DAY 33: "Who Is Around to Help?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Have you ever noticed that whenever there's hard work to be done around the house - that everyone else has mysteriously disappeared?  Sometimes I'm amazed that the same teenagers who earlier sounded like a herd of elephants in my house have developed the ability to sneak silently off to undiscoverable locations the moment it seems there may be work to do.   

We each have a daunting task ahead of us in our DREAM-pursuit.  Thankfully, however, we aren't alone in the journey.  God has placed us in community with others: we've identified our stakeholders, recruited our team, and enlisted a coach - we're set and ready to get to work.  Okay, not quite ready.  There are still a couple more spots to look while we're in the recruitment phase of the DREAM and today it's time to consider the community resources around you.

You might be surprised at how many people there are near you that might not only be willing to help you - but actually derive a high degree of satisfaction from helping you.  The Kaufman Foundation did a survey early in 2012 of American workers asking the question, "What's important to you in a great job or creative project?"  The results illustrate for us the willingness so many have to be part of something exciting or, at least, larger than themselves.

Learning New Skills                   81.4%
Collaborating with Great People   80.4%
Making Cool Stuff                     77.6%
Receiving Recognition/Praise       48.1%
Making Lots of Money               28.6%

Not even a third of the respondents were motivated by monetary gain and less than half were even interested in recognition for their efforts.  Take a look at the top two: personal growth and collaboration significantly beat all the others.  This illustrates to me that there are many people out there who would very likely be excited to join in your DREAM-pursuit if it challenged them and they felt like they were part of a dynamic team.  

You can find community resources in all sorts of places: libraries, newspapers, bulletin boards.  Community Centers or YMCAs often have listings of groups that meet around the community.  Some are hobby or interest-based clubs, others are businesses trying to make connections with potential customers, some are branches of government agencies serving the community-at-large.  One of your best sources of knowledgeable help are retirees who spent portions of their career in fields related to your DREAM - they can not only be a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience, but they usually are more than happy to share with others.  Don't be afraid to ask - the worst they can do is decline your request. 

Here's a really way-out-there thought: what if God has placed people around you whose fulfillment of His DREAM for their lives dovetails perfectly with you pursuing yours? 

ACTION STEP

For today's ACTION STEP the goal is to identify if there are any organizations or individuals in your local community or nearby region that can help you as you pursue the DREAM.

Surf the web or do a search for local clubs or government agencies that may be related to elements of your DREAM.  Grab the phone book (if you still have one of those antiques!) and search there.  Go to the library and check out the Bulletin Board or peruse the Classified Ads in the local newspaper - you might be surprised what all is in your community that you never noticed before.

Write down the contact information or the meeting times and set up a time to meet someone or attend their club-meeting.

If you struggle finding something nearby then look in a larger area or nearby major city.

Tomorrow we'll climb the fence and look beyond our familiar surroundings to see if we can learn from those outside our "box."  

DAY 32: "The Stuff DREAMS Are Made Of"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

So, let's say you stumble upon a dusty old lamp in the attic, clean it off, and the genie pops out offering you anything you need to pursue and fulfill God's DREAM for your life.  What do you ask for?  Have you given much thought yet to the stuff you'll need in your DREAM-pursuit?  I'm not talking about the time or the support of others; we're past talking about the schedule or the physical space - now we need to take a look at the stuff - the specific items - we'll need. 

Maybe God's DREAM for you has an artistic or creative aspect to it.  Fine.  Then what materials or mediums will you need?  What kind of equipment?  Perhaps the unique DREAM for you requires an educational or retraining aspect to it?  Okay, so..will your computer be adequate?  What about books?  Videos?  Maybe God's DREAM for your life requires a water-buffalo.  Excellent. 

This might be a revolutionary thought to some: God has already committed everything you'll need in the pursuit of His DREAM for your life.  There's an old cliche in church-circles that says, "Where God guides, He provides."  Think of it in this silly way: if you asked a bunch of friends to come to your house and help you paint it - would you tell them to bring the paint?  Would you expect them to go to the hardware store and plunk down their own hard-earned cash to purchase the supplies for painting your house?  Would you tell them to bring their own lunch with them?  Get my point?  It's one thing if you're pursuing your dream for your life - then you're on your own to come up with the stuff you'll need.  However, if you've resolved to pursue and fulfill God's DREAM, then you can be sure that He will provide whatever you need to make it happen.

I've noticed a few myths when it comes to God's provision in our lives - let's deal with them quickly (I've thrown in some annoying cliches, too).
Myth 1) Inaction: Just because He provides doesn't mean we won't have to work for it.  "God may feed the birds of the field, but He doesn't drop it in their nest."
Myth 2) Timing: He is under no compunction to lay out everything you will need, up front, before you take your first steps forward.  He'll provide for you along the way. "God is never late in paying His bills - though He's rarely ever early, either!"
Myth 3) Mistrust: The resources He entrusts to us are for us to use - not for us to hoard - perhaps not even for us to preserve.  He is faithful to replenish as we use them.  "Disuse is just as much abuse as overuse."
Myth 4) Prima-Donna: God provides what we need, not necessarily what we want.  Think of the stuff He provides as tools for the job, not artifacts for the museum.  "Keep your wants from crowding your needs and you'll find the Lord keeps your needs out of your wants." 

One of the values of having a written plan and an idea of the things you'll need is that you can see when you might need different things in your DREAM-pursuit.  This helps in a couple different ways:  first, it helps you avoid the paralysis of thinking you need certain things before you need them.  Example: If God's DREAM for you is to fly yaks in and out of Mongolian villages - but you haven't started flying-lessons yet, then your written plan helps you realize that you don't need a four-engine cargo-plane quite yet.  You don't have to wait until you have the plane before pursing the DREAM.  The lack of the plane isn't stopping you from moving forward in the pursuit.  Secondly, your written plan helps you have an idea of the things you'll need so you can keep an eye out as they cross your path.  Example: When you spot that four-engine cargo plane at the neighbor's garage sale for $30, you know it'll be a good purchase and that you'll need it soon.

ACTION STEP

Take out your written plan and start making a list of the items you will need relating to each step along the way. 

Be sure to give it some in-depth thought and think ideally what you might need.  Don't limit your list to the things you already have or can procure easily - I'm going to repeat what I've said before: this is God's DREAM for your life.  He has long been committed to seeing it fulfilled, the stuff has already been ordained for you and will be available when you need it.  

It might be helpful for you to highlight the things that you do not yet have so you can be praying for and keeping your eye out for these things.

Tomorrow we'll look around our community and see who or what might already be in place to help us as we pursue the DREAM.  

DAY 31: "Where Will I Do This?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

A couple years ago I had a major "A-ha!" moment: I realized that every time I was about to embark on a large project or begin researching or studying for a major sermon series I would first clean out and rearrange my office.  I'm not kidding - I would even sometimes repaint it a different color or redecorate it with a completely different style.  I never gave much thought to why I felt compelled to do it right at the beginning of a new project - which is silly because I have long known of the power of surroundings.  What do I mean?

Our physical surroundings have a huge impact upon how we approach any task - especially anything creative or new to us.  Artists that are embarking on a new direction will often seek different surroundings to prevent from being influenced by their usual views; authors will travel to somewhere - anywhere - different so as to give themselves that fresh perspective.  It's difficult for us to embark on a new direction in the same atmosphere - we need change.

As you begin the pursuit of God's DREAM for your life you need to give thought to the physical space you will do it in.  Do you need a space for studying?  Do you need a creative space?  Will you need an area for practicing something?  Obviously, the type of space you need will depend on what you are doing - but don't underestimate the importance of having that space which you can identify as your DREAM-pursuit space.  It may not need to be large or spacious.  It may not be exclusively yours.  It might even be space that you already use for something very similar.  The key is that you claim it as your space for working on the DREAM.

Perhaps you already have the space, but just need a change to the surroundings (that's why I unconsciously rearranged or repainted my existing office).  I find it much easier to imagine and create something different than the norm when the surroundings have changed.  It's almost like I get stuck in the usual thinking-patterns when nothing changes around me - so I change my surroundings to inspire a new perspective!

