One day, while I was still working for FamilySearch, several members of my team and I went to lunch together. I asked each of them to share with the group what their dreams are. It was so fun to watch them each come alive with energy and passion as they described their dreams. One wanted to own a scuba diving business in the Caribbean. Another wanted to help people establish clean sources of water and sustainable farming practices. The dreams continued and they were all awesome–I would even say extraordinary. But more awesome was seeing the faces and eyes of each person as they described their dream.
I personally feel that those dreams–the ones you have for many years that never go away or change–are Heaven’s messages to you of who you are and what you need to accomplish in this life. They are your God-given guides to what you can become–what you are truly meant to be and to do. Before you were born, you made a commitment to do or be that.
The two most important days in life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.
Mark Twain
Dreams are often contrary to what society would tell you is success. They are often a little bit scary, challenging and daunting. In my experience, they are also often ways you can bless the lives of others or make the world a better place. They are often the difference between living an ordinary life and living an extraordinary life in your sphere of influence. They are often the difference between being an observer or becoming a creator. They are difference between living a life full of energy, passion and fulfillment versus just existing–thriving versus surviving.
So, what is your dream? The thing that gives you energy and passion? The thing that makes you excited like nothing else does? The thing that makes you come alive every time you talk about it or think about it? That’s your dream–the thing you are meant to do and perhaps that thing that only you can do. But what if you don’t know what that is. How do you discover it? It’s a process. It requires you to come to know yourself and that is some of the hardest work we do in this life. You need to take the time to ponder and connect with YOU and with Heaven. You need to separate what society tells you, you should do and listen to your inner-self (the Spirit) and what it tells you to do and be. Spend time with yourself in quiet contemplation. Disconnect from your devices. Just be and get acquainted with who you are. Henry David Thoreau said it this way in Walden, “Direct your eye right inward, and you’ll find a thousand regions in your mind yet undiscovered. Travel them, and be expert in home-cosmography.”
For me, I am still coming to know myself and what direction my path should take. This isn’t a case of arriving at a destination, but rather a journey of discovery throughout your life, one step at a time. However, often there are certain threads that are consistent, though they may change slightly as you move down the path. For example, one thing that has been clear to me for years, is that I needed to write a book. It was always there, lingering and poking me in a good way. It always seemed out of reach because of my own fear and doubt. It has morphed over time though. At first I thought the books I were to write were children’s books about the stories my best friend and I created as children. And while that is also likely in my future, about two years ago when I left my job at FamilySearch, it became very clear to me that I needed to write a book about the miracles I have experienced in my life. So I’m pursuing that now. It isn’t easy and in fact it has taken me way longer than it should because of the fear and doubt issue. But I’m doing it and it feel really right and really good.
So, what do you do with your dreams? Deliberately take action and start moving towards them. Inaction gets you nowhere. Don’t let fear and doubt stop you. Be brave and jump in. One of my favorite speakers and writers is David A. Bednar. He is an apostle in the church I belong to, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said to a group of young people, “Quit worrying about it. Get to work. Press forward with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…as you are pressing forward, God will guide your steps.” Just get started, moving in the direction of your dreams and God will help guide you along the way.
I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Henry David Thoreau
Own your dreams. Own what you can become. Own it. Embrace it. Deliberately design your life so that your dreams become a reality. Figure out the first step you need to take in the direction of your dreams and do it. Then deliberately design the second step and do it. Then the third and the fourth and the fifth steps and so on, until your dream is a reality. Don’t just sit back and do nothing because of your own self-doubt. Make your dreams reality and that will be the difference between an ordinary life in your sphere of influence or an extraordinary one. Choose extraordinary. Choose to be whom Heaven knows you can be. Choose your dreams. Choose to live your life in 4D. LIVE DELIBERATELY.