Day 60+

WHAT'S GOING ON HERE !!??!!??
If you've come here looking for 60 Days of DREAMING - you're in the right place.


Instructions
1) Read the Right-side Information Panels
2) Begin at Day 1 in the Blog Archives (April 29)
3) Click on the next numerical day as you progress. 

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!!

60 Days of DREAMING Version 1.0 is complete - ready to be adjusted and improved.  I am looking for feedback and suggestions on how it could be made better and more useful.

Please email your comments, stories, suggestions to: info@60daysofdreaming.com  
  

DAY 60: "Re-Commiting"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Let's finish the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge at the same place we started: at the edge of the cliff peering down into the abyss, wondering what might happen if we jump...only, this time something has changed, hasn't it?  This isn't quite the same cliff-edge, and we feel differently about it.

You're smarter about God's DREAM for your life this time around; you have pragmatic experience in pursuing it; you've faced some of the previously unknown aspects and conquered some of your fears.  So...no...this isn't quite the same cliff-edge as before.  Or, perhaps it is exactly the same cliff-edge...and you are the one that has changed?

I would contend that God's DREAM for your life hasn't changed at all from then until now - it is your awareness and understanding of it that has changed.  Your ability to recognize, formulate, and implement a strategy for the fulfillment of the DREAM has changed; you've changed in how you recruit and how you communicate; you've changed in how you evaluate and adjust; perhaps, you've changed in how you talk to and believe in yourself and in your own abilities to listen to and follow the voice and leadership of God.

Jumping over the cliff-edge and into the DREAM that God has for your life is still daunting and still a life-long pursuit.  You'll need to re-commit along the way and continue to alter and change your strategy as you grow in the process.  One thing will never change, however: nothing will ever be more exhilarating than knowing you are actively pursuing and living the fullness of God's DREAM for your life!  

ACTION STEP

JUMP!!!

Tomorrow is entirely up to you.  

DAY 59: "Next Step"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Now what?  At the end of this 60 Days of Dreaming challenge - what are you supposed to do next?  Specifically - I can't answer that for you.  Generally, however, I can point forward - but first I want you to look backward and notice what we've done along the way these past 60 days.  Don't worry, this isn't another evaluation.  This time I'm going to let you in on the secret: there was more to the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge than just retraining your beliefs and behaviors when it comes to God's DREAM for your life.  It was also a (somewhat) sneaky attempt to give you practical experience with a new pattern of ten actionable stages in your pursuit.

Looking back and revealing the pattern will help you chart your course forward with intentionality and purpose.  The pattern you have followed is this:

1 - Identify
2 - Anticipate
3 - Commit
4 - Strategy*
5 - Communicate
6 - Recruit
7 - Implement
8 - Adjust
9 - Evaluate
10 - Celebrate

*You revisited the Strategy stage a few times throughout as you allowed other elements to influence the overall strategy (shareholder input, coaching, evaluation, etc.). 

As you follow this pattern of actionable stages it doesn't really matter where you are in the process of your DREAM-pursuit - the pattern can still serve as a general framework.  The ACTION STEPS you choose will certainly look different along the way as you will not necessarily need to repeat each ACTION STEP in full each time you cycle through.  Following this pattern of stages, however, keeps you moving forward in a constant pursuit of God's DREAM for your life.

Some may find that this pattern of stages doesn't quite fit them and their pursuit.  Great.  Modify it and make it your own - just be sure that you include each stage into your pattern and be certain that it continues to move you forward in your DREAM-pursuit.

Only one more thing remains...    

ACTION STEP

For today's ACTION STEP you need to prayerfully determine what your next step in the DREAM-pursuit will be.  You're putting all of your new thought-patterns and practices into action and setting yourself up for the next season of active pursuit. 

Make a new Written Plan that reflects this next season of your DREAM-pursuit (as opposed to the larger Written Plan you've crafted and modified as part of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge). 

You know what you need to do - now do it!

Tomorrow we step off the cliff-edge one more time.  

DAY 58: "Was It Really Worth It?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

So...here we are looking back and celebrating nearly 60 days of active forward motion in pursuit of God's DREAM.  At this point we need to ask a question - the answer to which will determine where we go from here.  It is another one of those path-determining questions.  No one else can answer it for you.  It doesn't seem all that big of a deal on the surface, but it is.

Was it really worth it?

That's it.  That question has the power to determine what you do next.  When we boil all of this DREAM-pursuit stuff down to it's essence - none of it (the new thought-patterns, retrained habits, skills, relationships, etc.) will have the slightest impact on our future pursuit if we decide the answer is, "no."  We're rather fickle that way: no amount of pragmatic evidence to the contrary can trump our answer to that question.  However, if our answer is, "yes," then no amount of frustration or difficulty will hold us back from continuing on in the pursuit. 

There are really only two different outcomes at this point, and, though the details will vary for each of us, the patterns are fairly universal.  The first outcome, if you decide that the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge was interesting and all - but not really worth it in the end, has you returning to your previous norm for life, perhaps with a few new stories and experiences, but nothing substantively will change.  Truthfully, if that is the conclusion you reach, I would say at this point, "Thank you for joining us this far, you need not return for the last two days of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge.  May the Lord bless you in whatever you choose to do from here on." 

The other outcome is, of course, quite different: if you decide that it really is worth it to pursue hard after God's DREAM for your life - with all the twists and turns that this implies - then nothing will ever be the same again.  The next two days for you will perhaps be the most important part of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge.   

ACTION STEP

For today's ACTION STEP you'll be writing another statement of resolution (similar to Day 16).  This time form your statement around the answer to this question: Is the pursuit of God's DREAM for my life really worth it?

EXAMPLE: "I have resolved in my heart and mind that God's DREAM for my life, which is to craft nachos on the International Space Station, is worth the hard work and determined focus it has taken me to get this far."

Tomorrow we'll utilize our new beliefs and behaviors as we identify the next step in the DREAM-pursuit.  

DAY 57: "Take a Look Around"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Several years ago I took a group of teenagers on a day-hiking expedition to the top of Mt. Elinor.  I'm not a mountain-climber or an avid hiker (none of us were, truthfully) and I'm sure this particular climb ranks fairly low on the difficulty-meter.  Located in Washington's Olympic Mountains, Mt. Elinor is a dramatic looking peak with a relatively small area at the top.  The cool thing about reaching the summit is that you spiral around it for your last several hundred steps, so you never get to fully appreciate the view until that last step when you clear the top.  It is truly awe inspiring.

Standing on that mountain-top, spinning slowly around to take in the entire Olympic range (looking down on Bald Eagles soaring!) was a moment I will never forget.  It was also a moment when the reality of God's presence in my life shone as clear as the sun and sky I was witnessing.  Normally a gaggle of teenagers can be difficult to keep in check - not this time - they were just as awed as we adults were.  No one dared blaspheme that moment by talking about tectonic plates and continental shelves grinding into one another, forcing the mountain range upward.  None of us were interested in the mechanics of the beauty before us.  The only thing necessary at that moment was to soak it in and enjoy it.  Appreciate it.  Be grateful for it.

You've done a lot in pursuit of God's DREAM for your life; you've come a long way from where you were when you started; you have much to be proud of.  For just a moment set aside the strategies and plans, forget about the resources and the shareholders; let slip away the thoughts of diligence and perseverance and goals.  Just look around.  Soak it in.  Let the sense of accomplishment overwhelm you a bit. 

Yes, you are that much closer to the reality of living God's DREAM for your life.      

ACTION STEP

I would suggest you get yourself away from distractions and other people for today's ACTION STEP.  Grab your journal and a pen - you'll want to record your thoughts and impressions.