Give it a try!

ACTION STEP

For Today's ACTION STEP you get to roll up our sleeves and start creating the space in which you will pursue the DREAM.  Do whatever you need to do that will feel as if you've accomplished something significant in creating or altering the space.
 

Tomorrow we start amassing the arsenal.  

DAY 30: "When Will I Do This?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

If you're anything like me then the thought of adding something to your weekly or daily schedule sounds like a slim-to-nothing chance.  There are some weeks when I would consider sacrificing my left-foot if it could buy me a few extra hours.  The truth, however, is that unless we do add the pursuit of God's DREAM for our lives to our regular schedule then we probably will never get a round to doing it at all.  There's always something else clamoring for our time.

I'm not a naturally organized person - I've had to learn to organize my schedule and time more out of survival than inclination.  I'm a creative, artistic personality-type so I tend to prefer cluttery surroundings and fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants schedules - but to be honest, that has gotten me into trouble more times than I care to recollect, not to mention the times it has frustrated others who are depending upon me.  I've had to learn (painfully) the necessity of organizing my time and attentions, and (I hate to admit it) it has made a world of difference for my ability to accomplish tasks regularly.

We are creatures of habit and, regardless of our personality, thrive better when we approach any task or pursuit with regular, consistent efforts.  That means we need to be the masters of our schedule; owners of our time.  If we're serious about pursuing and living God's DREAM for our lives then we need to give it regular attention and effort - and that means regularly scheduled time.  I know, that doesn't sound very romantic (unless you've got one of those Type-A, regimented personalities, in which case you're probably already salivating and can't wait to grab your weekly calendar and start scheduling!).

The specific times that you schedule for your DREAM will depend greatly on the nature and requirements of your unique DREAM, as well as where in the process you are.  If you're in a season requiring more study or practice or skill-development then you'll want to take into account when you are in a better mind-set for mental focus - perhaps earlier morning, for example; if you need silence or solitude then you'll need to consider the schedules of those you live with and when you are more likely to avoid interruption.  Don't underestimate the impact the schedules of others can have on you.  Maybe others in your household who are also on a DREAM-pursuit can arrange for common times when you're all focusing on your tasks.

There will likely be phases or stages of your DREAM-pursuit when you will need one "kind" of time and then other seasons when you need something entirely different.  Obviously that's fine - you are the master of your time, after all.  You might even find it helpful to create your schedule one month at a time, maybe longer, maybe shorter.  There is no magic formula - only that you intentionally create that time in your schedule. 

You'll most likely have to be brutal with cutting some other things in your schedule from time-to-time.  Those "things" will probably kick and scream to not get axed, forcing you to make some significant priority decisions.  The most important thing to remember is this: it is the nature of God's DREAM for your life to NOT clamor for attention and demand that you focus on it right now; there will always be things that are more urgent - but are they as important?  Remember our discussion of "practice makes permanent" from Day 14?  Do you want to get in the habit of putting off the pursuit of God's DREAM or would you rather develop the positive habit of making time for it?

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is very similar to the Calendar Crunching from Day 20, but instead of the long-term dates for our DREAM-pursuit you need to decide when you will work on the DREAM in your weekly or day-to-day life.

Take a look at your weekly schedule and decide when you will give regular, intentional time to work on the various tasks or study or whatever is involved in your DREAM-pursuit.  Be realistic, if you're starting from scratch you probably won't be able to carve out 3 hours a day or 20 hours a week.  Two or three hours each week may be a lot - and will likely be plenty if it's good, quality, focused time.  There will be weeks that you will struggle to fit in much time at all and there will be weeks when you can do extra - that's life.

TIP: Post your schedule in a prominent spot so that others can see that you have prioritized this time for your DREAM-pursuit - the extra accountability will help you stick to it and they will know when they can stay out of your way.

If you aren't the type of person to have a written weekly schedule or plan this may be a bit more difficult (or maybe it's time for you to start one!). 

Tomorrow we take a look at the power of surroundings.

DAY 29: "Who's On My Team?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

So, at the risk of dredging up painful childhood memories, what were your playground experiences like?  When it was time to line up along the wall or fence and choose teams for whatever the popular game was at your school - were you picked right away...or dead-last?  Team-captains on the playground know what the winning strategy is: pick the strongest, fastest kids first.  Sorry if that wasn't you.

Thankfully, in real life, success doesn't come down to who is the biggest or fastest - but it still matters who you have on your team.  We've already established that you'll never fulfill God's DREAM for your life if you go it alone, so it stands to reason that you carefully consider who is on your DREAM-team.

You have thought about that, right?  Well, if not, then now is the time - but this time you are the team-captain and you get to decide who will join you in the pursuit.  This time, however, you aren't looking for the ones who can throw the ball harder or more accurately, rather, it's the ones whose strengths will help you in your DREAM-pursuit.  Imagine your DREAM-team similar to an athletic team: there are various roles and positions, each with their unique contribution to the overall success.  You don't need a team full of quarterbacks, and a team populated with cheerleaders might be encouraging - but it will it be effective?

This is your chance to unashamedly pick the people you think will help you "win."  Your DREAM-team is a very different group than your stakeholders (though, obviously, if someone is on your DREAM-team they are definitely stakeholders!).   Your DREAM-team is by-invitation-only and you don't need to feel bad that not everyone will make that team.  So, what if they don't want to join your DREAM-team?  Then they don't.  It IS that simple.  You'll find, however, that if you consider the people carefully and communicate effectively that most of the people you try to recruit will be excited to join.

Now, start assembling your DREAM-team!

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is all about picking our team-members.  Approach this task from two sides:
1) Who will be on your team?  Consider the people who are obvious choices (immediate family, closest friends, etc.).
2) What roles do you need on your team?  Don't limit yourself to people you already know or you run the risk of missing a key role on your team.  Don't panic if you cannot identify a person who could fill a specific role - remember, this is God's DREAM for your life, He will bring the right people along at the right time if you keep looking for them.

Make a list and a strategy for recruiting your DREAM-team (keep in mind the ACTION STEPS from the last several days). 

Tomorrow we'll grab the carving knife and start making time in our daily and weekly life for the pursuit. 

DAY 28: "Who Can Coach Me?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

I don't really enjoy watching sports.  I'm not a sports-hater, just not a huge fan of spectating.  I love to see people excel at their passions and celebrating their dedication - athletes included.  What I find most entertaining, however, when it comes to sports is watching the fans - especially when they disagree with the coaches.  I find it highly entertaining to watch the arm-chair "coaches" who, from the comfort and anonymity of their living-roooms, clearly know far more about the game in general and the specifics down on the field or court than the guys who are paid, oh, say...MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO COACH!!! 

Perhaps, though, it stems from a misunderstanding of what coaches actually do.  I think there's a misconception that coaches are supposed to be experts at whatever they are leading others in - or at least from the ranks of the best.  Nothing could be further from the...need.  Coaches do not need to be the best players or the most skilled, or even have the most experience.  It isn't about what the coach needs to be, it's really all about what the player needs.  The player needs a coach that can bring the best out of them and encourage them to stretch beyond themselves. 

We assume that every team needs a coach - but have you ever given thought to the role of coaches in your every-day life?  What about in the pursuit of God's DREAM for your life, what role could a coach play?  Clearly, a coach in this area cannot possibly be the best at living God's DREAM for your life, can they?  That's silly.  Maybe it's time for a reality-statement (sorry if this hurts, but that's what coaches do sometimes): you don't really need someone to encourage you to do your best - you've already been living your best (at least the best you actually want to strive for).  You need someone to push you past your current best and into more than you've ever done before.

You might be thinking, "Hey!  Wait a minute!  This isn't the best for me - I want God's DREAM.  That's why I read your silly blog every day and do your dumb ACTION STEPS.  This isn't my best!!"  The simple truth is this: for whatever reason you haven't pursued more than what you are living right now.  You may have a million different reasons or excuses or justifications - and that makes no difference at all.  The reality is still that you haven't pushed yourself past where you currently are.  That's where a good coach comes in.   

