When dreams die

“A vision without action is just a dream; an action without vision just passes time; a vision with an action changes the world.” - Nelson Mandela

I recently connected with 23 people. We are different ages and different walks of life, all united because we are dreamers. Some of us may even be visionaries. We were brought together and challenged to take our vision and put some action behind it. Change the world.

The visions vary in size. Some are personal, like loosing weight or getting in shape. Some are job focused, like being a better manager or finding that elusive job that will blossom into a career. Some sound crazy, like playing catch with the president or spending 24 hours in prayer.

Each dream is important, though. Each one is a living, breathing thing. They need to be nurtured and fed, especially when they are just learning to walk. As they get stronger, they gain momentum. The dreamer suddenly isn't stuck anymore. Instead of coaxing their dream along, they find themselves running to keep up. It's a beautiful thing.

Each of us have limited time that we can put into these efforts. It isn't like someone is paying us to do all the hustling that is required to turn vision into reality. For each of us, some level of sacrifice is required. For me, I've been getting up a couple of hours early every morning so I can write. I can't say it's been easy. The mornings aren't bad, but the nights are kind of tough. But it's been worth it. Feeding your dreams are always worth it.

I just sent in a two-week status update of our challenge. There were only nine project updates. Each of those nine had incredible updates, even the ones that said "not a lot of progress this week, but I'm hanging in there." Forward progress, no matter how small, is always beautiful. It's motivating and inspiring to watch. But I can't help but wonder about the other 14. What happened to their dreams this week?

See, I know that if you fail to feed your dreams, they tend to atrophy and die. God made each of us unique, and not everyone is a dreamer. Having witnessed the birth of such beautiful dreams, it is sad to think that so many died so young.

Did those dreams die?

Call To Arms

Trust 30 : Day 26 (prompt by Sasha Dichter)

The secret of fortune is joy in our hands. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What if today, right now, no jokes at all, you were actually in charge, the boss, the Head Honcho. Write the “call to arms” note you’re sending to everyone (staff, customers, suppliers, Board) charting the path ahead for the next 12 months and the next 5 years. Now take this manifesto, print it out somewhere you can see, preferably in big letters you can read from your chair.

You’re just written your own job description. You know what you have to do. Go!

Let us do nothing out of hate, malice, anger, or vengeance. Let our lives and everything in them be shaped by love. In ever situation let us strive to do the right thing, and in a way that doesn't tear anyone down but only lifts them up.

Christ has called us to be His hands and feet, continuing His work here on earth. He has called us to comfort the afflicted, feed the hungry, free those that are in chains, and provide for widows and orphans. I believe if we unite and take this call seriously we would see humanity transformed in less than a generation.

People are desperately looking for a savior. In America, more and more it is the role of the government to feed the needy and help the broken. Many Christians I know believe the growth of government is a horrible thing. They spend many hours in fruitless worry and frustration, fretting about what this politician or that politician is doing. But what if we stopped looking to the politicians? What if we stop focusing on what Thomas Jefferson said and instead focused on the vision Christ had for humanity? What if we let that guide our lives?

According to Wikipedia, there are approximately 2.2 Billion Christians on earth. If you self-identify as a Christian, you believe God sent His son Jesus to earth to save humanity. We all agree on that. Whether we do or don't dance or drink; whether we wear suits or shorts to church; whether we rock out or chant acappela in worship -- we are one body united in Christ. We are diverse, there is no doubt. And we are all called to serve Him. If even a small percentage of us united around this fact, we could shake the earth.

Imagine a country where food stamps weren't needed because "the church" not only fed the hungry but lifted them out of their situation in love, helping them find new life and purpose here on earth. Imagine a country where medicare wasn't necessary because the church provided for the medical needs of the old and ill. Imagine a country where those that lost their employment were taken in by the church, helped along, and retrained for a new vocation. Imagine a country where the church was so full of love and faith that there were no orphans or foster children because there were so many loving families willing to take them in. There are already Christian organizations doing each of these things, making a real difference. They are generally under-funded and under-publicized, but the framework is already there. 