With the close of this 60 Days of DREAMING cycle looming near you've evaluated and celebrated your progress so far as well as checked in with and thanked your coach, your team, and your stakeholders - now it's time to hear from the One whose DREAM it really is. 

Begin by giving thanks to God for all that He has inspired and called you to do; thank Him for His wisdom and guidance along the way and for the encouragement of His Holy Spirit.

Next, ask specifically for His assessment of your progress so far on His DREAM for your life.  Don;t be in a rush or a hurry - wait for the answers He will speak to your heart and mind.

Tomorrow we'll ask ourselves the one question that will make all the difference.  

DAY 56: "Thanking the Stakeholders"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

As I look back at my childhood I can come up with one very specific way that my parents failed me horribly: they didn't make me send "Thank You" cards or notes after my birthdays.  Friends and loved ones would come to celebrate my birthday every year, gifts under their arms (almost always Legos - the greatest!)...after that I can only imagine them sitting at home waiting for an acknowledgment of their generosity...and waiting...and waiting.  It would never arrive.  No one ever told me I was supposed to do that.  My parents did not lead me in this most basic tenet of etiquette. 

I still struggle to do it, though I'm guessing I can no longer blame my parents, huh?  Expressing our thankfulness or gratitude to those who have blessed us isn't always easy - but at the same time, it isn't really that difficult of an action, is it?  My guess is we often fail to do so because it is such a simple action - so simple that we can do it later, right?  I mean, we don't need to interrupt our very important tasks in our super-busy day, right?  We'll get to it...tomorrow.  No, seriously...tomorrow...or the day after might be even better.

Uh, huh.

ACTION STEP

For today's ACTION STEP you'll need to put on your big-boy or big-girl pants and drop any excuses: write some quick notes of "Thanks" to all your stakeholders and team-members that have helped you get this far in your DREAM-pursuit.  Do it now.  Not later.  You won't do it later.  Seriously.

RIGHT NOW!!!

 

Tomorrow we'll thank the real Boss. 

DAY 55: "Erect a Memorial...Sort Of"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

There is one thing I've learned about people with tattoos: they love to talk about them.  I had a conversation with a young woman not long ago about her elaborate tattoos.  She had several of them, a few of which were highly detailed and intricate.   One in particular, a tree on her arm, she had gotten to commemorate a significant moment in her life.  It was interesting, actually.  She didn't seem interested in sharing what that moment was, so I didn't pry, but I thought it a bit ironic that she chose an incredibly public method for commemorating something she obviously wished to remain her own.  I can only imagine what would have caused her to get this permanently visible reminder as a memorial to some event.

Memorials can be significant and powerful when they are chosen with intent.  In the history of Israel there was a moment when the Israelites were once again being marauded by the neighboring Philistines.  The people of Israel asked the prophet Samuel to cry out to the Lord on their behalf, which he did, and they were given victory over their attackers.  The next verse is very interesting and significant for us as we celebrate our current progress in our DREAM-pursuit.

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shem [two adjacent cities], and named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."
                                                                                         - 1 Samuel 7.12 (NASB)

If you didn't catch the gist of that verse, Samuel erected a memorial to commemorate that the Lord had helped them get to that point of victory.  This stone memorial would serve as a visual reminder for generations to come of the Lord's favor and their progress forward in His DREAM for Israel.  How many times over the next centuries would a little child ask their father or mother what that stone with the goofy name was all about?  Each time the story would be recalled and passed on to a new generation.  How many times did someone waffling in their faith look over and see that stone - and be reminded that they were not alone and that the Lord, their God, had helped them before?

Let's state the facts: 1) you've started out on the pursuit of God's DREAM for your life; 2) you're making progress forward.  Why wouldn't you commemorate this in some way?  What symbol or memento might serve to remind you when the going gets tough in the next stage of your DREAM-pursuit?  I'm not suggesting an elaborate arm-tattoo, necessarily, but the right memorial-object, chosen to commemorate your progress, might make all the difference in the right moment later on. 

ACTION STEP

For today's ACTION STEP you get to create some sort of memorial in honor of your progress on God's DREAM for your life.  Remember, this memorial is for you and will serve as a reminder to you that you can successfully pursue the DREAM because you have already made progress. 

It doesn't have to be anything large or obtrusive; it needn't be anything expensive or elaborate.  I would suggest that it not have too practical of a purpose - you want it to have little role other than as a reminder.  Maybe you should follow Samuel's example: choose a rock and write "Ebenezer" on it, then place it on your desk or bathroom counter.  I guarantee you'll have plenty of occasions to explain the purpose and meaning behind it - which will serve as an effective reminder!  

Tomorrow we'll do what we should have done after all those birthdays growing up. 

DAY 54: "Celebration"

Today we begin the second-to-last phase of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge: Celebrate.  
 
ENGAGING THOUGHT

I have a friend who for his birthday one year took himself out for a fabulous steak-dinner to celebrate.  Just himself.  No one else was invited.  It wasn't one of those milestone birthdays that mark a decade or anything else significant - so he didn't feel the need to make big deal of it.  When he told me about it (after the fact) I started to give him a significant ribbing - but I couldn't really come up with a valid reason why he shouldn't have celebrated by himself, if that's what he wanted to do.  Instead I gave him a hard time for denying me the opportunity of a great steak-dinner.

How are you when it comes to celebrating?  Are you ready to throw a party at the drop-of-a-hat?  Are you more the type to reserve celebrations for bigger causes?  I don't think we need to be shy at all when it comes to celebrating our accomplishments.  If we've worked hard and persevered, why not celebrate it?

In our culture we have no problem celebrating significant accomplishments or achievements - but why not celebrate the smaller accomplishments which make up the larger pursuit?  I believe it does our hearts and morale a great deal of good to step back from a milestone (even if it's somewhat minor) and pat ourselves on the back - maybe even applaud our efforts thus far.  Would it kill you to reward yourself for your hard work? 

Point of fact, I'd contend that if you don't take time to celebrate your "wins" along the way you run the risk of burning-out of the pursuit altogether.  Remember our goal: to discover, pursue, and live God's DREAM for our lives - not to struggle and suffer without reward.  Celebrations along the way give us something to look forward to and to remember while in the midst of our next tough season of the DREAM-pursuit.  And besides, any excuse for a great steak is legitimate, right?

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is entirely self-serving - but you deserve it, right?

Throw yourself a party to celebrate how far you've come in the pursuit of God's DREAM for your life.  Make it as elaborate as you wish.  It can be anything from a Facebook post (go ahead, USE ALL CAPS!), to a special lunch, to an elaborate 3-week long celebration complete with fireworks and circus-clowns.  It's your party, make it as big or as small as you want.

Tomorrow we'll raise an "Ebenezer."  Don't know what that means?  You'll find out.  

DAY 53: "Straight-On 'Til Morning?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

I'm a big fan of cruise-control while I drive.  I like the ability to "set-it-and-forget-it" when the open road beckons in front me.  I can't wait for the day when our steering will have a similar capability.  Can you imagine how nice it will be to simply punch in your destination and let the car drive itself?  Maybe not always, but when you're on a routine trip or a boring stretch of road...

While you're deep into the task of evaluating your progress on the DREAM-pursuit, one of the valid conclusions you might come to is that you are, in fact, heading nicely in the right direction.  You've got your hands on the wheel, so you can make minor corrections as needed; you know where the brake and gas pedals are - so, what's wrong with heading straight on?  Not a thing.