What makes a good coach?  Here's a sampling:
1) Coaches will never do the work for you - even if they know exactly what is needed and how to do it.  They aren't going to "play the game for you."
2) Coaches help you expose your excuses for what they are (lies with a skin of truth to make them taste better) and help you get past your legitimate challenges.
3) Coaches have the permission to be jerks when you need them to be.  They aren't there to make you feel good - they are there to push you beyond yourself.
4) Coaches are committed to your success - even if that means standing aside to let you flounder a bit.  I always tell those I am coaching that I will not let them drown, but I have no qualms about letting them suck down a lot of water!


In the end, it's the players in the game that win or lose.  Sure, from the sidelines the coaches can call good or bad plays - but even the best strategy relies on the players.  It is the player that decides to be coached (or not).  The "best" coach in the world is useless to the player who isn't looking to be pushed, challenged, or corrected.  The strength of your "game" is a direct result of the role of your coaches.

ACTION STEP

Consider who you will ask to be a coach for you in the pursuit of God's DREAM for your life.  Spend some time thinking through their strengths (and weaknesses) and if they will really be what you need them to be.  Remember: you aren't looking for someone who will just encourage you and make you feel good about your efforts - that is important, but will they have the boldness to ask you the tough questions and challenge you?

Don't rush through this step: you don't want to be in a position where you have to "fire" your coach halfway through and don't underestimate the importance of today's ACTION STEP!!!

 

Tomorrow we relive the playground nightmare...but this time, we're in charge!   

DAY 27: "How Do I Communicate the DREAM?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Have you ever been the bearer of bad news?  That's horrible, isn't it?  What about having the opportunity to share really good news?  Why is it that spreading good news is so much easier than sharing bad news?  Is it just because of the nature of what we are sharing, or could it also be that we have an idea of what to anticipate from the other person?  

As parents of four kids that are very close in age, my wife and I often had to coach our kids ahead of time when one of them had accomplished something and couldn't wait  to share it.  One of the kids (usually a younger sibling) would run out ahead and blurt out the news before the one who's story it really was had a chance to share it themselves.  Many times resulting in tears at the loss of an anticipated opportunity to spread good news.   "Stealing-thunder" could be an Olympic event where siblings are concerned.

Either way - good news or bad - what's really happening in these circumstances is that we're anticipating another person's reaction to what we have to share.  It may not be the nature of what we are communicating that gives us the hesitation - it is often what we think their reaction or response will be that gives us the pause.  We can certainly use this phenomena to our advantage when it comes to sharing our commitment to pursuing God's DREAM for our lives.

How we communicate the DREAM to different individuals could make all the difference in the world when it comes to eliciting their participation or support.  You'll want to carefully consider the personality and temperament of someone you're trying to bring to an understanding of just what it is you are committing yourself to.  There is no room in this task of communicating the DREAM for a one-size-fits-all approach.  Some will simply not get what you are trying to share with them and it may not be that they disagree or refuse to believe you - it could be that you just didn't hit their communication style.

A few days ago we looked at how easy it is to be misunderstood (Day 24) as we articulate the DREAM, now we need to up the ante a bit and take initiative when it comes to communicating the DREAM to those who matter most: our stakeholders.  This shouldn't come as a shock (I hope): each of your stakeholders is a person.  That means they each have unique personalities, unique styles, and unique ways of receiving information.  It isn't enough to just be aware of this - you need to be familiar with the communication needs of each of your stakeholders so you can meet them where they are.  Some will need you to sit down with the written plan and walk them through it; others just need you to give them the high-points; still others won't buy into the DREAM until you've presented it five different times.  You can get frustrated by this or you can take ownership of this.

You have the chance to communicate the single most important piece of news in your life (that you are committed to discover, pursue, and live God's DREAM for your life) to different people, many of whom may be the most important people in your life.  Are you comfortable with a casual, whatever-happens-happens approach, or would you rather anticipate how each of those persons would best receive what you have to share?  Use those insights to your advantage.        

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is relatively simple to put down on paper, but definitely more difficult to put into action - but you can do it!

Take your list of stakeholders from yesterday and, for each one, write down how you intend to share with them your commitment to pursuing God's DREAM for your life.  Take into account what you know of them and their unique personality (how they best receive information, when they are least distracted, etc.) and what level of involvement you anticipate them having. 

As you'll soon discover, putting it on paper is easy - daring to put it into action and actually communicating with them is much harder.  Take the initiative and do it - you'll soon have a group of fans and supporters in your DREAM-pursuit!

Tomorrow we consider who can help lead us along in the process.

DAY 26: "Who Are the Stakeholders?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

All along we've been operating under the assertion that God has a DREAM for your life - and we still are, however, we need to admit one fundamental qualifier, as well: He may have a DREAM for your life, but it will impact many others.  It's time we start giving serious thought about who the pursuit of God's DREAM will affect and impact.  More than just the legacy impact we explored on Day 7, I mean those who will feel the affects of your pursuit now.

We need to identify the "stakeholders" in our DREAM.  Stakeholders are those who have a vested interest in the DREAM, or who will perhaps play a role, or who will, at least, be affected by the change in us or our priorities along the way.  Some of our stakeholders may be immediate family-members that will have a role in our pursuit  either directly or via supporting us.  Friends will be stakeholders, as well, as we look to them for encouragement or advice at decision-points we face.  Stakeholder involvement will range from casual spectator to fully-engaged participant striving right alongside us in pursuit of the DREAM.

Think about the effect your shifting-priorities will have on relationships or other responsibilities.  Unless you've figured out a way to manufacture time in your basement and can come with a ready supply of "extra-time" you will have to make room in your schedule and calendar for those activities related to the pursuit of the DREAM.  Translation: something you currently give time to will have to give, which means someone else might be affected by that shift.  You will probably be able to identify several smaller time-wasting activities that you can replace with DREAM-pursuit activities, lessening the affect on others (i.e. tv watching, pointless internet surfing, etc.).  Chances are, however, as you move further in the DREAM-pursuit you'll have to dedicate more significant portions of time (or other resources) to it - and that means someone else may have to help pick up the slack.  They are now a stakeholder.

A stakeholder may be the person you call upon for significant participation in any are of involvement.  Maybe they will help fund the DREAM (you better believe they become a stakeholder at that point!); perhaps they will be a coach or mentor or a team-member (more on these roles in a couple days).  The point is this: anyone affected by you pursuing the DREAM is a stakeholder at some level and if you ignore their perspective or their opinion or their involvement, you do so at your own peril!  Some of these stakeholders, if not "managed" will have the power to shut down your pursuit if they feel ignored (think, especially, of your spouse or children, perhaps an employer).  Managing each stakeholder will look different depending on their role and their influence: a spouse should be fully in-the-loop of information and involvement; children should know how they play a part, and how your time-priorities may shift a bit; an employer needs to know what affect your DREAM-pursuit will have on them, etc..

You may think this task belongs in the recruitment phase, but it's here in the communication part for a reason - you have to consider the ways you will keep these stakeholders aware of how you are doing as you pursue the DREAM and how they can be involved.  Most people have no trouble accepting changes if they feel they know enough about the reasons behind those changes and the specifics of what will be happening.

Keep your stakeholders happy!

ACTION STEP

For today's ACTION STEP you'll make a list of all your stakeholders.  You may find it helpful to break the list up into groups depending on their level of involvement.  Grouping examples: spectators, fans, support, resource-people, active participants, etc.  Use whatever titles will help you keep track of the different levels of involvement with your DREAM.

Tomorrow we make some decisions about getting the word out in regards to our DREAM.

DAY 25: "Is it Clear Enough?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Have you ever had a full-blown conversation with someone...inside your head?  It's amazing how detailed and thorough those conversations can be.  So much so, that we sometimes find ourselves "remembering" what we said or how they responded - at least until we recall the conversation with them later and they stare at us blankly, wondering if we forgot our medication.  Maybe I'm the only one who does this.

