Tip: Dream big…but also dream long!
Sometime ago I attended a seminar in which the speaker pointed out to us that everything great begins, or is “birthed” with a dream. He said that a dream is a vision that you can see before anyone else sees it. Nothing great was ever accomplished without a dream!
As the speaker was talking about dreaming big, I remembered the story of Walt Disney and his dream of building Disney World in California. Walt would take his daughters to a nearby park on Saturday and give his wife some time to rest. He was troubled about the fact there was not much to do with your children on a Saturday afternoon. (So, you can already see the value of spending time with your children! But, enough of that thought for now!)
Art Linkletter told the story of how Walt Disney walked him through an orange grove in California explaining to him how he was going to build a huge amusement park where there would be fun-filled rides and activities for the entire family. There would be a mouse there named Mickey and a duck named Donald.
As Art listened, he began to wonder if Walt had actually lost his mind! He decided not to invest in what he considered to be a foolish venture because he did not want to “throw away his money”. Later, as he reflected back on that day, Art Linkletter said he estimated that he lost approximately $10,000 for every step he took on his walk for several hours through that orange grove with Walt Disney!
You see, Walt had a BIG dream. But, he also faced many challenges in fulfilling his dream. He understood that having the dream was only the first step. Dreaming “long” was also part of what was necessary.
At that same seminar I mentioned earlier, not only did the speaker talk about the birth of our dream, but he went on to talk about how there will be a “death” of our dream as well. The death comes when we encounter the harsh reality of the challenges that we face along the way. It is a part of the package for all those who love to dream. It is during these times that life has a way of molding us into the new person we are to become one day! Nothing great that was ever accomplished came about in a simple manner. If great accomplishments were easy, everyone would do them!
In order for us to accomplish the dreams, goals and visions that we have, there are built in obstacles that come with that territory. We will learn what we are really made of when we face the obstacles to our dreams. And the way we face those obstacles will largely determine whether or not our dream is fulfilled. In other words, the dreaming part is exciting and perhaps easy, but following it through to completion is where the challenge often occurs. In more cases than not, the bigger the dream, the more difficult the challenge. However, the more difficult the challenge, the greater the satisfaction will be when the vision is finally fulfilled.
I know I have big dreams in my own life. But, often when I face a challenge or a difficulty, the dream seems to dissipate. That is when I have to decide if I am going to dream big and short, or if I am going to dream big and long.
The seminar speaker concluded his talk by reminding all of us that the final step in the dream building process is the “re-birth” of our dream. That is where we see our dream resurrected through to completion. I like that pattern. The reason I like it is because it is realistic. Everyone dreams and everyone fails. But not everyone is willing to get back up after failing and try again.
What are you dreaming about today? What have been your dreams in the past that you have let die? Is it time for them to be “re-birthed” inside of you and for you to see them completed and come to fulfillment?
This is difficult stuff. I wish that every one of our dreams could come true. But, unfortunately, many of us live with our dreams still inside of us until we take them to our grave. I want to greatly encourage you to determine where you are in this process. Have you even started to dream big dreams yet? Perhaps you have, but you have seen them dashed on the rocks of reality. Maybe you are in the process of seeing one re-born inside of you right now. In any case, I want to encourage you to join the small crowd of big dreamers. Who knows…maybe the dream that is inside of you will be beneficial for the whole world. I would not be a bit surprised!
Tip: Dream big…but also dream long!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
