What does your dream require of you?

As I pondered what to write about this week, I was conscious of the start of a new school year, new careers and a new calendar year for many organisations.

The end of the long summer break tends to come with plans to kickstart normal activities after the lull of the holidays. It can be a bit difficult to get back into the swing of things, so a little motivation can help us.

My question this week is, ‘what does your dream require of you?’

Even as seasons drive the things we do and how we dress, our lives can also be broken down into various seasons. There is a difference in the level of urgency between someone who discovers their purpose in their early twenties and another person who discovers it in their late sixties.

There are some questions on my mind as I approach the end of the summer break. I know the level of busyness that I am about to step into can keep me shortsighted. It’s up to me to find a way to stay aware of the bigger picture to make sure my busyness remains tied into the things that truly matter.

So here are a few thoughts to help us along.

Figure out your dream, passion and purpose

One of my favourite quotes encourages us to write the vision and make it plain, so that people who read it can run with it.

Knowing your dream, vision or purpose is key to fulfilling it as it determines who will come alongside you. You need to be able to explain your dream to catch people’s attention, interest and gain their support.

Maybe you’ve figured it out but you can still benefit from revisiting it and checking how far you’ve come and what changes you need to make.

Make or renew your commitment to your dreams

What would be the point of having a dream unless you are willing to accomplish it? Your actions need to back the truths that you know.

There are many ‘sofa football players’ and ‘sofa coaches’. These are people who play and coach football only by mouth as they watch the matches. They can handle the ball better than any player and would have made different decisions to the coach.

Question then is, why aren’t they on the pitch seeing how easy it is. This analogy reminds me of people who are so passionate about their dreams but refuse to take action or make required sacrifices to achieve them.

Don’t be a ‘sofa dreamer’. Be a dreamer and a visionary that makes things happen, one that is on the pitch of their lives and not on the sidelines.

Answer the tough questions

What changes do you need to make to accomplish your dreams, purpose, goals and vision? What changes do you need to make to maximise your passions? Are these changes internal or external? Are they time bound? What season are you in life? Do you need others to help you with these changes? Are you willing and committed to making them?

Answering these questions and facing any fears can be the start of change through an actionable plan. You may discover that you can no longer do the heavy lifting by yourself and this will prompt you to identify who can co-create with you.

Follow through and make the changes happen

You have to become on the inside what your dream needs. This could include changing your mindset, trusting yourself and others, being more daring, taking more risks or asking for help from the right sources – God and man.

On the outside, you also have to do the things your dream needs. This could include retraining, downsizing to fund your dream, changing your location or those you hang around, reviewing how you spend your time and resources etc. Create your own list.

As many go back to work, schools or universities, others leave home to start their careers and parents become empty nesters, I hope we will take a moment to revisit our dreams, re-assess our progress and re-energise ourselves.

Thank you for reading, taking the time to comment and for sharing my blog. Have a great week and see you next week.