What if we spent our time and money doing all these things in a way characterized with love, compassion, and joy? What if we used our "time, treasure, and talent" for this instead of on tracts and superficial outreach? What would it say about our church if outsiders were drawn to it because they see the good work we are doing, the real difference we are making and they want to be a part of it? What if we actually welcomed in the non-believers, the "sinners," and those that normally feel out of place in church to serve along side us?

I believe this is not only possible, but essential. I believe we are called to live united. Let us break down the walls that divide us. If we stopped focusing on our differences so much, we would realize that we have much in common. Let's unite and conquer.

Facing (and Fearing)

Trust 30 : Day 19 (prompt by Dan Andrews)

Greatness appeals to the future. If I can be firm enough to-day to do right, and scorn eyes, I must have done so much right before as to defend me now. Be it how it will, do right now. Always scorn appearances, and you always may. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Trusting intuition and making decisions based on it is the most important activity of the creative artist and entrepreneur. If you are facing (and fearing) a difficult life decision, ask yourself these three questions... (please see original prompt for full text of the questions)

I'm not sure I can discern the writing prompt in this one. I will attempt to answer the three questions and base it on the dreams and goals I wrote about in the past could of prompts. Here goes...

1.) "What are the costs of inaction?"
In the case of the dreams I have, they all center on one thing...trust God. More than anything in life, I seek to follow God's will above all else. I hate religious cliches. I feel like when I say something "churchy" people tune out. In the past few years, though, the times that make sense in life--the times that have had the most significance--are the time I was close to God. And when I am close to God, I listen to and follow His will, not mine. When I try to force the future then I lose sight of Him. When I focus on Him, the future unfolds. So, the cost of inaction, based on my personal experience, results in a time of building. Times of inaction are times of preparation. Inaction can be one of the greatest parts of your dream. It is this patient persistence that develops you into the person that is ready to inact out the dream. Once the time is right.

2.) "What kind of person do I want to be?"
I want to run the race, fight the good fight. When I die, I want people to say that my life was lived in a way that proved that I loved God. I want to be a good father and husband. If I have God and my family in the right place in life, the rest doesn't matter so much.

3.) "In the event of failure, could i generate an alternative positive outcome?"
Yes, God works through all things. The things that look like failure today are preparation for greater things to come. Trusting God is always a positive outcome.

Fear

Trust 30 : Day 12

These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Question

Put yourself in the shoes of the you who’s already lived your dream and write out the answers to the following:

• Is the insecurity you’re defending worth the dream you’ll never realize? or the love you’ll never venture? or the joy you’ll never feel? 

• Will the blunder matter in 10 years? Or 10 weeks? Or 10 days? Or 10 minutes?

• Can you be happy being anything less than who you really are?

Answer

Is fear holding me back? Absolutely. Sometimes I like to call it patience instead of fear, though. The areas of my life that I am most desperate to make breakthroughs in all have the same thing in common. I'm currently being "patient."

Background

Years ago I was working at a company that was laying off a lot of people. The role I was in at the time wasn't a good place for me to be. An assertive, extroverted buddy of mine said I should go to the VP's office and let him know I would be a better fit elsewhere. My buddy was right, of course, but I chose to do nothing. And got laid off. 

My Fear

The things that I worry about the most right now are things that feel like they're out of my control. They are things that I am being "patient" in. I'm working hard in the background hoping to get noticed, but not making any noise in the foreground. This includes a few relationships that I'm patiently clinging to as well as my professional and spiritual goals.

The Problem

In that early story, I lost my job. That's a bad thing. But as a result I found a career that fit me a lot better. That's a good thing. In fact, once I found another job, my career somehow fast-tracked and made up for lost time. Then the company I worked for shut down. That's a bad thing. But I landed a new job within a month. That's a good thing. And at the new job I got some incredible technical depth and met a couple of people that now mean quite a lot to me.

So why do I put up with my own inaction? Because my life is so incredible right now in spite of my own hesitations. God has been so good to me, and I trust that He will lead me where I need to go. When He wants me to act, I'll act. My prayer is that my heart and eyes are open to His prompting, and that I continue to have the courage to act when called. 

Is that just an excuse to continue living in fear?