Sometimes we need to have the ability (and self-permission?) to put our heads down (nose to the grindstone, if you prefer) and just crank along the path laid out before us - only looking up to see how much ground we've covered.  Don't feel guilty about it if you think you can cover a large amount of "distance" on your DREAM that way.  There is no such thing as Auto-pilot when we're pursuing God's DREAM for our life - but there may be long stretches that don't demand a lot of focused concentration.

If you feel comfortable with the pace and the direction you're headed, and you aren't in danger of deviating off-course, then go ahead, set the cruise-control and head straight-on 'til morning!

ACTION STEP

Today you'll want to have your journal close at hand and get away to a quiet or secluded place.

It's time to again give God a chance to weigh-in very significantly on our DREAM-pursuit.  Spend some time asking for the Lord to highlight in your heart and mind the facets of your DREAM-pursuit that are keeping in line with His will and design; ask Him also to show you areas that need adjusting (or dropping altogether).

I have found that when we give Him the chance to speak to our heart and mind that He does so, even if it takes several minutes for us to clear out the "noise" in our minds before we can sense and hear Him clearly.

Tomorrow we'll begin the next-to-last phase of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge - and we'll get ready to celebrate! 

DAY 52: "Checking in with the Coach"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Whenever we set out to attempt something new (or at least beyond our norm) we have a tendency to want to hide our attempt - just in case we don't succeed as well as we'd hoped - that way we can limit potential embarrassment.  That is, of course, ridiculous!  There really is no such thing as "getting it right on the first try."  Especially when it comes to pursuing God's DREAM for our lives.  If it were that simple and fool-proof we'd have jumped on this train long ago, right?

It's totally natural to keep early attempts somewhat to yourself - but be careful, you might be missing out on opportunities for valuable input and feedback from others.  One person that you had better be completely forthright with is your coach - that person whom you have given permission to speak the sometimes harsh truth to you; that person whose task is to push you beyond yourself and draw your best (and beyond) efforts out of you.

The time has come for you to get their input and evaluation of your progress so far.  Be sure to ask them the tough questions and give them permission to give you the painful truth if need be.  What should you ask them?  That's up to you and what you would like to know, but for starters, you might think about asking them questions such as:

Do you see me pursuing this DREAM wholeheartedly?  
Have you noticed any glaring weaknesses or shortcomings in my pursuit so far?
What areas do you think I am slacking-off or cutting corners?
Where do you think I am excelling?  What are my strengths that you've seen?

Get the idea?  Now go check in with your coach - they might have a lot to say!      

ACTION STEP

Check in with your coach or mentor.  Fill them in on your progress; let them read your thoughts and observations from the last several days; ask for their input and evaluation on specific areas (if they are qualified to do so); ask if they see any glaring holes or weaknesses in your pursuit that you haven't noticed.

Remember that your coach isn't supposed to be your Cheerleader - they are there to push you beyond your best.  Remind them of this if you need to.

Be certain to write down their input.

Tomorrow we'll scan the horizon, check our heading, and set the sails. 

DAY 51: "Unexpected Results?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

You've probably heard the old adage, "No man is an island."  It essentially means that none of us can be truly separate and unaffected by others - we're all connected in some way.  Perhaps you've heard of the Butterfly Effect - a portion of chaos theory which purports that even seemingly insignificant changes at the initial stage of a sequence of events can result in completely different outcomes.  The theory got its name from the mathematician and meterologist, Edward Lorenz, and refers to the possibility that the flap of a single butterfly in one location could theoretically alter conditions such that it results in a hurricane somewhere else.  Look it up if you're interested, fascinating stuff.

My point in bringing these two things to our attention at this stage of our evaluation of the DREAM-pursuit is that we may have inadvertently set off a series of unanticipated events because of our efforts thus far.  You may have intended to pursue God's DREAM for your life - and are in fact doing so - however, your efforts might also be creating change in other areas of your life.

Maybe your personal discipline in pursuing the tasks related to the DREAM has led to an increased discipline in other areas?  Maybe you've been forced to study and learn some new material - which has, in turn, reawakened a passion for learning or a dormant curiosity?  Perhaps a new rhythm in your daily schedule has led to positive (or even negative) changes in your routine?  Have any of your significant relationships changed because of your DREAM-pursuit?  Has the necessity of communicating with the stakeholders created a new channel of relational communication?

Evaluating the results of your DREAM-pursuit means evaluating all the results.  Some of which might have never been anticipated at all but might be useful additions to your strategy.

ACTION STEP

For today's ACTION STEP I want you to take a look around your "life" and see if there have been any other changes since you began the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge.

Changes in relationships?  Tough ones gotten healthier?  Unhealthy ones fallen away completely?

Changes in your persona health?  How are you sleeping?  How is your mental clarity?

Changes in personal performance in other areas of life?  Career?  Job performance?

Write down your observations.

Tomorrow we'll check in with the coach and see what they have to say about our progress.  

DAY 50: "Any Progress? Really?"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

By now we've firmly established that I'm far more Word-Nerd than I am Math-Geek.  In fact, at the risk of offending all you Math-Geeks out there, I have to tell you that I often find mathematics annoying.  What is it about math that drives me crazy?  It's the inflexibility of it all.  Math is what math is; the numbers may tell a "story" (I never got that one) but they tell the same story over and over: two plus two always equals four.  How boring is that?  I know, I know, if it weren't for the inflexibility of mathematics our airplanes wouldn't stay in the sky predictably and our bridges might or might not stay standing.

When it comes to evaluating our DREAM-pursuit it behooves us to take off our "flexibility" hat once in a while and do some cold, hard math.  No creative interpretation of our results allowed; no excuses; no stories; no extenuating circumstances - just raw data and emotionless assessment.  Where are we in terms of our strategy and plan?  Where should we be by this point?  Are we really and truly moving forward or are we stuck in a cycle of busy looking circles?

Are you ready for some more up-front reality?  I would contend that the characteristic which makes the most difference between the DREAM-livers and the DREAM-wishers can be found right here in this area of evaluation.  I don't believe the people whose DREAM-pursuit has turned into a DREAM-life have anything special that makes their DREAM more likely to come to fruition.  I believe it is simply because they have fostered the ability to look closely at their progress and give themselves an honest, accurate assessment - then make the tough changes necessary.  It isn't a question of how talented you are - it's more a question of how brutal you are. 

Mathematics doesn't care in the least what your opinion of two plus two should be or how you feel about it.  In the same way you should periodically evaluate your progress with the same brutal honesty.  There is a time for understanding and accommodation, and there is a time for emotionless evaluation.  Mind you, I'm not recommending that you evaluate your progress only in this way - just that you get good at using this type of assessment once in a while.  There is more to life than cold, unfeeling math, after all.

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is still in keeping with the Evaluate phase of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge - but it's different than yesterday's.  Yesterday you got to be the Cheerleader, today I want you to be the unimpressed, super-critical statistician. 

Flip through your DREAM-pursuit journal and remind yourself of some of the steps you've proposed and taken.  Go back to the beginning and see what you wrote in the first few days.  How much progress have you really made?

Go ahead and be a little bit cynical (a little bit - don't be a total jerk!).  See if you can discount the progress or shoot holes in it.  If you've made real progress you shouldn't be able to discount it very much.

Write down your conclusions about your progress.  You might find it helpful to imagine you're giving a written report to some agency somewhere that tracks DREAM-pursuits.  What would a report on your DREAM-pursuit look like?

Tomorrow we'll check the corners to see if any unexpected results from our DREAM-pursuit are hiding. 

DAY 49: "Having Fun Yet?"

