Something I have been receiving from God is that I am good enough.  Not that I could or should ever think I can do anything great without Him, but that He can use me just as greatly as He has used any of those I admire.  In months past it was really difficult for me to meet with great church leaders or experienced ministry “professionals.”  I felt as though I should be accepting everything they had to say and was no one to be disagreeing with them.  I would always walk away grateful for the advice, but still knowing that some of what they said was not true to my personal vision.

A repeated phrase though that I have heard from many I respect is that “you must fight for your vision.”  I have had young, old, traditional, and contemporary church leaders express the importance of not allowing others to derail or cloud what God has put on my heart.  Some have even advised I be “mean” about my vision.  It took some growth on my part though to come to the point where I felt I could humbly, yet boldly, determine that if what I feel called to is truly going to be my vision, and if I’m going to be the one who holds to it and leads a ministry to carry it out, I have to believe in myself and recognize that I am good enough.  I may see others as better than myself, but if I know I have heard from God about what is the call for me and my specific ministry, then that’s what I must stick to if I’m going to be obedient.

If God’s sees us as good enough to put a call on our lives, we must see ourselves as good enough to pursue it.

The book serves as an unbiased motivation and evaluation with which to learn how to clarify, communicate, and build towards your dream.  The most important thing you can do with a dream is to continually put both yourself and it up for evaluation.  Make a list of your habits and strengths to make sure you are moving in the right direction.  According to what it is and how big it is, let other people in on your dream so they can help you, point out flaws, or perhaps serve as resources for your dream.

Dreams can be scary if you actually think about following them and they will always lead to hard work.  Dreams change you though.  They give you meaning and a better story.  Rather than admire others or claim “they” always get the breaks, dreams compel us to step out and accomplish something that will either inspire others or cause them to envy us.

Think about how much better your life could be if you chose to quit your job and pursue the career of your dreams.  Or speak up and take a stand for a relationship that is important to you.  Or finally take that mission trip because you think it’s what God wants you to do.  How much more peace would you have?  How much more meaning would your life have?  Would you still lay down at night feeling insignificant or would you know you are pursuing something great.

It’s life change folks, and it’s great!!

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!

While reading the first few chapters of Put Your Dream To The Test, author John Maxwell’s words had me focusing in on not only my dream, but my thoughts toward my dream.  And did I even have a dream.  Rejecting the notion of dreaming and accusing others of living in fantasy land is exactly what causes most people to live lives of quiet desperation.  On the inside the average man wants more but thinks it is either beyond his right or his ability to get, have, and do more than the average.  In dreaming though it is not about the quantity of what we get, but the quality of what we want.

What do we want out of life?
How do we want to make a difference?

First we must recognize whether or not we have a dream.  Then lay out what it is.  Then evaluate it.  Is it my dream?  When did I begin wanting this?  Did I inherit it from someone else?  Am I getting paid to have this as my dream?  If you say yes to the last two questions it’s probably not really YOUR dream.  So figure that out.  And if you determine it is yours, invest in it.  Put some pressure on yourself.  Throw some chips in on your dream so that you are invested in it and forced to be committed to it.  This could mean buying an item to get yourself started or making your dream public so others will watch your progress.

With my dream, I found myself waiting for “the ok” to go.  I’m not sure where I expected that permission to come from but was hit hard when I read that such permission can only come from myself.  Here I was being the biggest hindrance to what I wanted.

Once we realize it is ok to go, we immediately begin changing.  It’s not just reaching our goal, but the entire journey towards it that molds who we are and what we want.  The journey turns us into better people.  It’s not that only great people can follow their dreams, but ordinary people who follow their dreams often times do great things.

So what is your dream?  Could you describe it to me?  Is it what you really want?  Are you laying it out clearly so others can understand it?

The introduction went on to present the reasons many of our dreams slip away as well as the necessity of living with a dream.  Maxwell states that those who don’t have a compelling dream are in danger of having their lives slip away.  I have learned that if you don’t decipher what you want for your life and then go after it, someone else will.  That’s when we find ourselves old and miserable because we have been doing someone else’s work for someone else’s vision and contributed nothing to what gives us meaning and contentment.  Many allow life to close up on their dreams though, believing such things are only for the rich, famous, or fortunate when those of us who have true burning dreams cannot help but long to follow them despite the risks.  And I believe that it is those who dare to do so and succeed who most of the time become the rich, the famous, and the fortunate.  “You can’t reach for a dream and remain safely mediocre at the same time” (pg. xvi).  That quote scares many in our security-driven culture but I believe it also motivates some, most likely those who will go on to lead fulfilling, meaningful lives.

The introduction of the book ends with Maxwell listing why so many give up on their dreams.  I had to take this list as a personal check sheet as those who enter half-hearted, insecure, or only looking for the material reward will most likely fail.

So much to say and I’m not even to chapter one yet!

Now, it doesn’t take much to get me going these days as far as getting excited about my dream.  Just driving through the city of Chattanooga or someone in a crowd whispering a phrase that rhymes with “church planting” will make me want to run circles or loudly regurgitate all I know about starting a church.  Working through this book served as even additional motivation as well as a honing guide for laying out my dream.

The book was written (or at least I read it) with a very seasoned, mentoring tone.  Each chapter served as a question challenging the reader to gauge the reality, validity, and authenticity of one’s personal dream.  There was an incredible balance of motivating the reader to pursue his dreams, while also strongly urging them to be honest about the possibility of such a dream coming true.  Never was there a section that could be interpreted as belittling a dream or discouraging someone from thinking big.  Maxwell was even careful to say that it is ok if someone cannot clearly articulate their dream but that they should be working on that as the next step.  The importance of involving others was also stressed because anything that is greater than one person requires more than one person.

The book connected with me so deeply where I am right now in the preparation stage of pursuing my dream, I have decided to review the book and write a series of posts that will include book excerpts and my thoughts as I went through the material.  I would love to lead a book study on the volume, but since I’m not, we will do a cyber one on here for several days.  Feel free to follow along!

As I was running the treadmill and keeping up with the statistics it was giving me about my workout, I realized I was doing quite well.  I had had a good day and was feeling quite energetic, making for an above normal workout.  However, simply realizing I was doing better than I was used to doing caused me to strive to do even another step above.  As I ran I found myself calculating goals for distance, pace, and calories burnt in order to push myself – as well as scanning my Ipod for motivational anthems to keep me pressing on.  Meeting a ten minute goal when then spark me to set the bar even higher for the next segment and so on.  I got so caught up in all of this that I did not even recognize myself when I looked up.

The set up of the gym I go to has the treadmills facing a window.  With the sun setting the windows gave more of a mirror effect, allowing me to see my own face and the unique expression on it.  I was working out with such drive, passion, and motivation, all of which had made their way to my face, that I was running with a look that had others been watching me, could have scared some and made others laugh.  My face was tight and stern looking as I had become so focused and zeroed- in on what I was doing and how well I was doing in.

I use that story as an illustration to how much more we tend to accomplish and how much more effective we are in our work, play, etc when we do so with vision.  By having a goal in mind or a vision so real we can already see it, we are motivated to press forward at a pace and with a level of efficiency we did not know we were capable of.  This is why one of the things I have listed as what I’m constantly seeking from God is a clear vision.  There must be something in mind we are working toward if we are going to work for very long.  If there is nothing we are running toward, we will find ourselves slowing down or consistently turning in new directions in search of a meaningful destination.  So whether it is work, school, ministry, or relationships, seek a meaningful goal.  Seek a vision that will cause you to push yourself to the best workout you’ve ever had.