“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.”
"We are not limited by our capabilities, we are limited by our vision, belief and determination. If you have a dream, diligently work for it, and steadfastly believe in it, the world will shape itself around you to give you the opportunity to make your dreams come true. The truth is not that we are limited, but that we limit ourselves." --St. C
You have great power to accomplish what you seek with all your heart. But you must first find your dream and then daily engage your whole heart in believing in it, and all your might and mind in achieving it. You must become a dreamer of the day.
Become a Dreamer of the Day
1. Define your dreams
There are dreams we want bad enough that they stir our souls when we think of them. It takes a little reflection, brainstorming, and even talking with others to really find the dreams that stir our souls, but these are the ones worth finding and the ones worth writing down. They will shape your daily actions and give purpose and meaning to each hour and minute in your life.
Those devoid of dreams in life are much the same as Alice in the woods....Lost
"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where –" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.
Application: Discover and make a physical representation of the dreams that stir your soul. Write them down on a piece of paper as a personal mission statement, make a photo collage, or even start a blog. You must physically define your dreams before you can really focus on living them.
This movie highlights what matters most in my life--people. In particular, relationships with family, friends, and God.
2. Nourish your Dreams
Dreams are alive. When nourished by pondering and planning they expand inside your soul, when starved by our neglect or inaction they fade away into disappointing, mournful, "might have beens". Dreams will bring about miracles in your life when they reach fruition, but you must make the diligent daily effort to nourish them and weed out your doubts and uncertainties. Each day you must take the time to feel the importance of your dreams and plan how that will change your daily life. Find the dreams you feel are right when you think about them each day. Nourish your dreams daily and you will feel them expand your soul.
Application: Pray about, ponder, and plan each day until your dreams come alive inside you and you have a firm hope that they will become a reality.
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm" --Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm"
--Winston Churchill
Dreams are realized through action. It is the consistent application of action in pursuit of our dreams that changes our souls and brings our dreams into being. But what is the price? Maybe it's different for each of us but I want to describe 3 ways I feel I "pay the price" to make my dreams come true:
1. Make a consistent effort--When you aren't moving toward your dreams you almost always are moving away from them. Let your dreams develop into daily patterns of thought, hope, and action. Daily action will dispel doubt and give you hope as you pursue your dreams. Honestly ask yourself, "What am I doing each day to achieve my dream?"
2. Never give up--I have never had faith in a dream that was not first challenged by some trial or hardship before being confirmed and having my dream realized. You must learn to pass through failure, pain, and disappointment without losing your passion for your dream or giving up. A runner struggles through pain and hardship during the race, but those who continue to believe in themselves and keep moving their legs will inevitably find themselves crossing the finish line of their dreams. My unfailing source of hope when my own limitations and lack of power become painfully clear is my faith in Christ's limitless and all powerful atonement to enable, empower, and change my life. I believe in a power beyond my own is at work whenever I participate in the miracle of becoming and realizing my dreams.
3. Prioritize your dream
Want and Desire it more than anything else. Life will demand you spend your time on things other than your dreams. In even more difficult times, life will require you to choose between dreams. Know what dreams are most important to you and make time for them. This may start by becoming more efficient in what you do or cutting out frivolous entertainment like TV and movies. But some dreams will require even deeper sacrifices. You might have to sacrifice sleep, switch jobs, spend less time on your studies, or less time at social events. The balance is different in each person, but each of us can feel when the currency of our time is being spent on the our deepest dreams and when it is not.
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Application: Decide what dream is most important to you right now and prioritize it by making adjustments in your life that enable you to pay the price for that dream. Then work for it consistently without giving up when your faith to achieve your dream is tested.
Become a dreamer of the day. It is only when dreaming that we are truly awake. Define your dreams, cultivate your dreams, and pay the price to make them come true. Miracles will occur, dreams will come true, and you will become what you were meant to be!
Here's my favorite video clip of all time that talks about the price of achieving a dream that I hold dear as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints: the dream of becoming like Christ and helping others to do so through baptism--a personal promise to follow Christ--and daily faith and hope in his Atonement--his personal sacrifice for each of our sins, pains, sicknesses, and infirmities that gives him perfect understanding and power to help us overcome all things and perfect us in all things.