Today we begin a phase that is deceptively easy: Evaluate.  In fact, it can be so easy that we are tempted to often do a half-hearted job at it - much to our peril as we continue on. 

ENGAGING THOUGHT

I have a confession to make: I'm an office-boy; a desk-jockey; a pencil-pusher; a keyboard-cruiser.  My vocation requires that I spend a great deal of time sitting, either in meetings or in study, or in preparation for meetings and studies.  Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love what I do and I know that I am smack-dab in the middle of God's will for my vocation and career - but I have to admit that there are days when I wish I could just be a dumb-strong-back and not think so much.  I love those rare times when I do have to do some difficult physical labor and blow the cobwebs out of my joints and muscles.  Even if it's really grueling physical stuff, it takes on a whole new satisfaction just because it's so different from my norm.

Pursuing your DREAM should be fun, I think.  Even if various elements of it are grueling and difficult it should be satisfying to know that you're in pursuit of the greatest thing God has for your life: His DREAM!  One of the simplest questions we should get in the habit of asking ourselves is just this: Am I having fun?  Not that every-single moment of our DREAM-pursuit must be entertaining and diverting; not that we cannot or should not have seasons that are rough to get through.  Overall, however, I believe God intends that when we are in full-pursuit of His DREAM for our lives we feel truly alive and enjoy a deep sense of satisfaction in our accomplishment.

It's important that we look back at all we've done so far and maybe relive a few of those great moments.  Maybe it was the moment that you were no longer wishing or fantasizing about a dream, but were now in pursuit of the DREAM.  Perhaps it was a moment that a newly acquired skill started becoming more fluid or automatic - you started owning that ability.  It could be that sense of pride in knowing that you are, in fact, taking charge of the trajectory of your life and pursuing all the God has for you.  Now that is fun!

ACTION STEP

For today's ACTION STEP I want you to be your own Cheerleader again.

Write out several statements of encouragement that highlight specific aspects of the pursuit that you are having fun with or seeing significant progress in.

EXAMPLES  
"Since starting the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge I have been having a blast taking the random ideas out of my head and putting them down on paper."

"As I pursue God's DREAM for my life I'm loving the sense that - finally! -  I am truly moving forward into His purpose for me."

Tomorrow we'll look backwards and see how far we've come. 

DAY 48: "Solid Changes"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Here's a question for you now that you're this far along in the DREAM-pursuit: Are you finding yourself to be more intentional and/or decisive when you take forward action in pursuit of the DREAM?  Part of the intent of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge is to retrain our beliefs and behaviors surrounding God's DREAM for our lives.  It shouldn't be at all shocking that one of those behavioral changes you start noticing is that decisions start becoming easier to make.

Today marks the end of the Adjust phase and by now you'll have some changes that you've formulated and pondered, sought counsel and input regarding, and are now ready to declare them as official alterations to your strategy and Written Plan. 

So do it, already!  You're a master at making decisions, right?  Solidify those changes and put them into action. 

ACTION STEP

Today it's time to commit to the changes you've been formulating and pondering.

Write out a newly revised Written Plan (see Day 21) and a new statement of your resolve (see Day 16).

Tomorrow we start the next phase of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge and begin to make an honest assessment of our progress.

DAY 47: "Changes to Ponder"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

I promise that the Engaging Thought for today isn't going to devolve into a diatribe against Hollywood; I have no intentions of bashing the entertainment industry.  With that said, I think the TV and movie industry have negatively impacted our culture by creating in us an expectation that life must move very fast.  Two ways stand out specifically in my mind: how we communicate and how we make decisions. 

Think about this: how many times have you had a conversation with someone and couldn't think of a response until much later?  That's never what we see on TV though, is it?  TV sit-coms have trained us that "real" communication involves witty, mildly-sarcastic responses delivered instantly.  Air-time is never spent showing a character on the show pondering what their best response should be and how that might move things forward (or backward) in the relationship or scenario.  Consider, too, how problems are handled: the entire situation or conflict is introduced, explained, experienced, mis-handled, fixed, and wrapped up successfully...all in 1 hour, with commercial-breaks.  How convenient and efficient!

Real life doesn't move that fast - nor does it need to.  There are no rules stating that we must deliver stunning repartee in conversation (pausing only for dramatic effect).  Rarely do situations require instantaneous reaction from us at all.  I would also contend that if a problem can be solved that quickly - it isn't a real concern, anyway.  Don't miss this fact: those TV shows have entire teams of professional writers working hours and hours and hours trying to come up with that 45 minutes of brilliant dialogue and drama.  The last thing they are portraying is real life. 

As you continue in this phase of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge - considering the alterations you need to make - let me encourage you to relax and spend some time really thinking about them first.  Ponder them; weigh them against one another; think deeply about them.  You might be amazed how quickly you start to see some changes you could make to your changes that will make them even better.

Truthfully, God is entirely different than a television producer - He isn't impatient or demanding (or egotistical).  He would much rather that you fully engage in considering the changes than you hurry through them.  Oh, and there aren't any annoying commercials to fit in.
 

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is more of an intellectual and emotional exercise - though vitally important!

Take your revised Written Plans from yesterday's ACTION STEP and spend several moments with each, truly pondering the implications and giving your imagination a chance to visualize how these changes will alter your pursuit.

You'll probably find it helpful to do this same exercise a few times throughout the day so that you can approach it with a fresh perspective - it also gives your sub-conscious mind a chance to ruminate on it.

Tomorrow we'll nail down some of the proposed changes to our Written Plans.  

DAY 46: "Time For a Realignment"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

I have a mid-size pick-up truck that does everything I need it to do.  My son calls it a "girlie" truck because it isn't four-wheel drive, isn't full-size, and doesn't frighten small children.  I try to tell him that it also doesn't have to stop at every gas station, nor does it have to make monthly stops at the bank.  It drives forward when I want it to and it stops when I tell it to.  It hauls the type of things I need to haul and as far as I'm aware, no one's life has been jeopardized. 

I did notice several years ago, however, that it started developing a mind of its own when it came to steering - or more precisely, tracking.  I found that as I headed down the road I could no longer just point it where I wanted to head and only use the steering wheel when I wanted to change direction.  I found  myself needing to hold the wheel just so it would stay straight.  Then I noticed my tires starting to wear out in a funny pattern.  That's right - my alignment was out.  My little pick-up needed to be realigned.

Our DREAM-pursuit needs to be realigned once in a while also.  We need to check with our Written Plan and take a look at our progress; hold the two next to each other to see if we're still tracking straight or if we're pulling to one side or another.  When we get out-of-alignment we may still get to where we want to go (just like my truck does), but we're probably working harder than we need to and might be unnecessarily wearing out ourselves, our resources, or even those on our team.

Are we spending the amounts of time we had originally planned and allotted for the tasks of our DREAM-pursuit?  Are we close to the time-frame and schedule, or are we way off?  You might decide not to change anything about either of these - but at least you'll be aware of the discrepancy, right?  How about the resources you've set aside?  How are they holding up?  Are you spending your energy or finances at the right pace and in the places? 

Taking the time to check our alignment along the way gives us the freedom to keep traveling down the road in pursuit of God's DREAM for our life and enjoying the trip without having to worry that we're getting off-track or spending inordinate amounts of time or energy correcting. 

ACTION STEP

You'll want your Written Plan handy for today's ACTION STEP (probably also your journal entries from Days 44 and 45).

Now that you've got some practical experiences about what pursuing your specific DREAM will look like, rewrite your Written Plan including a few of the different changes you've considered or that your stakeholders have suggested.  You're not committing to this new Written Plan yet, so feel free to experiment with it, perhaps even write out a couple different versions.

