Remember the lyrics from “Happy Talk” in the musical South Pacific?
You got to have a dream,
If you don’t have a dream,
How you gonna have a dream come true?
What were some of your childhood dreams? Were you a movie star, a rock singer, a major league footballer, pro golfer, astronaut? Whatever it was, I’m sure it was something big. You didn’t dream about being a filing clerk in a government department, did you? Your dreams weren’t mundane, boring, repetitive and depressing. They were exciting, inspiring and action-filled, weren’t they? And they occupied a lot of your imaginative play time, no doubt.
Can you even remember what your childhood dreams were? What happened to them? Did you listen to the people who said your dreams weren’t realistic? That you should get a good education, get a secure job, save for “a rainy day” and not take risks? Have you put them off to the “one day” category, waiting until you have more time, more money, more energy, more enthusiasm?
You can’t live for tomorrow – the only time you can be certain of is now, today. Tomorrow might never come. This is the perfect time for you to tap back into your dreams and begin taking action to make them a reality. If you rediscover your dreams and how they connect you to your higher purpose and immediately take baby steps towards achieving them, it will transform how you experience life.
As Henry David Thoreau said:
I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Some questions to get you dreaming again:
- What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
- If you didn’t need to earn an income, what would you do with your time – just for the love of it?
- If you only had one wish, what would it be?
- Whose life would you like to be living? Why? What particular elements of their life do you want?
- What one current world problem would you fix if you had unlimited power?
Set aside time to allow yourself to dream. Write down your answers to these questions. Look for common themes. Then pick one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. What might the first baby step be?
Some actions you can take:
- Write down your dream and review it frequently, including your reason for wanting to achieve it.
- Make a list of baby steps and tick off one of them every day (or week)
- Read a book on the topic
- Look for part time or voluntary work in alignment with your dream to build your skills and experience
- Find a mentor – ask someone who has done it to share their knowledge with you.
- Pray. Or meditate. Or whatever you need to do to be inspired.
While you are taking action, be sure to –
♥ Maintain focus on your dream (the outcome)
♥ Believe you can do it (become your own biggest fan)
♥ Ignore your critics (even if they are friends and family)
It doesn’t really matter how small your first baby step is, what is important is that you take action. If all you do is dream your life will not improve. So go for it. Keep moving forward with baby steps. Don’t give up and you WILL get there. Remember:
You got to have a dream,
If you don’t have a dream,
How you gonna have a dream come true?