Can Dreams Come True?!
In answering that question, let me start with a true story.
While attending a business seminar in Palm Springs, California, our son-in-law was captivated by the testimony of a young man. When this man was in his final year of high school the class was given an assignment worth 50% of the years mark. They were asked to give a detailed plan of what they wanted to do after graduation. The young fellow described a horse ranch which function as a rehab center for young men who had lost their way. With vivid detail, he wrote his vision of the paddocks, the ranch house, the grounds, and the dorms. The young man handed in the paper and waited for his mark. The teacher gave all the assignments back except for his. He asked the young fellow to meet with him after school in which the teacher handed the paper back with a big “F”. He told the young man that what he had written was totally unrealistic. He said, “I’ll give you a second chance. Present something that is more realistic and within your financial means. If you can’t come up with something, the “F” will have to stand.”
That night the young man was deeply destressed, pouring out his heart to his dad. His dad said to him, “Is this really what you believe God wants you to do?” His son said, “Yes, Dad, I’m sure.” The dad said, “Pray about it and if you feel the same way in the morning, you will just have to accept the “F”.” The son went to school the next morning and gave the teacher the same paper. The teacher insisted on letting the “F” stand.
About ten years later the teacher received an invitation to attend the dedication of a teen ranch dedicated to working with delinquent young men. The main ranch building had a large stone fireplace and mounted on that fireplace was the young man’s paper with the large red “F”. With tears in his eyes, the teacher asked for forgiveness and said, “Thank you for not letting me kill your dream.” The ranch opened completely debt free.
If your dream is going to survive you must first kill all the excuses. Our fear of failure can dredge up an unlimited supply of dream killers. “I don’t have the money.” “I don’t have the time.” “Nobody would be interested.” “And besides, I don’t have the ability.”
Before you accept those statements as absolute truth, allow me to explore the word dream with you.
Diligence — There is an old proverb that states, “The hand of the diligent will rule.” Write out the substance of your dream. The young man in our story had a detailed picture of the ranch. Take your dream and form it into a picture. Put as much description into that picture as you can.
Research — Gather as much information as you can relative to the picture you have in your mind. Are there people who have done something similar? What wisdom do they have to offer?
Energy — How much time needs to be allocated to the development of the dream? Where will I buy that time? What changes in my time allocation will have to take place?
Assessment — This is the critical part of releasing the dream. After I have clearly defined the dream, looked at the time/ financial cost, I must ask myself, “Am I willing to commit myself to investing in the fulfillment of this dream?” This is not a maybe, it must be a definite yes/no decision. Do I have the support of my wife, family, close friends, or fellow workers?
Materialization — If the answer is yes, then I establish a schedule, gather the material I need, and fix a start date. Once that is established, the dream of tomorrow becomes the work of today. Your dream is about to become a reality. Put your hand to the plough, don’t look back, and I’ll see you at the top.
Duane Harder
