The Tangible Dream

Last night, while out with my friend and business partner, we started talking about our drive behind this business we are establishing. We mentioned the need for the service and how we couldn’t go wrong with the plan. I then said to him, that I don’t need to make $1mil in the first year. It would be nice, but the bigger impact would be that the participants gained something and are able to transfer that knowledge to their lives and others. He then said, even if we did it and the business only lasted a year, at least we tried. Our success would have come from taking this idea and actually turning it into a reality. I then told him that I’m so passionate about this idea, that if I never made it a reality, it would haunt me for the rest of my life. (That’s how I feel about dental school, but that’s a story for another day.) I would prefer to give it my all and it not work out, than to just live with the dream.

My message to you this morning is – “The Tangible Dream.”

I’m sure, like myself, many of you have had dreams; dreams of being a famous athlete, or world-renowned poet, a world traveler or Nobel Prize winner. However, not all dreams have to include world fame, some are more practical, such as graduating college, getting a decent paying job, buying a house or being a good parent. Whatever your dream is or was, it required some type of work in order to become a reality. It therefore had to move from the “ideas” category to the “tangible” category. In other words, dreams are like cotton candy – fluffy, sweet and full of air. Goals, or the tangible dreams, are more like clay – messy yet moldable, requiring time and effort in order for it to create a solid, beautiful final product.

I spent a good part of 2013 dreaming and writing down those dreams for future reference. But I knew if I wanted those dreams to ever become a real business, I would have to start setting deadlines, making calls and putting some work in. Now that I’ve done those things, my dream is starting to look more like reality.

As you get ready to say “thanks” to 2013 and “welcome” 2014, set some deadlines to the dreams you hold dear. Turn them from cotton candy to clay and get ready to rock. I look forward to seeing your final product.