From all corners of the nation they still flock to Hollywood, burning with dreams of becoming rich and famous movie stars. Most are destined to return home after failing to gain a foothold in the photography business. Some end up in a variety of jobs, usually far removed from the movie colony. Still others marry and settle in southern California. The key point here is that they followed their dream.
Caring for and pursuing a dream is what keeps many hearts beating. It becomes something to live for… whether they make it or not. In truth, some dreams take much longer to achieve than others. This may seem obvious, but many people forget it. Who knows how many dreams would have come true if the dreamer had not given up the search for him.
Have you ever thought of turning your old dream back on? I mean that number one dream that once burned so brightly in your heart. You can improve your chances of making that dream come true by understanding the efforts and sacrifices others made to achieve their own dreams.
Draw a straight line. In the place where the line begins, write the words “Launch Point”. At the other end of the line, write “Dreams Achieved.” At any point along the line, obstacles can appear and threaten to take you, the dreamer, off the path to your desired destination. The harder the dream, the more sacrifices and efforts are needed. A certain degree of luck can also go into this, although you can’t count on luck for sure.
Think about it. If you, like the dreamer, constantly stray, stray, feel overwhelmed by difficulties, and fall behind on the course of that straight line, it will take you much longer to get there than you originally anticipated.
Years ago, after I finished my Navy service and was working in the business world, I heard rumors that an old school friend, who lived down the street from me, was still studying to become a neurosurgeon. In other words, after college and medical school, many more years of preparation were required…and with good reason. Would you want someone to perform surgery on you if he or she had not gone through full training and practice? No way. I would feel the same.
starting a dream
inside children
Adult parents owe it to their children to try to fan the flame of a dream in their hearts. It may not be the same dream that the father has… or had. It could be something completely new. Tiger Wood, when he was a little boy, did he know anything about golf? No way. It wasn’t until his father placed that club in his son’s hand…and kept putting it there…that Tiger noticed and began making clumsy efforts (toddler efforts) to hit the ball. . Both father and son stuck with it and as the boy grew older he got better and better with that golf club. In truth, Tiger’s father deserves a lot of credit for the great success of his son.
So that parents can make a real difference by igniting a dream in the hearts of their children… and then follow them… to grow that dream. There are rarely shortcuts to big dreams, but that only makes their achievement and fulfillment all the sweeter.
life without
a dream
Sometimes when you can ask a neighbor or a friend what their dream is, they admit they don’t have one. “Oh, I don’t have one anymore. The daily grind takes all my time and energy.” I feel sorry for people who don’t have dreams. Life is “boring” without a big dream in your heart. Maybe these people achieved a dream and then sat on their laurels, but now they have nothing else to aim for. That’s sad. Every time you achieve a big dream, replace it with a new one.
The mere fact that you achieve a dream is solid proof that it can be achieved. So why stop with a dream come true? You can also achieve others. Don’t rest on your laurels. Don’t let five, ten or more years go by after realizing your first dream.
The same goes for the smallest dreams you realized. Once reached, replace each of them with another dream, preferably bigger. Some dreamers leave their launch points with skepticism in their hearts. They may not really think they can achieve a big dream, a great dream, so what they do is set their sights on a smaller, easier dream. It’s like trying to get into minor league baseball when it really hurts inside to join the major leagues.
Always remember that small dreams can and will pave the way to bigger ones, like steps across a stream. Just don’t be satisfied after achieving a little dream; put another dream ahead on your schedule… and preferably a big one, one certainly bigger than the one you’ve already achieved.
Replace the smaller dreams with the big ones continually. Watch yourself move along the line you have chartered toward your biggest dream. When you pass a small dream, it just happens to a big one. Do this and one day you will know the satisfaction and joy of achieving a big dream, maybe even a super dream. Use small dreams as stepping stones to big ones.
Achieving a series of small dreams will also lift you up and give you the confidence to move on to bigger ones. Each small dream realized allows you to catch your breath, gives you pause to fix your eyes on the next dream, and reassures you that you are really moving forward on your agenda.
Remember it well. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So draw a straight line in your mind between where you are now as you launch (or relaunch) and the dream you want to achieve. Then move toward that goal, relentlessly and confidently driving closer to your dream every day. Stay on that line against all odds, setbacks, and obstacles. Then one day your dream will become a bright, shining reality. More dream power for you.