Tomorrow we'll give our proposed changes a chance to simmer before we throw them into the mix. 

DAY 45: "Input From the Stakeholders"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Did you ever go on car-trips as a family when you were growing up?  If you did, what type of driver did you have?  Whether it was your father or mother or a grandparent that drove -the question is really this: did they take into account the needs of the passengers?  When you needed to stop and take a break or pee - did they even care?  At the risk of taking today's post in a strange direction let me tell you that I have a steel bladder.  I bet you're happy to know that, aren't you?  What it means is this: when I'm the one driving on a trip I don't need to stop along the way - I'd rather conquer the mileage than visit the rest-stops.  My family has learned that they need to inform me when they need a stop - because I won't otherwise.

Taking into account those who are along for the ride with us is an important step.  Remember your stakeholders?  Those people who are along for the ride with you in this DREAM-pursuit?  Way back on Day 26 of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge you took the time to identify the stakeholders who would be affected by your DREAM-pursuit.  Maybe you should try to be a considerate driver and check in with those passengers, huh? 

When you first set out on this trip they were probably fairly excited for you, maybe a little apprehensive, but likely somewhat encouraging - that could be because it was all theoretical at that point.  What you were about to do might impact them - and it might not - who knew for sure?  Now that you've taken active steps forward and been through some of the implementation phase it is no longer a mystery how it affects them. 

Their perspective having watched you get to this point is very valuable.  What have they seen you excel at?  What have they seen you fumble around with?  What impact have they noticed the pursuit having upon your general disposition?  Now that they've watched you for a while, does their understanding of God's DREAM for your life make more sense?  Does it seem even crazier?  While you're in this adjustment phase, considering what changes you should be making to your strategy and Written Plan, don't neglect the voices of those who have the most vested interest in you and in your DREAM-pursuit.  Your stakeholders probably have some very real opinions by this point and you'll want to give them a chance to share those - or you might end up with a mutiny from the backseat!

ACTION STEP

I bet that by now you're starting to figure out how to predict what the ACTION STEPS for each day might be, huh?

Today, check in with your stakeholders and bring them up-to-speed on your progress if they aren't already aware.  Let them know what has been working and what has been a frustration.

Ask for their input - specifically any recommended adjustments they think would be helpful.

Tomorrow we'll throw the whole DREAM up on the lift and take a look at how well it's tracking.   

DAY 44: "Obvious Changes"

Today we begin the next phase of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge: Adjust.  Let me repeat what I've said earlier: don't get frustrated if you're behind the "days" in your DREAM-pursuit - it's assumed that you will be behind the numerical day by this point.  Don't think "days in a row" so much as you think "a sequence of days."

  
ENGAGING THOUGHT

Imagine you're driving down the road, headed to your favorite Cajun-Sushi Smoothie bar.  Motoring along you see that an errant helicopter has accidentally dropped a large elephant-sculpture in the road.  What do you do?  WHAT DO YOU DO!?!  Difficult question, isn't it?  Are you still trying to figure out if it's a trick question?  It isn't, here's the brilliant answer: you steer around it.

Oooohhhh, life-changing insight, I know.  Sometimes it's funny how reluctant we can be to state the obvious insights and make the obvious changes to our course of direction.  I've had many occasions in counseling scenarios when a person or couple comes in and they are truly perplexed about how to move forward from a current difficulty - when the solution is as simple as doing something different.  In the pursuit of God's DREAM for you life you will find yourself recognizing that your Written Plan - maybe even major parts of your strategy - isn't quite right.  You realize that if you keep going on-course-as-planned you'll smack right into that elephant sculpture in the road.

So you steer around it.  You make the obvious changes that will get you around whatever the obstacle is.  Remember, even though you've dutifully provided yourself with a Written Plan you've also given yourself permission to deviate from it when necessary.  By this point in the process you've no doubt figured out which aspects of your plan aren't quite right.  So what will you do?  WHAT WILL YOU DO!?!

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP shouldn't come as a compete surprise.  You need to put on your "brutally honest" hat once again and ask some tough questions about your strategy now that you've been actively implementing it.

Right off the bat, what changes do you know must be made to your strategy if it has any chance of working?

What are the glaringly obvious changes you need to make to your Written Plan?  Are they related to strategy, timing, resources?  Be as specific in your proposed changes as you can - the more refined they are at this point the easier those modifications will be to finalize later - BUT, don't fret if they aren't fully-cooked changes, either.  You'll have a chance to modify as you go along.

Tomorrow we check in with the stakeholders and give them a chance to help us evaluate our progress.  

DAY 43: "Purposeful Hypocrisy"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

I think we all would prefer to NOT have the charge of hypocrite leveled at us, wouldn't we?  I struggle to imagine anyone would ever truly desire that others see and recognize their attitudes and actions as hypocritical.  You are familiar with the term hypocrisy, I imagine?  But do you know what it really means?

In popular usage a hypocrite is one who says one thing but does another.  That's a bit too broad for correct understanding, though, because technically then, a liar would be acting hypocritical.  You see, a hypocrite is one who claims to have a certain quality or act in a certain manner, when in fact they cannot act or behave as they espouse.  In the most accurate sense of the word, a hypocrite does not simply choose to go against what they preach that others should do - a true hypocrite does not possess the capacity at all for the action they claim.  For example, an alcoholic that struggles with sobriety, getting "on-and-off the wagon," may certainly declare to others that they ought not drink.  That is not hypocrisy, as such.  The alcoholic may not yet have arrived at their goal, may in fact relapse many times - but they are trying.  The unrepentant alcoholic who never gives more than a token statement of reform, yet condemns others for drinking - that is hypocrisy.

It's a fine line isn't it?  You see, it's not the mastery of the quality or value that determines whether one is or is not acting hypocritically - it's the intent and the attempt.  When we make the declaration to ourselves - and to all the world - that we are in pursuit of God's DREAM for our lives, perhaps even encouraging others to discover, pursue, and live God's DREAM for their lives as well, are we acting the hypocrite?  Who are we to declare that others should pursue that which we have not yet laid hold of ourselves? 

The Apostle Paul encouraged some of his friends in the city of Philippi to press onward in pursuit of God's DREAM - even though he, himself, had not yet achieved it:

"Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of By Christ Jesus.  Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" - Philippians 3.12-14

Personally, I find it encouraging how Paul carefully explains that he has no illusions about his own mastery (perfection in Scripture means maturity or completeness).  Maybe we should also make note that Paul chose not to be held back by his past failures (and he had plenty, believe me!).  If anyone in the early Church could have had the charge of hypocrite leveled at them, it was Paul the Apostle (formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of the Church and murderer of the Believers).  What makes those charges fall to the ground in Paul's case, however, is that he did change; he was transformed by the love, grace, and leadership of God.  Paul did discover and pursue God's DREAM for his life.

So, why on earth do I include this segment in the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge?  Very simple, really.  As you continue implementing your strategy for the pursuit of God's DREAM you will inevitably make mistakes.  Sorry.  I wish I could tell you it would be perfect and flawless every time, but it won't be.  You'll fail at several little things as you move forward or learn new skills or experiment.  You might even feel the judgment of others upon your efforts - perhaps even those you have encouraged along the way.  You are not a hypocrite - you are taking action and trying. 

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP just might be the most fun you've had so far in the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge.

Three steps: 
1) Identify the aspect of your DREAM-pursuit that is the most frustrating to you, or the one that you have been struggling with the most.  It might be helpful to list a few (or several) of them and pick the top one or two.

2) Now, for each of your top frustrations, imagine what type of encouragement you would most like to hear from someone else in regards to that specific aspect.  Got it in mind?  Good.  Now write it down before you forget it. 

