Point to Ponder:
You are the only person who can decide to pursue your dream. Books don’t write themselves. Businesses don’t launch themselves. You’ve got to take the first step and keep stepping.
What dream have you postponed? What idea has been sitting on the shelf collecting dust? What hope or vision has been left for dead in your life? Perhaps it’s time to dust off that old dream and bring it back to life. So how do you do that? What’s that first step that will help you get started? Coach yourself to the right answer with these powerful questions:
1. What dream lies dormant in your life that you wish were still a possibility?
Sometimes we bury our dreams so deep we forget about them. Ponder for a moment. The dream it’s time to dust off may be connected to your professional life, finances, relationships, health, or personal life. What is it for you right now?
2. What do you need to give yourself permission to do about it?
There is a reason that something important to you has been buried. Whatever the reason you decided you couldn’t pursue it any longer, now is the time to give yourself permission. It’s okay. Maybe you were hurt in the past and decided you’d be safer if you didn’t go down a particular road anymore. Maybe the responsibilities of life dictated that you’d better let your dream die. Or maybe the dream seemed like it could never be achieved, so you gave up on it. Use the past as a learning tool to recast your dream. Have the faith to believe that nothing is impossible with God.
3. What do you need to say about it?
The power of life and death is in the words you speak, Proverbs 18:21 promises. Speak life into your dream right now. Say it out loud. Allow yourself to hear the words. There is power in this exercise. Speak life, not death. And watch how you talk about your dream when you discuss it with others. When you start stating all the reasons you can’t have what your heart desires, you speak death to your dream. Each negative word is like a shovel, digging the grave and then piling dirt onto it until you can no longer see the dream at all. Negative words will steal your vision.
4. What action will you take next?
Faith without action is dead (James 2:17). You may have killed your dream by inaction, but you can bring it back to life by taking action, starting now. If you believe your dream is possible, you’ll take steps toward it. You don’t have to take all the steps at once, or even huge steps. Start with one small step, then another. Even baby steps, when taken consistently, will get you to the finish line.