I have the great privilege of leading a missional community of Christ-followers and, as such, spend a fair amount of time praying and planning and imagining the future.  I spend loads of time preparing for upcoming events or programs - to the point that I forget that others may not have a clue what I'm talking about when I mention something coming up.  In my mind we've all been planning and prepping and anticipating - after all I've been ruminating on it for months, evolving the strategy and making changes before it (whatever "it" is) goes public.  I have to remind myself that not everyone has been along for the ride from idea-inception to strategy, planning, modifying, scheduling, etc..  What is abundantly clear to me is likely not so clear to them.

As we describe the DREAM God has for our lives to others we need to remember that they haven't been pondering and praying about our DREAM.  They haven't been inside our hearts and minds as we wrestle with and identify, define and refine the DREAM.  We carry within us the entire "back-story" that has brought us to this point of resolution and pursuit - but the person we are sharing it with hasn't.  Thus, it becomes critical that we really ask the tough questions about the DREAM as others perceive it.  I'm not talking about caving to public-opinion here, but we'd be foolish not to consider how others understand the DREAM. 

For the last couple days we've been analyzing if specific words or phrases within our plan convey the right meaning; now we need to ask if the DREAM as  whole thing really makes sense as we've written it out.  Is it truly clear enough?  Can the uninitiated, innocent by-stander grasp what it is we are pursuing and why we are pursuing it?  These are the type of questions we need to ask of our written plan.  Perhaps we need to imagine that someone finds a copy of our DREAM's written plan on the ground and, after picking it up, they read it (without you there to qualify or explain): will they be able to capture the vision?

ACTION STEP

Your goal at this stage of the process is to start refining the DREAM to a very concise and, hopefully, accurate statement of what your pursuit will look like.  Don't fret about having it perfect, you'll modify it at times along the way.

For today's ACTION STEP you'll want to show your written plan to a couple people and see what their initial impression is - don't worry about explaining too much, just see how they react to it and if they have specific questions about it.  PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THEIR QUESTIONS!!!  This could be a critical indicator of spots where you need to bring more clarity to your plan and strategy.  

Ask for any thoughts or suggestions they might have as to making the DREAM more clearly understandable.  Take away their suggestions or questions and see if you need to rewrite or adjust some elements of your plan.  It might be a good idea to write a couple versions and contemplate them for a few days before deciding which you think is the right one. 

NOTE: Be certain to choose carefully who will help you with today's ACTION STEP.  You obviously don't want a grumpy pessimist, but you also want to avoid the uncritical cheerleader.  Pick someone who will take the task seriously and give you real, useful input.

Tomorrow we identify who has a vested interest in our DREAM. 

DAY 24: "That's NOT What I Mean!"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Being misunderstood can be annoying...perhaps even dangerous.  While on a trip to Mexico with my High School Spanish Club we would go out in the evening to local hot-spots and restaurants to interact with people and enjoy the culture.  One night while at a large dance-club in Guadalajara one of my friends nearly got beaten up by a bunch of locals had it not been for our teacher's quick-thinking and comprehension of the situation.  Here's what happened: my friend is hanging out at the edge, watching everyone dance (he's very white so, no, dancing wasn't going to happen).  A young woman approached, asking if he wanted to dance.  He replies that he was just watching.  She leaves in a huff and tells her humungous brother (who knew that Mexicans could be that big!?!) who, along with several locals, proceed to accost my friend, yelling at him in Spanish far faster than he or any of us can comprehend.  Thankfully, our teacher jumped in to rescue the situation before it got ugly. 

The moral of the story: if you're approached by a young woman while at a Mexican dance-club, be sure you know the difference between, "No, I'm just watching," and "No, I'd like to keep shopping for something better." 

After 20 years in pastoral ministry, working with numerous couples experiencing various struggles in their relationships or marriages, I've noticed one consistent pattern: the absolute necessity of learning to communicate.  By far, the vast majority of interpersonal conflicts I've had opportunity to help people wade through have arisen due to poor, faulty, or non-existent communication.  The ability to be understood is, unfortunately, not a born trait that we inherit from our parents - in fact, it seems the opposite tends to be true: our base-line communication patterns are usually almost identical to our parents. Is that comforting or frightening to you?  Unless we very deliberately seek to change our patterns of communicating or learn new skills when it comes to expressing our thoughts and desires, we are pretty much guaranteed to be frequently misunderstood.

Even in learning to communicate God's DREAM to others we run the risk of being misunderstood or of communicating an entirely different message than what we had hoped.  Taking the time to consider how others will "hear" what we are saying will pay off significant dividends later.  This may be a revolutionary thought for some:  the responsibility of understanding falls to the one communicating, not the one listening (assuming the listener cares at all, of course).  If I want you to come to an understanding of the DREAM I am pursuing, then I need to be sure to communicate to you in a way you can receive and understand.  It does no good to tell you my DREAM in Swahili if you don't understand Swahili.  I may be telling you the truth - perhaps even quite eloquently - but if it's in a language you cannot understand, then who's fault is it?  That's right, mine.  I have the responsibility to tell you in a way you can understand and grasp.  

Similarly, have you ever noticed that when we try to speak to someone who doesn't understand our language that we almost instinctively raise our voice and repeat what we said?  As if their problem was hearing, not understanding.  I imagine they're thinking, "Oh, thank you for yelling.  I didn't understand English until you said the same thing REALLY LOUDLY."  We try the same repeating trick when we feel we aren't being understood when talking with someone in our own language - and yes, even the same escalating volume trick, as well.  Good plan: if it isn't graspable at a volume of "2" we should try it at "9" and say it over and over and over.  That should work, right?  

So, the bottom-line is this: miscommunication is not often the result of misunderstanding, but rather, the result of failing to take into account how the other receives.  If we desire others to come to an understanding of who we are and where we are headed then we must also consider if the words we choose and the meaning behind them convey what we really mean and what others will understand.

ACTION STEP

Today you get to grab a red pen, put on your school 'marm glasses, and mark up your written plan!  It's time to do some hyper-critical scrutinizing of the way your DREAM is worded.

Here are some basic steps/questions to ask of your written plan:

 

1) Are there any words that could be easily misconstrued?

2) Are there any words or phrases that are imprecise? Ex: some, any, a bit, a while, etc.

3) Are you absolutely certain that the words you have chosen mean what you think they mean?  Did you check in a dictionary? 

4) Take a look at the key words in your DREAM.  Are there similar words that may convey a more precise or impacting meaning?  Use a thesaurus to find synonyms.

This is another one of those ACTION STEPS where you'd be wise to play with it a bit, set it aside for a while, come back to it later with a fresh perspective, tweak it some more.  I find that trying to complete this step in one sitting tends to be limiting.
 

Tomorrow we'll channel our inner-immaturity in an attempt to clarify the DREAM. 

DAY 23: "Words to Include"

Today we begin the next stage of the 60 Days of Dreaming process - the all-important communication phase.  Learning to clearly articulate and communicate the DREAM will prove to be vital in conveying what it is exactly that we're pursuing and in enlisting the support of others along the way.


ENGAGING THOUGHT

In the interest of total-disclosure let me be transparent here: I am a word-geek.  I love words and their etymology (that means their origin and forms).  Looking up a word in a dictionary for me is a dangerous thing - at any moment I'm liable to get lost in a rabbit-trail of obscure words, completely forgetting which word drove me there in the first place!  It drives me nuts when someone misuses a word and it takes all my self-control not to correct them.  I have favorite words, as well.  These are my go-to words which I keep closely available at all times in case I need to communicate something very important to me.  In fact, some of these words are almost guaranteed to show up in anything and everything that I write or speak, words such as strategic and intentionality and synergistic.  That's probably a large clue to my outlook on life and my own pursuit of God's DREAM for me.