3) Now find someone else who is either on a DREAM-pursuit of their own or striving toward some goal in their life and give them the encouragement you most wish you were receiving.  That's right, go be a hypocrite!  Encourage them in the very same aspect that you are frustrated with as if you were having a wonderful time with it.

Tomorrow we'll begin the next phase of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge and line up some obvious alterations.

DAY 42: "Managing Drudgery"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

So, are you bored yet?  Is that a crazy question?  I mean, how could we possibly become bored if we're pursuing God's DREAM for our life, right?  Yeah.  If only it were that simple.  In a perfect world, any time we're doing something like pursuing the very purposes for which we were created it will, of course, energize and enervate us beyond any possible drudgery.  Good thing we live in a perfect world, huh? 

So, for the rest of us (who don't wake up in Eden) what do we do when we find that the tasks of pursuing aren't holding our interest or gripping our hearts as they did at first?  First-off, I think it's vitally important that we allow ourselves to admit that we may have become bored with certain aspects of the pursuit.  Maybe the specifics of your DREAM require a season of study or reeducation - that sounds fabulous for bookworms and studious types - but not so much to others.  Maybe you're trying to develop a skill-set that requires repetitive actions.  Ho hum.  I truly do not think you're in danger of a derailment just because you can say that this particular task isn't exciting - in fact I'd even say that unless you do call the boring tasks "boring" you run the risk of a false enthusiasm that can't withstand the real difficulties.

Just because you have the freedom to declare a task boring, or to recognize that you're staring down the monster called "Drudgery," doesn't mean that you have any intent of giving up on the pursuit, does it?  Do the same thing you did to the monsters under your bed or in your closet as a child: call it by name and state clearly that it's free to hang out there, but that you aren't the least bit afraid of it.  Tell it to go ahead and "roar" - or make whatever sounds drudgery makes - but that you'll still continue trudging through until completion.

I think drudgery is most effective in dissuading us when we forget why we're doing the boring or repetitive tasks.  We sometimes forget why we're doing these things.  Does a homemaker find that laundry or cleaning is the most satisfying of tasks?  Hardly. However, when they remind themselves that this is part-and-parcel of caring for their family and providing the environment for family-life to thrive, those tasks take on a different light. 

Perhaps you should remind yourself exactly why you are performing whatever it is that has lost its luster.  "I am  studying this horrendously boring material because it prepares me for fulfilling God's DREAM for my life which is to..." - then go ahead and repeat the DREAM.  That's the key, I think: keep the boring tasks attached to the DREAM.  Never let them try to become separate from the DREAM; never let them try to redefine the DREAM or convince you that the DREAM might also be boring if parts of the pursuit are boring.  Even Superheroes have to do their laundry once in a while. 

Maybe, when you're bored with a task you should just stop for a moment, tell whoever is around (family, pets, strangers walking by) that, "I am bored with this task, but I will continue it through to completion because I am serious about pursuing God's DREAM for my life which is to..."

ACTION STEP
Your ACTION STEPS for today  is simple and profoundly important:
1) Take a look back to the ACTION STEP on Day 12?  You made a list of ridiculously positive encouragements.  This is one when you need those.
Also, take a perusal through your thoughts from Day 35 and recall how you felt as you were about to jump off the cliff into your full-fledged DREAM-pursuit.

2) Either restate/rewrite your positive encouragements again, or jot down some new (more informed?) ones to keep you moving forward.
 

Tomorrow we get to be hypocrites!  On purpose, even!! 

DAY 41: "The Blessing of Consistency"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Do you have a life motto?  I do.  It's a Latin phrase that I like to impress people with - it makes me sound really smart and high-brow.  It looks like this:

Gutta Cavat Lapidem Non Vi Sed Saepe Cadendo. 

Are you impressed yet?  Maybe if I told you the meaning it would inspire you as much as it does me.  Are you ready for it?

"The drip hollows the stone, not by force, but by repeatedly falling."

I can tell you're impressed and inspired.  In all seriousness, however, this is the phrase I repeat to myself every day - and several times throughout any given day.  It reminds me that if I focus upon being consistent in the things I do I need not worry whether any single thing I do be all that monumental. 

In fact, we are far more effective in just about anything we undertake when we approach it with consistent, steady effort rather than hitting it with bursts of energy or attention.  That is, of course, the whole theory behind the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge: that we accomplish far more forward motion toward fulfilling God's DREAM for our life when we give it just a little bit of daily attention and effort.  If we were to wait until we had all the time necessary in one span of time or season of our life - well, we'd be waiting forever and never get around to pursuing the DREAM, right?
 
Recognizing the blessing of consistency helps us as we make progress - even through the oftentimes boring parts (more on that tomorrow).  Let's use another analogy from the sports-world: think of an Olympic figure-skater.  We know the tremendous sacrifices she must make daily in order to compete at that level - the things she must deny herself, the pain and agony she must physically endure - all of it pointing toward those few moments as the world watches her grace and beauty and artistry.  Here's the reality behind her moment in the spotlight: no single work-out put her there.  No one instance of climbing out of her warm bed at O'Dark-Aweful in the morning to hit the ice got her into that kind of shape.  It was every single work-out; it was every single morning that affords her the possibility of feeling that medal being placed around her neck.  Because she chose to be consistent in her efforts she gets to enjoy the blessing.

Knowing this won't make the "workouts" any easier for us in our pursuit - but it does put into perspective that when we choose consistency we allow for that kind of growth and development and forward progress that might cause us to one day look up and realize just how far we've come and how much closer we are to the DREAM becoming a reality in our lives. 

...drip...drip...drip...

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is a tough one to limit to just today.  In fact, I don't want you to limit it to today, at all.  I want you to do it many times on many different days.

Take the time you've normally set aside for doing the ACTION STEPS throughout the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge and instead work on whatever your current task is in your DREAM-pursuit.  Think of it as a bit of bonus time.

What might happen if you were to do that regularly?  You should have regularly-scheduled and prioritized time dedicated to your DREAM-pursuit, but what if you used the unexpected times on your DREAM-pursuit, as well?  What if you developed a habit of consistently using these unexpected bonus-times?

Tomorrow we'll bravely stare down the monster called "Drudgery" and remind ourselves that we need not be afraid of it.  

DAY 40: "A Drink of Water"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Several years ago I built a couple large retaining walls on my property.  17 tons of blocks...to be precise...and yes, sometimes I think I can still feel them in my back.  Did I mention that I unwisely chose to do this in the Summer?  You know, when the sun shines.  A lot.  My wife and I had planned on building these walls together but she sprained her elbow on a different project a few weeks before - so I was left to do all the heavy-lifting myself.  She brought me cold water when I needed it - which was often, trust me.

Those many water breaks served a different purpose than just refreshing me - they afforded me the opportunity to step back and take a look at my work from a distance.  A few times, while sipping (okay, gulping) ice-cold water I noticed that my wall was starting to wander a bit.  I had placed the last several blocks next to each other where they belonged, but each was a few millimeters off from the last, resulting in a slight curve to the wall.  I hadn't noticed this at all when I was standing over the top setting each 70lb. block in place.  Had I not taken the time to step back away from my work and look from a different perspective I would have built a wall with a wobble in it.  Several months later I was showing the completed walls to a friend and he asked how I got the walls so straight.  "A glass of water," I replied.

When we resolve to get serious about a task - such as pursuing God's DREAM for our lives - it often feels good to roll up our sleeves, put our head down and just start going hard at it.  That's a great trait in us and those spurts of hard, determined work can accomplish a lot - but they can also be a danger if we don't stop once in a while and check how we're doing.  Take a step back and see how "straight" our line is.

