What Do You See for Your Future?

If you've ever been to Disney World, you know what an amazing spectacle it is. It is an enormous place dedicated solely to the imagination. On the opening day of Disney World in Orlando, Roy Disney (brother of Walt Disney) was there to dedicate it. A reporter said, "It's really sad that Walt Disney never got to see this place." Roy replied, "If Walt didn't see it, we wouldn't be standing in it."

Having vision is a powerful thing. I'm not talking about being able to see the things around you, but envisioning something you want to happen and then working toward it until completion. I love to be around people who had a goal, dream, or desire and worked through oppression and failure to make it come true.

I recently asked my friends on Facebook what a dream was in their life they have always wanted to do. The answers were mostly travel-related, with places they've always wanted to visit, but a few had particular things, like skydiving or writing a book, they'd always wanted to try. Some of the restrictions were based on price, but many were attainable with a plan.

Do you have a dream of something you've always wanted to do? Now my question is: "What's holding you back? Do you have a plan to make it happen?"

In my "Not 'Just' Anything" presentation, I talk about the fact that anyone in the room can go to Paris on an all-expenses-paid vacation. It may not be today or tomorrow, but if you put a jar on your dresser and drop your loose change in there along with an extra few dollars every time you can, there will come a day when you open that jar and have enough money for the trip.

On the other hand, if you don't, a year from now you won't be one tiny step closer to your dream trip. Don't let your future self down!

I was horrible at this. I wanted things to happen, and I was excited about new opportunities, but I never really did enough planning to make this happen. Then I finally began to understand that the important thing was the end result, not the timeline. Some things would happen quickly, but bigger dreams might take years to see completed. The question was: "Was it important enough for me to take the smaller, slower steps that it would require?"

Where do you want to be in life a year from now, Brian? What would you love to see happen this year that you've always wanted to do? Now, what are you doing to make it happen besides wishing?

I promise that you can find excuses. You can talk yourself out of every single one of your dreams. Don't allow yourself to hide behind the excuses. You aren't too old. You can find time (even if it's just a few minutes). The steps may be small, but they get you closer to your dream. It's not too late to start.

Be like Walt Disney. See the destination in your mind (dream trip, finished book, new house, etc) and then put into action those first steps. Write that first sentence of your first novel. Map out the blueprints of your dream home. Create the itinerary of your dream trip. Buy the musical instrument you've always wanted to play. Save that first dollar in the jar marked "Dreams".

Whatever you do, don't just settle in and let those dreams die. Don't have them marked for "Someday if I get lucky". I'm challenging you right now to make a plan for the first step and take it today!