The Power of Dreams (Part One): The Beauty of Dreams

And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them. (Genesis 11:6, AMP)

Born to Dream:

The ability to dream is one of those unique attributes of human beings. It distinguishes them from mere animals. It is part of the functions of the human mind. As Archibald MacLeish noted, “The only thing about a man that is a man is his mind. Everything else you can find in a pig or a horse.” The complexity and sophistication of the human brain are not matched nor equaled by that of any other. 

"Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true." ― Napoleon Hill.

It is built to dream. It is built to create. It is built to envision. It is built to innovate. 

What It Is:

The English dictionary defines a dream as a vision, fantasy, aspiration, or delight. It is a desired goal or purpose, or that which satisfies a wish. To dream is an act that involves the will. People don’t just dream. They dream because they will so. It comes from the desire to reach out to something bigger than oneself. It comes from a refusal to be satisfied with the status quo. 

"Lack of direction, not a lack of time, is the problem. We all have 24-hour days." ― Zig Ziglar.

It reaches out beyond the temporal (visible, manifest, easily accessible) things to the more permanent (yet invisible, bigger, better) things. [2 Corinthians 4:18] The ability to dream is the leverage endowment God has given to every man. It is our tool for reigning in this life. Those who do not dream have no clue what "reigning in life" is or means. They are merely existing and being at the mercy of that which life thrust at them. 

"Don’t obsess about what you want to change or stop or eliminate; instead, think about what you want to create." ―  The Secret.

Rather than sitting at the table to eat, they eat from the crumbs that fall off the table. Their life is not anchored. They are blown about by every wind of change that comes their way. A dream is an anchor for the dreamer. Our dream is our anchor position in an ever-changing world. To dream is to take responsibility for our future and that of our close associates. It is to live proactively on our own terms. 

"Energy goes where focus goes. Period! Be wise. Be guarded." ― St. Akin de Sage.

It is to be the prophet over our own life. It is to design our life. It is to design our future. It is to predetermine what the parameters of our success will be. To win, we have to be settled on what we are willing to accept. To dream is to plan to succeed on our own terms. No one plans to fail, but to fail to dream, is to fail to plan. To fail to plan is to plan to fail. 

"Not to dream boldly may turn out to be simply irresponsible." ― George Leonard.

Let's Go Dreaming:

So, do you have a goal you would want to be accomplished? Do you have a purpose? Do you have a wish you will like to come true? Do you have a vision of where you will want to be in a year? Do you have a vision of where you want to be in five (5) years? What about ten (10) years, and twenty (20) years’? 

"Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams." ― Ralph Waldo Emmerson.

Do you have a vision of what you want to be remembered for when you leave the scene? Do you have a vision of where you will spend eternity? Remember, nothing just happens. People bring things to birth—your today results from your dreams (and your yesterdays' corresponding actions and inactions). Your tomorrows will be the result of your dreams (and the corresponding actions and inactions) of your today. [Ref. Genesis 8:22; Galatians 6:7] 

"Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline." ―  James C. Collins.

And, if you are going to be dreaming at all, you might as well dream big. There is no medal for dreaming small. Don’t allow history to limit your dreams. There is no crime in being the first. There is no crime in rewriting history. Be a bookmaker. Be a trailblazer. Dream big! The size of your dream is only limited by the size of your heart. How big is your heart? How big is your eating?

"Rich dad said it this way, 'Big people have big dreams and small people have small dreams. If you want to change who you are, begin by changing the size of your dreams.'" ―  Robert Kiyosaki.

You need a dream to be great. What is the essence of life if you cannot be great at something? What is the essence of passing through if you cannot leave your mark? There is more to life than just passing the time. Live! Be remembered for something. Be remembered for something good. Be remembered for something worthwhile. Be remembered for something great.

"The greatest achievement was, at first, and for a time, but a dream." ―  Napoleon Hill.

Knowing this, what kind of people ought we to be?

© 2014 Akin Akinbodunse.

Creating my Future

Link to the Series:
The Power of Dreams (Part Two)

Links to Related Articles:
The Power of Hope
Do You Have a Vision for 2018?
Your 2018 is Written in Your 2017
The Power of Visualization (Part One)

Other Resources for Further Study:
Leading an Inspired Life (Jim Rohn)
Everything is Possible (Jen Bricker and Sheryl Berk)