Go Ahead, Dream A Little – Better Yet, Dream A Lot

Monday we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  When I look at our calendar, there are not a lot of people who get a whole holiday to be celebrated.  When I look at the common thread among those that get a whole day to be celebrated, whether it be Presidents, Veterans, those who died serving our country in the military, great thinkers and founders, and American workers, what I see is people who had really big dreams.  They envisioned a reality beyond what could be presently seen, and they used this one life they had to make that dream a reality. 

Dreams and aspirations can be powerful.  They can be powerful in the sense they propel us each day to overcome adversity and challenges.  They can be powerful in that they can keep us down and overwhelmed with what the first step is in achieving this great dream.  

What is your great big dream? 

Honestly, I have never asked myself this question.  What is my great big dream?  What I like about this question is the direction it can start to provide in our lives.  There are so many opportunities laid out for us that it can be overwhelming.  But if we can get really clear on what we want to see change and be different, then we can start to narrow in on what action steps we need to take to make this dream real. 

Maybe your dream is to one day have a space where you gather your family for holidays.  You can close your eyes and see the people who you hold most dear gathered around, laughing, drinking, eating, and being merry with each other. 

Your present reality though might be that you live in a one-bedroom apartment.  And sure, you could gather everyone, but the cheer may be hard to achieve if everyone is tripping over each other. 

Think about your dream.  

Allow yourself to put the things that can restrict us on the sidelines while you dream.  If money and time were endless, what would you want for your life?  What would your future look like? Allow yourself to come up with that dream that seems next to impossible.  When Dr. Martin Luther King JR delivered his famous “I have a Dream” speech, I bet he had no idea how it would actually happen. But he could see it, and that is step one.

Seeing it is step one.

Once you have your dream identified, let this be the guiding light in your life.  Any decisions you make around how to use your time, money, skills, talents, education, influence, and place in this world should be in alignment with this dream.  

Let your dream be what keeps you focused and prioritizing what most matters to you versus the desire to keep up with others or fall into the latest trends. Your dream will guide you to what matters most.

So if you had a dream, what would it be?  How can you look at how you spend money and your time and redirect these resources to your dream?

To listen to Dr. King’s full speech or read the transcript: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom

 “Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0