be able to explain what your goals and plans are for achieving it. And getting others to jump on board is exactly what was discussed next in the book and is also where I struggle the most.
Check back tomorrow!
