We all have dreams–something we would like to do, but aren’t currently doing. Why are they called dreams?–they involve something we are passionate about, but something that seems unlikely to occur in our current reality, our current day to day life. It can be something like becoming an author, acting on stage, opening your own business, giving a concert, skydiving, or even starting a new life…

What if making our dreams a reality was really just as simple as taking a few steps?
-Identifying what we want to do and then following through on a small action in the direction we want to go
-Having confidence and faith that we will be able to get there
-Opening ourselves up to different ways in which our dream might happen–paths that are perhaps very different from what we had originally planned
-Then, taking additional steps, one at a time, until we reached our goal–until our dream becomes not a dream, but reality

What if it were this easy?

Last night I had the pleasure of going to a concert. Invited by a close friend of mine who recently revealed to us that in addition to being a successful doctor, she is also a singer. She wanted to be a singer, but life and logic got in the way of her pursuing her dream. She decided recently, that she didn’t want to give up on her dream. So, she took a small step.

She contacted a friend who is a producer and they decided together that she could and would give her first concert for her friends and family on the night of her birthday. She chose songs and worked very hard on the arrangements and rented a beautiful location. She shared with us what her plans were and we saw her face light up with the playful joy of a child.

While we were all happy to support her and see her fulfilling one of her dreams, we were blown away last night when she delivered a concert that was professional quality and at the same time gifted us with a piece of her heart. She was radiant on stage, comfortable and confident–it was obvious that she was in her element. When she addressed her adoring fans, she said, “I decided to do this concert to make one of my dreams come true, but also to show you all, that dreams do come true–each one of you has the capacity to make your dreams come true.”
I cried.
She was right.

I thought about other people I knew, one friend there who loved to bake and started selling cakes 20 years ago to the other moms at the school and then decided that it was something she wanted to pursue. She now has a chain of locations in our city and leads a very successful and very happy life, because she pursued one of her dreams.

I thought about my Dad, who worked most of his adult life in sales and when he retired, started devoting his time to something he’d always been passionate about, writing. He published his first book at 72 and has finished 2 more and he is happier now that I’ve ever seen him before.

I thought about people I know who were stuck in toxic relationships or who lived in places where there was little opportunity and who decided one day to make a change. They are living vastly different lives now and are experiencing a level of happiness that they only dreamed of before.

I thought about myself, my dream of being an author and how I took just one step 2 years ago. I went to a Passion Workshop, held by one of my dear friends who is a life coach. It was there that I identified that while I love to do lots of things, writing is the thing I am most passionate about and that it was my dream to become an author. I identified some first steps to making that happen. I took those steps, hesitantly at first, uncertain if it might all just be a “waste of time.” The universe threw me another opportunity–a path that existed outside my plan of how I’d read and researched most people became published authors–instead of getting my first book published in the US, I would get it published here, in Mexico, in English. I didn’t even know I could do that! Thank you universe! And each step I take, gives me more confirmation that I am on the right path. My dream of being an author is now a reality!

I am not a dreamer–I am a realist. So please know that I’m not suggesting that you quit your day job to follow your dreams. Yes, passion is important, but so is making sure you have food on the table!
We don’t have to make our passion our career. Some people are lucky enough to do that, but let’s face it, very few.
What everyone CAN do though is:
1. Identify what you are passionate about.
I believe we were all given something to contribute to this world. If you don’t know what it is yet, maybe your small step is in the direction of trying to figure out what it is. I’ll give you a hint, it’s likely something you do where when you are doing it, you feel like you are in “the zone” something that lights you up or something that you could pass hours doing, yet it feels like minutes–even skipping eating because you don’t even notice that you are hungry.
(You can also do this by taking something called The Passion Test that helps you identify the things in your life that you are most passionate about.)

2. Give what you are passionate about the significance that it deserves.
After seeing so many friends defer their dreams, I have become a passionate believer that if you know what you are passionate about, but do not pursue it, at least as a hobby, you likely will not be content. You will likely be restless and feel unsatisfied on some level–which can have all kinds of consequences on you and on the people around you. If you are passionate about acting, but you are a lawyer, you can always join a local theater group or take an acting class.
If you are passionate about helping others, but have very little time, you can volunteer 2-3 hours a month.
WHATEVER TIME YOU DEVOTE TO SOMETHING YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT FILLS UP YOUR TANK!!
And, when you share yourself and your gifts with others, you inspire them to do the same.

3. Identify the first step to making your dream come true–and do it! It might seem impossible at first, but think about all of the impossible things every single one of us has already accomplished!! You have done it before, you can do it again!

4. Identify the next step and take that one too. Stop and reevaluate and take the next baby steps. And, don’t forget to be open to the universe showing you opportunities or perhaps even a different path.

Will you reach your goal? Maybe, maybe not. But, I guarantee you that you will have a higher chance of making your dream a reality if you do SOMETHING to try to make it happen, rather than nothing! And, you will feel good about yourself and what you are doing, while you are in the process of trying to make your dream a reality. You will walk around like, “Look at me, trying to make my dreams come true, trying to do something that makes me happy!!”LOL  But really, you WILL feel different and people will notice a difference in you.

I think also that it’s important to try to surround yourself with people who love you and encourage you while you are on the path to making your dream come true. If you cannot find this, find it in yourself. You can be your own cheerleader! Or, find it in inspirational stories from other people. The podcast True Calling by John Harrison has been inspirational to me as I’ve worked this year on making my dream of being an author come true. It’s filled with stories of people who are doing their dream jobs–sharing their gifts with the world and making the world a better place in the process–because when we share our gifts, we inspire others to do the same and this makes the world a better place to be.
Each one of us has the power to make our dreams come true–one little step at a time. It might take one step, it might take 100, but you can start today and I have faith that you can get there!