Remember back to Day 21 when we talked about the value of our Written Plan?  It's important that we get that thing out once in a while and check to see if we're still on track.  Small deviations probably won't hurt at all - but what if they get repeated several times?  What if they start compounding?  Pretty soon we may find ourselves way off track from our original plan.  That might be fine, as well, but you don't want to be surprised by this.  In fact, I can almost guarantee you that your actual path will be somewhat different from your Written Plan.  That's to be expected.  You just don't want to look up after several seasons or stages of your pursuit to find that you built a wobbly wall and then be faced with the proposition of either tearing down and rebuilding or modifying the DREAM in a way you don't really want to.

So, get into the habit of grabbing a glass of water, taking a step back and admiring your handy-work (and a little bit of critiquing of your handy-work).  Ask yourself questions about the progress you are making, such as: Is this where I expected to be by this point?  How is my progress lining up with my timeline?  Am I still on course, or have I gotten distracted?  Is that distraction a good thing (leading to something I didn't anticipate in my initial planning)?  Should I incorporate this course-deviation or should I back-track and correct it?

If, in one of your water-breaks (figurative or literal), you discover that you've gotten off-course or behind schedule, don't panic or get discouraged - and, by all means, do not give up!  Your goal is to keep making progress in pursuit of the DREAM - and that's exactly what you are doing.  So what if you got a bit off track?  So what if you wasted a little bit of time (it isn't really a waste if you learn from it)?  God isn't giving up on His DREAM for your life just because you got off course.  He isn't panicking about it.  Finish your glass of water and get back to it - making whatever corrections you need to make.

ACTION STEP

For today's ACTION STEP you'll need two things:
1) A pen or pencil;
2) A glass or cup of your favorite beverage, cold or hot, whatever you wish.

Take a moment, step back from your work and look over what you have accomplished so far.  How does it make you feel that you've begun making real strides forward in the pursuit of God's DREAM for your life?  Do you deserve an "atta-boy" or "atta-girl" ?  Give yourself one.  Brag to someone a little bit.  Who cares if you haven't finished a specific task quite yet - at least you're doing something and making progress.

Write down a few of your thoughts about your progress so far.

Tomorrow we explore what happens when we do the same thing...over and over and over and over and...  

DAY 39: "Going the Extra Mile"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Have you ever heard the cliche, "Triumph is just a little 'umph' added to try" ?  Maybe a better question is, can you recall a moment that you needed to hear that? 

Yesterday we looked at the need for understanding when it's wise for us to back-off a bit in our pursuit; today is the other side of that equation: when we need to give it just that little bit of extra effort and push through to completing a task.  In the pursuit of God's DREAM for our lives we will have myriad tasks and little "projects" that lead to the larger goal.  Often these tasks will serve as nothing more than parts of the whole or steps in the process.  We may be tempted to "fudge" a bit on the quality or stop a bit earlier than we need to - after all, it is just one little piece of the puzzle, right?

Don't do it.  Don't give in to that temptation to do less than your best, no matter how seemingly insignificant the task.  If this pursuit is worth it at all, then it is worth doing so with our very best effort and with the fullest of diligence.  Some people take this concept too far and develop a critical perfectionism for themselves and everyone around them: nothing is ever good enough or finished enough.  They think that nothing but the absolute best will ever suffice for any task of any kind.  The sentiment behind this may be fine, but it rapidly becomes an obsession that causes one to miss out on the joy of the pursuit as every moment becomes a struggle - even if it doesn't need to be.

This is another one of those areas where we need to be very in-tune with ourselves and our motivations.  We do want to push ourselves to excel and strive to become better at everything we can; we do need to understand that not every task requires the greatest example of perfection ever performed.  The question isn't so much, "will this be good enough?" as much as "is this the right amount of effort/excellence/diligence?"  If we're stopping because we're bored or not interested at the moment (or tired) rather than stopping because it is the appropriate time to stop - then we need to recheck our motivations.  Maybe go back and read some of our encouragements from earlier or check in with some of our team-members to see what they think.  If we find ourselves saying, "Oh, who cares?" or, "It's not that big of a deal," we need to be careful as these sound very much like excuses for giving in too quickly.

Sometimes the best answer to these moments when we want to give in is to push just a little harder, go that extra mile until we reach the next goal - then we can take a break and look back at what we've accomplished.  A marathon runner knows themselves and their body well enough to predict when they will hit "the wall" in their race.  They anticipate it and plan for it - staging a friend at that location to cheer them on in the moment they need it most, maybe planning a reward for themselves at the mile-marker after they've hit the wall and pressed through it.  Whatever it takes for them to just keep running that extra mile.

"Good enough is the enemy of the best."

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is very similar to yesterday's -though for the opposite purpose.

Write out two or three statements that you can tell yourself in those moments when you feel the temptation to settle for "good enough."

EXAMPLE  "I know that I am tempted to settle for less than the best at this moment, however, there is no legitimate reason why I cannot or should not go the extra mile and finish this task with excellence." 

Tomorrow we'll talk about developing the habit of regular checks on our progress.  

DAY 38: "Something's Gotta Give"

This far into the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge you will likely have discovered that several of the steps along the way  (especially these in the Implement phase) are difficult to do in a single day.  Some of them take a few, or even several, days to accomplish - putting you "behind" in the 60 days progression.  That's not a problem at all.  Your goal is to make daily steps forward in the pursuit of God's DREAM - not stay in step with a silly blog schedule!  Complete each day's ACTION STEP in order, then move on to the next at your own pace.   

ENGAGING THOUGHT

Have you or someone you know had surgery and found that afterwards they've hooked you up to one of those self-dosing painkiller machines?  You know the ones I'm talking about - with the little red button that you push to give yourself your next round of drugs.  Do you know why they do that?  It isn't because the nurses are lazy and uncaring.  Believe it or not, it's because you are uncaring and cruel to yourself.  Well, maybe that's stretching it, but the fact is that when patients have the control over the dosing they tend to use far less painkillers than when there is a prescribed regimen.  The truth is, we can be downright mean to ourselves sometimes.

Pushing ourselves to perform at our highest level is obviously not a bad thing - but we do need to know when to back off a bit and give ourselves a chance to recuperate or recover.  It isn't really a question of how much we can endure - because we humans can endure quite a bit - it's more a question of at what level we perform with consistent quality.  If you're serious about pursuing God's DREAM for your life then you should be more interested in quality forward momentum than just forward-motion-at-any-cost.

Knowing when to back off and give ourselves some breathing-room or when to even set things aside for a moment (or a season, even) could be the difference between burning out in the pursuit of the DREAM or successfully fulfilling it.  Make no mistake: God's DREAM will require toughness, sacrifice, and stick-to-it-iveness.  We will have to bring diligence and perseverance to the table if we truly desire to live everything He has for us.  We are still human, though.  We do have limits.  Those on the journey with us have limits.

We need to be smart about this pursuit and that means sometimes we need to give ourselves a break or, at the very least, allow for the unexpected (or expected) events of life.  Work may have deadlines, kids have events, families have vacations or yardwork - many of these things are non-negotiables and just are not subject to being set aside for our pursuit. 

Careful here: you must recognize the difference between needing to set a task aside for a while in order to tend to your family or health versus setting a task aside because you dread it.  No matter how good the excuse may sound in your head those are probably not the times you need a break - they are probably the times you need to push through even harder.  Even the painkiller machines have a timer so you can't pump yourself full of drugs to make the pain go away!