What about you?  Are there certain words that you gravitate towards using.  Have you ever stopped to notice if certain words tend to repeat themselves frequently in your conversation or correspondence?  Psychologists would tell you that these recurring words are not accidental in the least - that they are bits of your subconscious mind slipping out to expose what really matters most to you.  I don't doubt it.  After all, words are emotional triggers and we are very much motivated by emotional response, so it stands to reason that we would (unknowingly and knowingly) use words to elicit similar responses in others.  Example: Have you ever found yourself repeating a specific word in a conversation, not because the other person didn't hear or understand you, but, rather, because they did not indicate the emotional response you were anticipating to that specific word?  It's as if we think that by repeating the word their (obviously) stunted emotional-selves will be roused to wakefulness.

Certain words carry much stronger connotations than others; some have broader definitions and tend to be imprecise; some words are so specific that they point to one, and only one, possible meaning.  A word such as all leaves no room for exception, does it?  Some might indicate any portion - but the exact amount remains a mystery.  When we choose our words carefully - especially when trying to communicate something as important as God's DREAM for our lives - we create clarity of understanding.

One of the critical steps we take in the pursuit and fulfillment of God's DREAM is to ensure that we can clearly communicate what it is.  If I were to tell you that God's DREAM for my life is that I do stuff.  Would you say I am wrong?  No, but it doesn't help you understand the DREAM at all, does it?  The words may be true, but they alone don't communicate much.  As you move forward in the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge you'll be relying more and more on your ability to clearly communicate exactly what it is that you are pursuing - the words you choose to include may make all the difference in the world.  Think of the words you use as if they were workers you hired to accomplish a task.  If you want to remodel your house you'd employ a worker with carpentry skills - a dental worker won't help you, neither would a Flamenco dancer.  The one may have great teeth and the other great moves - but your house won't get built the way you wanted.  Hire the right workers for the job.  Employ the right words for the task. 

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is an opportunity for you to explore some potentially unpolished facets to the DREAM.  If you're a word-lover this will be easy; math-nerds might struggle a bit, but that's okay. 

Start by doing a free-association in regards to your DREAM.  Here's how it works: begin writing words that trigger in your mind as you think about the DREAM.  Don't spend any time analyzing the words, just freely start listing them.  Stop only after you feel like you might be trying to force it.

Alternate: imagine you had to explain the DREAM to someone but were not allowed to form complete sentences - only single words that convey emotion.  What words would you choose?

Whichever method you chose, now go through your list and cross off the ones you know aren't conveying the right meaning; highlight or underline the ones that jump out at you.  Consider each one carefully.  Should you rewrite the DREAM to include any of these words?  Do any of these words shed further light or insight into your DREAM?

Tomorrow we'll think through some of the potential misunderstandings regarding our DREAM and eliminating wrong words. 

DAY 22: "Do I Need to Modify the DREAM?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Wouldn't it be convenient if people had a temperament indicator on their foreheads?  Some sort of dial or flashy-lights that let everyone around them know what type of personality traits they predominantly operate under: optimists get a sunshine-yellow blinker (it probably should just be a smiley-face); pessimists can have their drizzly-grey, nasty bulb that barely lights up; and the realists, they could have...what would they have?  What would a realist think is an appropriate (dare I say, realistic) indicator of their viewpoint on life? 

Self-titled realists believe they have the most balanced approach to life - taking into account changes around them and accommodating, as necessary, to weather those changes.  They can teach all of us a thing or two about flexibility.  Flexibility is an interesting trait: in our physical bodies it helps prevent injury and allows greater freedom of movement (there are several metaphors in that one if you care to spend some time contemplating it); in our emotional selves, flexibility allows us to respond to unexpected setbacks or changes without losing too much momentum.  When it comes to the pursuit of God's DREAM for our lives, flexibility is absolutely vital to our successful pursuit and fulfillment.

As long as we're imaging things: imagine if we could see with the same perspective that God sees.  What might our lives, and the path of our DREAM-pursuit look like from His vantage-point?  My guess, honestly, is that we'd be completely overwhelmed by the information overload were we to suddenly know what He does.  I believe that, along with the necessity of proving our faith, is one of the reasons He only reveals small portions of His plan for us at a time.  I doubt we'd be able to truly grasp His full DREAM for our lives - and even if we could, we'd be so paralyzed by the enormity of it all that we'd probably just shut down and hide in a corner.  God, in His love for us, gives us just what we need to inspire and motivate us forward in the pursuit; enough to keep us in a place of informed dependency upon Him.

As a result of all this, we will find ourselves from time-to-time coming to a new understanding of His DREAM for our lives - a more informed version, if you will.  It might be a somewhat larger version of what we had defined before, or perhaps it is a minor variation that only makes sense to us now as we have changed along the way, possibly it's a significant alteration.  Remember that discussion of flexibility several sentences ago?  This is when that comes into play in a major way! 

This is also the moment that those realists have been waiting for - when they can lick their finger and hold it up to check which way the wind is blowing.  They get it.  They understand that the person who started off on this DREAM path has changed somewhat along the journey - in fact, the changes may have been significant enough that the perspective of that original "person" is now suspect, and maybe we should just take a look at that DREAM again to see if it needs to change as well.

Think of it in light of this illustration: a young couple in love gets married.  On their ten-year anniversary they take out the wedding album, look at the smiles on their young (thin) faces, and know that even though they were in love on that day, they had no clue what love really meant, as they do now.  After ten years of life together, they understand love much more.  Repeat that same thing at their 20 year anniversary.  This time they'll look back and laugh at their "puppy-love" - but hold on, weren't they truly in love when they got married?  Or on their ten year anniversary?  Absolutely - but they've grown and matured - and so has their love for one another.  That understanding doesn't diminish the truth of their love, at all - no matter which moment in their history you analyze.  Love is just one of those things that changes. 

So do DREAMS.  

ACTION STEP

Take some time and decide if there are portions of the written plan for your DREAM that you feel need to be changed at this point.  BY now you should be getting an idea of what moving forward is going to look like and you might be sensing that some changes need to happen - maybe you've been carrying a piece of the DREAM along with you, but you know it doesn't really belong.  Now's the time to cut it loose.

Rewrite the modified DREAM and adjust the Timeline as needed.

Tomorrow we'll act like word-geeks a bit and decide which words we absolutely must include in the DREAM.  

DAY 21: "What's Your Plan?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Have you ever had the thrill of putting something together when the instructions were obviously written by a foreign neanderthal who hates people?  Do they do that on purpose?  Don't they understand the pressures we procrastinating parents are facing when we attempt to assemble the birthday-bicycle the night before the party?  Or the dollhouse with authentic doorbell sounds on Christmas Eve?  My guess is the manufacturer tests every employee and the one with the worst English skills gets the job of writing the instructions.

The whole point of a written plan is to provide an objective statement of our goals, strategies, and timelines.  A written plan does a few things for us: it charts our course, it keeps us on track, and it gives us a standard for measuring progress.  A written plan acts like the instruction manual for your DREAM.

Business start-ups live or die based on the strength of their business-plan and how well thought-out or thorough it is.  Entrepreneurs who wish to lure venture-capitalists to invest in their business know that their written business-plan is almost as important as the product or service idea itself.  The difference between business owners who are running a business versus those who simply "own their job" can usually be found in the presence (or absence) of a written plan that charts their course and answers the critical question of what exactly their business does.

A well-crafted, written plan will also keep you on course at critical crossroads along the way.  In Lewis Carrol's fanciful tale Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice has an interesting exchange with the Cheshire Cat which goes like this:

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. 
"I don't much care where--," said Alice. 
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat. 
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation. 
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

Alice's quandary illustrates how a plan helps us navigate the myriad choices we will encounter.  Without a written plan we have no way of determining whether one course of action or another might be better.  [Interesting literary aside: the Cheshire Cat is the only character in Wonderland that actually listens to Alice and he repeatedly serves in the role of teaching Alice the "rules" of Wonderland.]

Another benefit of the written plan is that we can always determine where we are in reference to it as we pursue the DREAM.  You can always measure your actual progress against that in your written plan to see if you are putting forth enough diligence and effort.  The truth is (unsurprisingly) that we will have to modify the timeline as we go (perhaps several times) to reflect the realities of our pursuit and fulfillment, so we shouldn't get too hung-up on how perfectly our progress matches our plan - but the truth is, without an objective plan we run the risk of wandering around without knowing how our progress is actually lining up to our goal.   

