Balancing Your Dreams With Your Reality

I have a confession to make. I’ve been struggling lately to find a balance between what I want to do with what I have time to do. With dreaming these big audacious dreams but not knowing how to fit them into my present life. Ever feel that way? You want to learn a new language or visit a foreign country, build a ministry to help the marginalized, create a business that helps people discover their purpose. But the hours are few, the bank account is slim AGAIN and you start to feel like this dream is a million miles away. That’s where I’ve been lately. And then I read something from a friend that pierced me to the core.

 If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse!

 Ouch!! Man that one hurt. But it is oh so true. If these dreams of yours, both big and small, is important, you’ll fight for it any way you can. You may not make big strides daily but you can find a way to push forward. Do you need to prioritize where you spend your time? Maybe a break from social media or Netflix is all you need to find the margin that will give you some time each week. Do you need to make a budget for your finances to find where the waste is and what is absolutely necessary to get rid of debt? Giving up that Starbucks coffee daily or eating out could easily give you the extra money needed to save up for that dream vacation or even a missions trip.

 All of us are given the same 24 hours each day but why is it that so many people seem to do so much more with their time? What is their secret? I believe it is in prioritizing those 24 hours. We feed the urgent and not the necessary sometimes. We put out fires all day long then get to the end of the day and feel like we accomplished nothing. We need to find out what is most important and schedule it like you do anything else that is important to you. Just don’t do what most people do in January with their health goals that sound something like “I’m going to the gym EVERY.SINGLE.DAY” Yeah that’s probably not going to happen and then they feel defeated. But I will say this. Take that first step. It’s an important one. Sign up for that class you need to finish school. Join the gym. Buy the tools necessary to learn that new skill. Once you decide what your goals are, take that first step immediately. Why? Because it will be oh so easy to keep making excuses for not doing it.

 After that first step, then make a plan for how you can wisely add this into your schedule by prioritizing your day to day life. Take out what is unimportant or a waste of time and replace it with making that goal a reality. Little by little, as you make space to write, read, learn, grow, workout, save money you’ll be closer to seeing that goal come to pass.

And can I add this piece of advice in here, please? Celebrate the small beginnings. Celebrate the small wins. Once you start making progress towards your dreams, stop and give yourself some credit and celebrate the small stuff. Because every small step gets you closer to that dream being realized. It’s not just reaching the goal. It’s the journey! In that journey you will discover things about yourself that you never knew and that is really just as important. You’ll find that inner strength, talents and gifts that you didn’t see before. I know people who can’t do that. Ever. They can only see that their dreams and goals are still a far way off. They miss that they were disciplined and organized and got from point A to point B.

I know you’ve got it in you, dear dreamer! I believe in you! Start today, right now. Make that call. Send that email. Ask that question. Apply for that job.

Let’s see what we can do together today, this week, this month and this year! I can’t wait to hear about your journey!