CHUKWUDOBELUM MEDIA
3RD INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE
THEME: MY DREAM MY AIM
INTRODUCTION:
" Life is not a fairy tale and success do not just happen". Starting with this quote to deep it in with the dreams we kill ourselves, for one of the most disastrous approaches to success is to believe that it will just show up one day. Many in our world today believe in grace that is not merited, they always have that" I will shine one day syndrome" . Remember" heaven helps those who help themselves" , ( mark11:24) will tell us - build up a healthy ambition for your perceived success and desire it in your prayers. John.F Kennedy had a dream to land the first man in the moon today the evidence is clear, your dream, your ambition. Remember nothing is impossible for whatsoever the mind can conceive the hand can achieve. It is between you and yourself alone to realize your dream, work towards achieving it, being focused, and steadfast to have it as a dream come true. No man will come to define your dream for you, for no man will give you a picture of who you want to be, is your aim to make your dream come true, the ball is in your court, all you have to do is to seek for advice and guidelines on how to make your dream a reality. One of the amazing things we have been given as humams is the unquenchable desire to have dreams of better life, and the ability to establish goals to live out those dreams. Think of it: we can look deep within our hearts and dream of a better situation for ourselves, and our families; dream of better financial lives
; dream of better physical lives; certainly Dream of better spiritual lives. But what makes this even more powerful is that we have also been given the ability to not only dream but to pursue those dreams, and not only pursue those but cognitive ability to actually lay out a plan and strategies (setting goals) to achieve those dreams.
WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS?
Definition of a dream:
According to the Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary;
Dream- " Something that you want to happen very much but that is not very likely".
For me; a dream is a mental picture of what you want to be".
When you were a kid in school, do you remember a teacher doing a review before a test and saying something like" pay attention now, because this is going to be on the test"? ,I do, the encouraging teachers who wanted to see their students succeed said things like that all the time. They will want us to be prepared so we could do well. They put us to the test, but they set us up for success.
My desire is to be like one of those encouraging teachers to you. I want to prepare you to put your dream to the test so you can actually achieve it.
In our world today alot of people have misconceptions about dreams.
Let's take a look at what the old and young in our world today call dreams.
DAY DREAMS - distractions from current work.
DIE-IN-THE -SKY DREAMS - wild ideas with no strategy or basis in reality.
BAD DREAMS - worries that breed for fear and paralysis.
IDEALISTIC DREAMS - the way the world would be if you were in charge.
VICARIOUS DREAMS - dreams lived through others.
ROMANTIC DREAMS - belief that some person will make you happy.
CAREER DREAMS - belief that career success will make you happy.
DESTINATION DREAMS - belief that a position, title or award will make you happy.
MATERIAL DREAMS - belief that wealth or possessions will make you happy.
Another definition of a dream that can be put to the test and will pass: A dream is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it. A dream Worth pursuing is a picture and blueprint of a person's purpose and potential.
Dreams are valuable commodities, they propel us forward, they give us energy, they make us enthusiastic. Everyone ought to have a dream. But what if you are not sure whether you have a dream you want to pursue? Let's face it. Many people were not encouraged to dream, others have dreams but lose hope, and set them aside .
FIVE (5) COMMON REASONS WHY PEOPLE HAVE TROUBLE IDENTIFYING THEIR DREAM.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DISCOURAGED FROM DREAMING BY OTHERS: Many people have had their dreams knocked right out of them, especially the young men and women, the world is filled with Dream crushers and idea killers.
SOME PEOPLE ARE HINDERED BY PAST DISAPPOINTMENTS AND HURTS: Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality. All of us have encountered that gap, when something go wrong we say"I will not do that again", what a mistake, especially when it comes to our dreams! Failure is the price we must pay to achieve success.
SOME PEOPLE GET IN THE HABIT OF SETTLING FOR AVERAGE: I can remember one of the good words of columnist Maureen Down "the minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for". Dreams require a person to stretch, to go beyond average. You can not reach for a dream and remain safely mediocre at the same time, the two are incompatible.
SOME PEOPLE LACK THE CONFIDENCE NEEDED TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS: Humor Columnist Erma Bombeck will also say" it takes alot of courage to show your dreams to someone else". It takes confidence to talk about a dream and even more to pursue it. And sometimes confidence separates and pursue dreams from those who don't.
SOME PEOPLE LACK THE IMAGINATION TO DREAM: How do people discover their dreams? By dreaming, it may sound simplistic, but that's where it starts. Imagination is the soil that brings a dream to Life.
SOME QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF TO KNOW IF YOUR DREAM WORTH PURSUING.
THE OWNERSHIP QUESTION:
Is my dream really my dream?
CLARITY QUESTION:
Do I clearly see my dream?
THE REALITY QUESTION:
Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?
THE PASSION QUESTION:
Does my dream compel me to follow it?
THE PATHWAY QUESTION:
Do I have strategy to reach my dream?
THE PEOPLE QUESTION:
Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?
THE COST QUESTION:
Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?
THE TENACITY QUESTION:
Am I moving closer to my dream?
THE FULFILLMENT QUESTION:
Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?
THE SIGNIFICANCE QUESTION:
Does my dream benefits others?
I believe that if you really explore each question, examine yourself honestly and answer Yes to all of them, the odds of achieving your dream are very good. I truly believe that everyone has the potential to imagine a worthwhile Dream, and most have ability to achieve it.
A speech writer Robert Orben asserted"Always remember there are only two kinds of people in this world - the realists, and the dreamers. Now the realists know where they are going, while the dreamers have already been there". If you have defined your dream, then you are ready to put it to the test.
If you are unsure of what your dream might be - either because you are afraid to dream or because you are somehow lost your dream along the way, then start preparing yourself to receive your dream by exploring the following:
PREPARATIONS TO HELP YOU RECEIVE YOUR DREAM:
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION: Seek God's help for a bigger - than - Self Dream.
MENTAL PREPARATION: Make out time to think about who you really want to be.
EXPERIMENTAL PREPARATION: Engage in activities in areas related to your interests.
VISUAL PREPARATION: Put pictures of people and things that inspire you.
HERO PREPARATION: Read about and try meet people you admire and who inspire you.
PHYSICAL PREPARATION: Get your body in optical shape to pursue your dream.
Once you do this six things to put yourself in the best possible position to receive a dream, focus on Discovering your dream. As you do , keep in mind these words " A dream is what you desire if anything, and everything is possible".
CONCLUSION:
Your dream is your aim, make it a success, never blame any soul for not achieving your dream. They are in you, make the proper enquiry to have it, for people (the world) to come to you to acquire from it. Have we ever wondered why at the field of play every player is hustling to get the ball in their wing for them to do something great with it, it's because the have a dream, they want it to come true, either as the best player, highest goal scorer, best defender etc. Why can't we learn from the things around us and profit our lives. You have a dream to have a super market, do you think the goods there doesn't expire? They do , you must start with a mini shop if you want to grow to the level of supper market, for you to know the strategies to follow and manage it well. Kill the laziness in you and stay focused, believe that one day people will come together for the anniversary of your dream. Many go to the internet instead making use of the internet, the internet make use of them. Many opportunities wasted, many good chances ignored, say NO to anything that will drag you out of your dream. The inventions we see today, in time past was someone's dream, the flashy cars we admire today, that we call " latest in town " was someone's dream. Ask your self this question, What latest have i made since my existence?. You only achieve your dream when you see it doing something good in the lives of others (Dream Come True).
If you really want to achieve your dream, Live it, Love it, and enjoy unlimited happiness everywhere you go.
BY: CHUKWUDOBELUM MICHAEL (P.sm)
(MEDIA FOUNDER)