Dream on

Last year, I was fortunate to attend a talk given by leadership guru Dr. John Maxwell. He was very engaging and charismatic, basically putting forth ideas found in his many books. Though the forum topic was called "Leadership in Challenging Times," some of the advice he gave can be applied to anyone trying to achieve a goal, in good times or in bad. For example, when trying to reach a goal, Dr. Maxwell puts forth the Cost Question, the question that everyone must ask him or herself, and that is: Am I willing to pay the price for my dream? All dreams have a cost. The costs aren't always monetary. For example, pursuing a lifelong passion may be free, but it could eat up time you could be spending with your family. Find out how much you dream will cost you is part and figure out if that's what you really want/ can afford. In the beginning, all dreams are free. In Dr. Maxwell's words, "It doesn't cost anything to have an idea." The payment comes later. The dream is free but the journey isn't. A lot of people get discouraged from pursuing their dream because of all the hard work it entails. All dreams have a price, and "you're going to pay it sooner than you think," and it will be more expensive than what you initially thought it would cost. Again, the "price" isn't necessarily monetary. You could be raking in the dough at the cost of something else in your life, and it's really up to you which to value more. Dr. Maxwell says that "you have to pay the price more than once" and that "you have to pay the price throughout your entire dream journey." You can't rest until you've fulfilled your goal. Off the top of my head, an example would be writing a novel. It doesn't cost anything to write - at least in money. It does cost a lot of time and thinking, a lot of shuffling of schedules and making time in between work, family, and friends. Then there's the writing. You have to write until the actual novel is finished. You have to write it, no one else will write it for you, in the same way that no one else will walk the dog if you don't schedule your writing time properly. You don't stop until the last word has been typed in. That's paying the price throughout the entire dream journey. Lastly, Dr. Maxwell says that “there are no shortcuts for dreams.” You have to pay the full price for your dream (unless you are very rich, whereupon you can just hire people, but it wouldn't be as fulfilling), and you always have to pay in advance. How much of your dream you achieve will be based on how much you are willing to pay. Sounds scary, doesn't it? There is always a lot of fear in the beginning. But if you strategize correctly, the end will, more often than not, be worth it.