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is all about putting the DREAM down on paper in a cohesive and comprehensive manner.

Take your written DREAM from Day 10, your written statement of resolve from Day 16, and your combined Bite-Size Pieces and Calendar Crunching from the last two days; write all of these on the same piece of paper as if they were a business plan being presented to a banker or venture capitalist.

Your written plan should answer the key questions of what, how, and when.  It might be helpful for you to write as if you were handing this to someone who has no idea what you are doing.  Will they "catch" the DREAM and have a basic understanding of how you will go about pursuing and fulfilling it just by reading your written plan.

Tomorrow we shove the DREAM through a few tough questions and see what comes out the other side.  

DAY 20: "Calendar-Crunching"

Today contains another one of those steps which separate the DREAM-wishers from the DREAM-livers.  From this moment forward the DREAM will begin to take on a trajectory of its own as you move from one step to the next.

 
ENGAGING THOUGHT

Had enough of the corny cliches yet?  Too bad, here's one more: Rome wasn't built in a day.  Absolutely true, it wasn't built in a day - it was built every day.  I once read an interesting book about the planned infrastructure of the Roman Empire (sorry, I cannot recall the title or author) and the seemingly endless number of building projects and civic improvements the Romans undertook.  It was a monumental (often literally) task that went on and on and on.  Talk about job-security for engineers and construction foremen!  Can you imagine the task of keeping all those details and schedules coordinated...without computers or smart-phones!?!

One of the most important steps in the pursuit of any goal or DREAM is also one of the most easily overlooked or discounted steps.  This step in the process is the one that many "successful" people look back at and credit as the turning-point in the pursuit of their objectives.  It is powerful...and it is boring.  It is the...timeline.  Cue the band and the fireworks.

Some people are wired such that a looming deadline energizes them like nothing else, forcing them to tap into a creative vein or kick-it into high-gear and motor through some accomplishment; others, sense an approaching deadline and take that as a cue to...finally clean out that junk-drawer in their desk, or pretend that organizing their sock-drawer is now the single-most-important task facing mankind.  Wherever you are on the I-love/I-hate deadlines continuum, they are an important step if you want to take tangible steps forward in pursuing God's DREAM for your life.  Just remember this: deadlines or timelines are your servants, not your masters.

Superman's only weakness (other than Lois Lane) is Kryptonite; just a little bit of that glowing-green stuff and he's reduced to a quivering weakling.  Do you know what the "kryptonite" to your DREAM is?  Someday.  That's right, someday.  You know the drill:

"Someday I'll get serious about becoming a Rodeo Clown."    "Someday I'll have the time to learn to do Cosmetic Surgery." "Someday I can quit this job and do what I really want."  "Someday..."

As long as someday has a place in the vocabulary of our DREAM we will never follow through on pursuing and living it.  Someday has the power to subvert our DREAM and reduce it to the category of wish (go back and reread Day 3 if you need a refresher).  We use someday to hedge our bets and build a safety-net of excuses for why we can't pursue the DREAM to fruition.  The good news, however, is that the nefarious someday has it's own nemesis: the Timeline.  The moment we wrangle and wrestle our DREAM to coincide with dates on a calendar (even if they get changed and modified - which they will, guaranteed) is the moment that we can no longer use the term someday and now we can say, "On this date I will..." or "By September 3rd, 2012 I will have accomplished...."  Those are powerful statements; they can be DREAM-ensuring statements if you want them to be - if you choose for them to be.

ACTION STEP

For today's ACTION STEP you'll want to have a calendar available and you'll want to do this one in pencil.  Here we go!
Take your bite-size pieces from yesterday's ACTION STEP and start coordinating completion dates with the calendar.  Yep, that's right: you're assigning deadlines.

Be sure to take into account the realities of life: you probably don't want a lot of deadlines near the Holiday season, pay close attention to the load you are placing on yourself if you have regular seasons of extra work or tasks related to your career, etc.  Keep reminding yourself that you are taking steps forward in pursuit of the DREAM - not finishing it all in one season or even in one year.

Also, don't freeze-up or freak-out over this step: nothing about your timeline is permanent or unalterable.  You will make changes along the way, so don't fret over getting it perfect - you won't anyway.  It's just an important step to start forcing the pursuit into recognizable, measurable progress.

Tomorrow we'll pull it all together in one spot and see how the DREAM looks on paper.  

DAY 19: "Bite-Size Pieces"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

After yesterday's cat-cliche, let me throw an animal joke at you: How do you eat an elephant?  Answer: You don't, they're a protected species.  Got you, didn't I?  Yes, the real answer to that tired-old joke is, "one bite at a time."  It's the same when you ask the question, "How do I pursue something as huge and life-transforming as God's DREAM for my life?"  The DREAM seems like an overwhelming prospect - so overwhelming that most will never even ask the question - they'd prefer the comfort of knowing they are successfully fulfilling their low expectations of life.  If you're this far along in the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge then it's pretty safe to assume that you cannot (or simply choose not to) relate to that type of life-limiting thinking - even if you can very much relate to the feelings of being overwhelmed by the sheer size of the task in front of you. 

When I was five years old a neighborhood friend of mine and I decided to go to Disneyland.  We knew it was in California and that we were in Washington State.  He was six, so he'd seen on a map that California was below (down from) Washington...so we began to dig in his side yard.  You see where our logic had taken us?  We were undaunted by our monumental task.  We were also very dedicated (Disneyland!!!) and continued our digging faithfully for most of an entire Summer.  By the time his parents discovered our epic quest we were almost there (we assumed) and had dug a hole at least six feet deep and large enough to hold a car (same hole, different story, many years later).  Every time I tell this story someone is bound to remark, "I can't believe a couple little kids could dig a hole that big!"  They don't get it, do they?

If you're serious about pursuing God's DREAM for your life then you had better get comfortable with a new way of thinking about tasks that appear to be too big for you to accomplish.  Why can't two snot-nosed little vandals dig a monster hole?  I'll tell you our secret: we dug it one shovelful at a time.  That's the secret to accomplishing monumental tasks, as well; the same for pursuing God's DREAM, too.  No one - not even God - expects you to fulfill the DREAM in one shot or in one day.  As far as I've been able to discover, there is no magic switch that you flip and, "TaaDaa! The DREAM is fulfilled!"  It takes time and it takes steps - bite-size steps.

Breaking our huge goals down into smaller goals also has the benefit of giving us "wins" along the way.  Anytime we complete a step or a goal we feel the appropriate pride of accomplishment and the satisfaction of knowing that we are, in fact, taking steps forward in pursuit of the DREAM.  I don't care who you are or how disciplined you like to think you are - we all need to know that we're accomplishing something along the way.  Breaking the DREAM down into bite-size pieces lets you do that, and, who knows, you may look up after a hard day of accomplishing that one small goal and see Mickey Mouse reaching in welcome you to Disneyland!  

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP will alleviate some of the feelings of being overwhelmed by the size and scope of pursuing the DREAM.

1) Go back to your ACTION STEP from Day 17 and, combined with some of your research from yesterday's ACTION STEP, pick one or two of the strategy ideas that seem the most plausible.  If one strategy idea is the clear "winner" you can ignore the others and just start with that one.

2)  Break the idea down into its obvious "chunks."  EXAMPLE: If your DREAM is to do cosmetic-surgery on the International Space Station, then the obvious chunks will be: get education for becoming cosmetic surgeon; become an astronaut; fill out the proper paper-work to join the International Space Station.
 
3) Next take each chunk and break it down into bite-size pieces.

4) Continue this process until you feel like the breaking-down process is becoming a bit silly (i.e. too small of pieces).

NOTE: Don't get hung-up on the fact that this may or may not be the right idea or strategy for pursuing God's DREAM for you.  You will continue to adjust as you go along.  The point is that you are taking daily steps forward in pursuit - tweaking the strategy will become part of the process later.

Tomorrow we'll force a little order into the chaos and start setting some deadlines.  