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is another one of those seemingly simple steps that can have a great impact upon us emotionally.

Write out two or three statements that give you "permission" to momentarily back off on your DREAM pursuit when the pressure becomes overwhelming.

EXAMPLE  "I am giving myself permission to set my DREAM-pursuit tasks aside for one week during a season of extreme pressure."  

You might find it helpful to write out a different version for a few different occasions, i.e. a week when work/school deadlines are looming, or a day when celebrating a Holiday or someones birthday, a month to ward off a zombie apocalypse, etc.

Tomorrow we'll look at giving an extra push towards excellence that can make all the difference in the world!

DAY 37: "Self-Talk = Reality"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

It is no secret to any of us that our words can have a tremendous impact.  Wars can be started or averted depending upon the construction of a single sentence.  Words have the power to attract and to repel; to make a young girl swoon in romantic imaginings or to rally a young man to volunteer his life for a cause.  From childhood on we've been instructed to choose carefully our words when we speak to another.  How many times, though, did someone instruct you to choose carefully the words you spoke to yourself?

Every one of us has the equivalent of an internal tape-recorder that plays certain thought or phrases over and over inside our minds.  These are the things we tell ourselves - often as we perform a task or set out to accomplish something.  Does your self-talk follow a negative path?  "Don't make a mess of things!"  "Careful, you always get into trouble like this!"  "You're not going to make this work."  Maybe you are one who encourages themselves?  "You can do this!"  "This should be interesting."  "Not a problem, I'll figure it out."

Whatever it may sound like inside your head - that is the realty you are creating for yourself.  We've already talked a bit about the phenomena of the self-fulfilling prophecy (Day 12), and the importance of communicating such that we are understood (Days 23, 24 & 25) - but there is more going on than just those elements of communication.  Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckman, both professors of Sociology, write in The Social Construction of Reality,

 "I encounter language as a facticity external to myself and it is coercive in its effect on me.  Language forces me into its patterns."  

That's really just their fancy way of saying that our reality is shaped by the words we use.  Placed into the context of self-talk it becomes this: what we say to ourselves becomes the reality we believe about ourselves, and eventually becomes our actual reality.

In the pursuit of God's DREAM for your life you'll have many occasions to hold conversations with yourself - some of them over and over and over.  Like it or not, the statements you make to yourself reveal what you believe about yourself.  With that said, however, I truly believe that you have the ability to retrain yourself to speak differently - to record different messages on your internal voice recorder.  Choosing to speak life and encouragement to yourself pays off as it reconstructs your own perceptions and your behaviors - eventually becoming your reality.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit."   - Proverbs 18.21

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP will require you to be brutally honest with yourself.

Make a list of the things you "say" to yourself most frequently.  Good, bad, or ugly - put them down in a list.  When you are finished, take a good hard look at each of the things you wrote and ask the question: Do I want this to be a defining reality of my life?

For each "no" answer write these words after it: "I no longer believe this about myself."

For each "yes" answer write these words after it: "I know this to be true of myself."

Tomorrow we'll plan for those inevitable moments in the pursuit when the pressure seems too much. 

DAY 36: "Just Do It!"

ENGAGING THOUGHT

In 1988, at a meeting of the advertising company of Wieden and Kennedy, Dan Wieden expressed his admiration of the Nike shoe company's can-do attitude to a group of their employees: "You Nike guys, you just do it."  The result of that innocuous little statement is the stuff of marketing legend.  Nike jumped all over that sentiment and turned it into a fierce marketing campaign that became the iconic motto which, some argue, saved the company from obscurity and launched Nike into the stratosphere of success-stories.  "Just Do It" is as much a part of American culture as any corporate motto can be.  It's also good advice.

There comes a moment when we have to shut up and start doing something - it's no different when it comes to pursuing God's DREAM for our lives.  We can blather on and on, we can strategize, we can plan, we can recruit - all necessary steps, indeed.  At some point, however, we need to just get started on the plan.  You've been crafting the plan, writing it out and committing to it - all tantamount to walking up to the edge of that cliff we've been talking about.  Now it's time to jump!

So...just do it. 

Could it really be that simple? 

You won't know until you try it, will you?  Just in case you need them, here are several maxims and cliches that might help you kick-off the edge into your full-fledged DREAM-pursuit:

"Winners never quit, and Quitters never win."
"The greatest plan will never work unless you do."
"Genius 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." - Thomas Edison
"Plan your work and work your plan."
"Action is the foundational key to all success." - Pablo Picasso
"Defeat is not the worst of failures.  Not to have tried is the worst of failures."
"Success is dependent on effort." - Sophocles
"Go out there and succeed because I know that you can and will do it." - Me

ACTION STEP

Your ACTION STEP for today depends entirely on how diligent and thorough you've been with your previous ACTION STEPS.  Why?  Because today you're going to just do it!  Grab your written plan and do whatever you are supposed to be doing in pursuit of the DREAM. 

Tomorrow we'll either turn the volume up on our internal tape-recorder or erase it and record some new things.  

DAY 35: "A Dash of Realism"

Today marks the beginning of the Implementation phase of your DREAM-pursuit.  You've been making strong forward movement all along - but all that has transpired up to this moment has been preparatory and planning.  Now you fire up the "machine" you've created and see how it runs!

 
ENGAGING THOUGHT

Do you remember back to the beginning of the 60 Days of Dreaming challenge?  You were at the edge of the cliff and peering over the side, wondering what was down below.  Here we are, over half-the-way through the 60 days, and you should be wondering a lot less about what lies over that edge - you know it will be somewhat different than you've envisioned and planned - but you also know that you've taken a high degree of ownership and control over the "fall."  Put simply: you now have a pretty-good idea what awaits you over that edge.

So, let's pause here for a moment.  Take a brief look around and consider what you are about to do: you are about to jump off a cliff and begin falling headlong into the full-on pursuit of God's DREAM for your life.  This is truly a moment where everything changes from here-on-out.  All your planning and strategizing; praying and wondering; recruiting and resourcing is about to come into play as you move forward into the most obviously active phase of the pursuit.

Are you really going to do it?  Will you really jump into an entirely new definition for your life?  Maye this is a good time for a dash of realism. Be very careful here, however.  This is one of those moments when your old tendencies to shrink back from the edge will try, once again, to get you to back off and compromise in the pursuit of your DREAM.  You want to be smart and understanding of what you are about to do and jumping off this cliff-edge is about more then just rational understanding - it is also a leap of faith that God has created you for this very pursuit. 

St. Irenaeus of Lyons, a 2nd-Century teacher in the Christian Church, wrote to this end: "Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God."  Another translation of Irenaeus' famous quote reads, "the glory of God is man fully alive."  Consider that statement for a moment: when we pursue and live all that we were designed for - the fullest expression of our humanity - we bring the greatest glory to our Creator.  We fulfill the purpose for which He designed us and for which He carefully crafted the plan of our days.

We were created for the pursuit and fulfillment of God's DREAM for our lives.  To some that may seem a fanciful and unreal approach to life.  They could not be more mistaken.  Spending our lives in pursuit of God's DREAM is the most complete expression of our humanity; the most honoring to Him and the most edifying to all around us.  That is reality. 

Now, JUMP!

ACTION STEP

Today's ACTION STEP is somewhat like that last pause before the rush of adrenaline kicks in...as you jump over the cliff-edge and begin to fall into the full-on pursuit of the DREAM!

Take a few minutes to write out your thoughts and feelings at this stage of the pursuit.  You'll return to this page later on and be glad to have a record of your thoughts. 

Tomorrow we begin the active phase of our DREAM strategy.