DAY 18: "Time for Research"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Whoever came up with the adage, "There's more than one way to skin a cat" must have been a horrible human being...or a dog lover.  However, I have to admit that whoever invented this illustration of feline horror is correct: whatever the aim or goal, there are myriad ways to reach it.  The same holds true when it comes to pursuing God's DREAM for our lives.  Even if we have a crystal-clear understanding of the DREAM (and don't be at all worried if you DO NOT yet) there still remains the questions of strategy and the path of our pursuit.

Maybe this is another spot where the age-old debate of Free Will versus Determinism pops up once again: assuming (as we do) that God does have a DREAM for our lives, does He also lay the exact pathway to fulfillment for us, or does He let us pick and choose the steps we will take to get there?  Personally, I believe that God allows us a wide berth of freedom when it comes to deciding how we will pursue and fulfill the DREAM He has for us.  I think He leaves a great deal of the strategy up to us.  Regardless of which you prefer, the task still falls to us to discover and delineate the path or strategy we will take.

This is where going back to school comes in - at least going back to English Composition (or whatever they called it at your school).  It's time to stretch those mental muscles, blow the cobwebs out of the investigative corners of our brains, and do some old-fashioned research.  Actually, perhaps not old-fashioned at all.  More like high-tech research.  One of the boons of the internet age is the ready availability of information just a few clicks away.  Throw in a heaping spoonful of Google and you're moments away from a total inundation of information on any and every topic imaginable! 

Google is your best-friend when it comes to researching your DREAM.  Just type in a few key words related to the DREAM and within milliseconds the gnomes inside your computer will amaze you with more websites than you care to visit (and some you won't ever want to - be sure to set your filter!).  You can even be so brazen as to boldly type your DREAM as a How To statement.  EXAMPLE: "How to become a rodeo clown."  Voila!  [NOTE: If, by some chance, this does happen to be God's DREAM for your life, you'll be glad to know that there are 143,000 websites related to becoming a Rodeo Clown.]

Your second-best friend in doing web-based research can be found in Blogs.  What's a Blog?  You're reading one.  There are blogs related to every subject and sub-genre and interest or career out there.  Surfing blogs will do a couple things for you: 1) Make you realize how badly grammar and language usage has slipped in our society; 2) Help you realize how many different approaches there are to doing anything (even skinning cats, unfortunately).  The real gold in many blogs, though, is the details you can mine from the autobiographical accounts.  People love to talk (type) about themselves and will often share the nitty-gritty facets of how they became so successful, or so misunderstood, or so...whatever they have become.  In these details you will discover approaches that may inspire or inform you in pursuit of your DREAM.

The key is really this: just because God has a unique DREAM for you and your life doesn't necessarily mean you must reinvent the wheel!  Chances are very high that your DREAM is similar to someone else's DREAM and, chances are someone out there in the great-big cyber-world is farther along in their pursuit than you are in yours, and, chances are they have put something on the web.  Whether you learn from them, emulate them, or do the exact opposite of them, the time you spend actively researching your options is time you won't waste on dead-ends or false-starts. 

ACTION STEP

Spend at least 20 minutes wandering the internet and looking at anything related to your DREAM.  Pay special attention to sites which contain anything such as "How We Got Here" or "Our History" - those can be a treasure-trove of information that may inspire you to approach your strategy differently than you had thought.  Follow the various links that others put on their sites.

Be sure to write down or save a Bookmark on the sites that catch your interest.  At this stage I would suggest doing more "surfing" and less in-depth-analysis of any particular website or blog.

CAUTION This is a balancing-act of self-control: on the one hand, following the seemingly "random" rabbit-trails on the internet can lead you to discover options that you never knew existed; on the other hand, however, you can get stuck looking at cute kittens or patriotic messages for the next nine hours!   

Tomorrow we'll inject a little bit of sanity into this crazy DREAM process (but only a little bit).

DAY 17: "Gut-Level Ideas"

Today begins the Strategy phase of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge.  It's one thing to spend time pondering and praying, contemplating and imagining, wondering and writing (all of which you've been doing) - it is another thing entirely to develop an actionable strategy for fulfilling the DREAM.  If you've been at all enervated or excited by the previous 16 days, then hold on, this is when it starts getting really fun!

ENGAGING THOUGHT

I'm not a great golfer.  Okay, truthfully, I'm not even a good golfer.  In fact, I haven't golfed in a few years.  It's strange, really.  I used to enjoy golf much more than I do now.  If I had to guess why I've stopped enjoying golf it would be that I think about it too much.  My brain gets in the way.

When I first started golfing I'd just step up to the ball and whack it with the club.  It was fun.  The ball even went near where I wanted sometimes.  Then I started hanging out with golfers and they ruined the game for me.  They gave me tips and techniques to improve my play.  For every different situation on the course there was a collection of pointers and advice to memorize.  I could no longer just hit the ball closer to the pin.  Now I had to analyze my stance, adjust my grip, position my hips and shoulders just right, squint with my left eye, tense my nose-hairs and empty my thoughts.  The ball stopped going anywhere near where I wanted.  My enjoyment for the game shot sideways off the course faster than my slice.  I talked with a Golf Pro at a course one time about this and he said it's common for people who don't know any better to actually golf fairly well, then fall apart when they start learning "proper" technique.  It seems that we can instinctually hit the ball fairly straight if we don't think about it...and if we tell the "golf-experts" to shut their mouths.

In the pursuit of God's DREAM for our lives we may be better equipped for the strategy phase than we often give ourselves credit for.  Whenever we face a challenge or a project we begin to strategize long before we ever put the pencil to paper or before we start taking noticeable steps forward.  Almost immediately we begin what I call the Gut-Level strategizing.  Gut-Level strategizing is actually what it sounds like: formulating the plan of attack from our gut-level instincts or, perhaps more clearly, our unprocessed ideas.  These are the thoughts and ideas and plans we make before we ever give too much thought about practicalities or difficulties or costs or benefits or, blah, blah, blah.  Gut-Level ideas happen while we're still having fun imagining the thrill of fulfilling the DREAM.  Think of Gut-Level ideas as the feeling of the wind whipping through your hair as you motor down the country-road in a convertible on a sunny, care-free afternoon.  Capture the ideas generated while you're feeling that way and you have a handful of gold.

The problem is we very quickly leave these moments and remember that we forgot to close the garage door after we backed the car out; oh, and it looks like the engine is running too hot, better back off and find a gas-station; and, before you forget, you do need to get back soon enough to fire off that urgent email you neglected to do...see what I mean?  I don't know if it's part of the curse on fallen mankind or not, but we can't seem to leave the problem-solving mode behind us for very long.  We're so blasted practical all the time!  By purposely giving space to let our imaginations run free for a while we just may tap into the brilliant not-at-all-obvious strategy hiding in the recesses of our minds.  There was no way it would poke its head out if we were in kill-the-silly-ideas mode.  

There will be plenty of time for considering the practicalities and doing the hard work of scrutinizing our plan - but let's not bring those tasks into this phase of the DREAM.  Let's not spoil the ride or ruin the game! 

ACTION STEP

Write down as many of your gut-level strategy ideas as you can.  Don't worry about whether they do or do not seem likely to work - you'll refine later.  Your gut-level ideas may not be accurate but they often lead to a fresh approach in how you might approach the DREAM.  Write them down now so you can return to them later. 

Tomorrow we'll spend some time broadening the horizon a bit and exploring some strategies others have employed.

DAY 16: "How Resolved Are You?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

There's a simplistic maxim in the business-world which contends that there are only two questions that every business must answer, no matter what enterprise or field you are in:
     #1: "What's your business?"
     #2: "How's business?"
If only the pursuit of God's DREAM for our lives were that simple, right?  Truthfully, it isn't - in fact there may be nothing we do more difficult than the pursuit of God's DREAM.  His DREAM will require more sacrifice of us than anything else; it will require more discipline than most anything else in our lives; it will necessitate difficult choices and gut-wrenching, faith-building decisions.  Our resolve, however, is a different matter.

When it comes to our resolve the questions can be stated rather simply: How bad do you want it?  What are you willing to give or do to see the DREAM come to fruition?  Questions of resolve don't necessarily take into account the specific difficulties we will face - it assumes them.  If the path were easy it would require little to no resolve at all.  When we make the decision (resolve) to pursue God's DREAM we do so with the assumption and understanding that it will require a great deal of us - and it is the strength of that resolve which often determines our willingness to tough it out when the way gets difficult. 

We're each motivated by different things and we've each got our threshold of difficulty we're willing to endure.  One person may be motivated by the fact that others are aware of their resolve to pursue God's DREAM for their lives; the possibility that they may have to face these "insiders" and explain their results keeps them from giving up.  The accountability factor is high enough to keep them in the game.  Others may be so fed-up with status quo living that they simply cannot face the thought of another day slipping by without a tangible, measurable step forward.  Not living God's DREAM scares them more than the fear of pursuing it.  Honestly, who cares what it is that motivates your personal resolve - just tap into it and exploit that motivation to serve your pursuit.

We've all experienced the futility of New Year's Resolutions. Most of us make well-intentioned promises to ourselves that we'll change something - and use the "convenience" of a New Year to catapult us into success!  We do great on Days 1, 2, 3 & 4 - but by Day 5 we're already modifying the "goal" to match the reality of our resolve, aren't we?  By Day 6 or 7 we're in full-blown compromise, and by Day 10 we can't even remember what the resolution was (after all, it took 15 years to put on that extra weight, it's silly to think we could lose it in 6 months, right?). 

When Jesus was garnering followers, several expressed their desire and willingness to follow Him as He taught throughout the villages and regions surrounding Jerusalem.  He saw right through their "resolve" and spoke to their true level of willingness.  He summarized some of these conversations with the response to a man expressing his desire to follow:

"But Jesus said to him, 'No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9.62 NASB). 

Jesus knew what lay ahead for Himself and for His true followers.  There would be no room for half-hearted commitment or cushy devotion.  When it comes to the pursuit of God's DREAM for our lives there isn't room for wishy-washy commitment, either.  If we want to live God's best for our lives we must be willing to give Him the rest of our lives.

ACTION STEP

Take a moment now and write out a resolution regarding the pursuit of God's DREAM for your life.  Put it in your own words, but be sure to make it specific and resolute.

EXAMPLE "I have resolved to pursue God's DREAM for my life which is to one day take over Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory and give magical tours while singing."

Tomorrow we put it into gear and start strategizing the pursuit.  

DAY 15: "What If I Do?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Truthfully, it would be ridiculous to think you haven't been asking this question to some extent all along.  After all, isn't that really the whole point of the 60 Days of Dreaming Challenge - to envision our future as we pursue and live God's DREAM for our lives?  Absolutely, Yes!!!

However, that doesn't mean we've done a good job of envisioning what that future may look like specifically.  In fact, I'd hazard to guess that you might even have unintentionally avoided imagining specific images.  We do that to protect ourselves, you know.  Life is filled with disappointments, some large (people letting us down in significant ways) and some small (no nearby parking spots...again).  We tend to hedge our bets a bit when it comes to imagining what the future holds for us.  I seem to remember a Ziggy cartoon from many years ago that had the bemused Ziggy remarking that he liked to keep his expectations for each day at a bare minimum, that way he was always pleasantly surprised.

I think it's important for us to imagine what the future will look like as we discover, pursue, and live God's DREAM for us.  Of course, we need to be realistic and admit that it will likely look somewhat different than we can imagine.  Even with that said, however, don't stop imagining as much as you can!  I love how Paul, the Apostle, encourages his friends in Ephesus:

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" (Ephesians 3.20-21 TNIV).  

Stop and think about that passage for a moment.  God's capacity for accomplishment is beyond what we can imagine or ask for - in fact, it is so far beyond, we cannot even measure it!  Can you imagine a lot?  Can you ask for a lot?  Me, too!

Sure, we need to be asking for and imagining the right things - that's what this whole process is really all about - but that doesn't diminish what God is capable of, and, according to Paul, what His power is doing within us, right now.  Go ahead, imagine what the future will look like as you do discover and pursue and live God's DREAM for your life.

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is essentially the exact opposite of yesterday's.

Take a few moments and write out what you imagine the next couple years would look like if you commit to the pursuit of God's DREAM.  What will be the impact on your relationships? Finances? Emotional well-being?  Whatever and however you can imagine the future looking like.

Now do the same thing for five years out; ten years out; 20 years into the future.

Tomorrow we'll ask ourselves some frank questions about what committing to God's DREAM really means for us. 

DAY 14: "What If I Don't?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

I didn't have the luxury of siblings that were close in age (my brothers are almost a decade older than I), however, I do have 4 kids all within 4-and-a-half years of each other.  Thankfully, they've grown out of the "I'm telling on you" stage.  There were times, however, when they followed the time-honored traditions of eloquent sibling-confrontations:
Child 1: "Nuh, uh!" 
Child 2: "Nuh, huh!"
Child 1: "Nuh, UH!!!"
Child 2: "Nuh, HUH!!!!"     You know what I'm talking about, right?  We all did the same thing (hopefully, we've grown out of that!).

I have cousins (all boys) that would fight on a regular basis over anything worthy of a fight.  One of the classic scenarios - guaranteed to escalate - was the name-calling that turned into a demand for retraction.  It sounded something like this:
Cousin 1: "Idiot!"   (I've toned that down, these were brothers, after all).
Cousin 2: "You take that back!"
Cousin 1: "No!"
Cousin 2: "You take that back, or I'm telling!"
Cousin 1: "Oh, yeah?  What if I don't!?!"

Think about that for a second, that was a huge demand to make on a little kid  (especially an idiotic-little-brother).  Cousin 1 made a much larger demand than Cousin 2's demand for a retraction of the name-calling.  Cousin 1 demanded that the other contemplate and imagine a future resulting from inaction.  "What if I don't?"

We don't normally invest a lot of time thinking about what our future might look like if we make no changes to the path we're on.  Most all of us have heard a version of the statement by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus: "The only constant is change."  We know that life is filled with different chapters, different seasons, even different locations for many of us.  So we know that our future, no matter what happens, will have some elements of change to them.  What I'm proposing, though, is the value of stopping once in a while and imagining what our lives might be like if we were to continue doing basically the exact same things were doing now.  No changes to our activities; no change in our relationships; no change in our sense of purpose or fulfillment.

My wife, Bobbi, coached a swim-team for several years and one of her favorite maxims to the swimmers learning a new stroke was this: "practice makes permanent."  Maybe you're not used to hearing it that way, maybe you've heard the similar, "practice makes perfect."  That's simply not true, however.  We develop behavioral memories (habits, we call them) based on the actions we do - whether those actions are right or wrong, positive or negative, productive or damaging - makes no difference to the fact that the more we do them the more they become permanent patterns.  Perfect practice makes perfect. 

That might lead to a sobering thought for some of us: everything we choose to do right now establishes the permanent reality of our future.  EVERYTHING.  There are no thoughts, choices, actions, or behaviors that "aren't a big deal" - as we often try to tell ourselves.  They are a big deal - they are the practice which is making permanent in our lives.  Every action (or inaction) builds the pattern of our lives.  All of our excuses and justifications may make us feel better, but that won't change our reality. 

So, with that as a backdrop, let's ask that question about our discovery and pursuit of God's DREAM for our lives: What if I don't make any changes to what I've been doing already?  What if I continue on the exact same path; the exact same trajectory? 

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP may seem a bit on the defeatist side of things, however, I think it is important for us to realize that inaction does have consequences and a somewhat-predictable outcome.

Take a few moments and write out what you imagine the next couple years would look like if you do nothing in pursuit of God's DREAM.  What will be the impact on your relationships? Finances? Emotional well-being?  Whatever and however you can imagine the future looking like.

Now do the same thing for five years out; ten years out; 20 years into the future.

Tomorrow we'll do a bit of unreserved, pedal-to-the-metal imagining of the possible future.