Words from Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that will
live and resonate throughout the history-making future—”I Have a Dream.”
He dreamt of equality in a nation where people believe they can become and do
anything without destroying the freedom of others. He dreamt of all people
being kind to each other and building each other to reach greater heights and
create new possibilities.
Like many others, I love Dr. King’s speech. More than his
speech, however, I value his priorities and his fight. He made a name for
himself by promoting his dream of equality throughout the nation. He caused
people to look at their lives and decide what they WANT to do with their lives
instead of simply living their lives how they currently live them. He
encouraged people to look toward the future and build the future starting
today.
I have a dream that everyone reading this post will dig down
into your soul and find your dream. How will you make your dream of tomorrow
closer to reality today?
For many years, I had the dream of becoming a professional
speaker. For many of those years, I thought I had nothing to contribute worthy
of becoming a professional speaker. Through many years, experiences,
friendships, and coaches, I have come to recognize what I bring to the world –
organization by organization, person by person. I am now making that dream a
reality. I had things to overcome to get to the point of making it a reality,
but reality it becomes.
For several years, I had the dream of helping individuals and organizations BUILD their futures based on their strengths and creating strong teams to balance out their weaknesses. I needed to learn how I could incorporate my experiences, studies, and observations into something that can help organizations both by using step-by-step principles AND by customizing solutions for individuals and organizations. It has taken effort, thought, and soul-searching. I have chosen to pursue this dream in order to create the future I want.
I don’t share these things with you to claim I am “the end
all, beat all, emulate all” person. I share these things with you to help you
see that YOUR strengths, YOUR experiences, and the strengths of your employees,
co-workers, managers, friends, family ALL MATTER and bring value to the world.
Each of us is on a separate, although often related, journey. We all have
dreams. We work with people who have dreams. We are friends with people who
have dreams. Too often, we downplay our value. Our value, our strengths, and
our dreams have application to the world around us – beginning with the world
we have created within us.
Recently I was talking to a fellow speaker. This person asked me how my speaking bookings are going. I mentioned that I have been working on marketing materials and haven’t booked any gigs recently. After our conversation, I realized that I HAVE BEEN speaking professionally; I have been giving workshops at an event venue. For whatever reason, when I was talking to this fellow speaker, I disregarded the workshops as speaking gigs. That was wrong. I have been speaking. I have been presenting. I have been building my dream. I share this story only to point out that our dreams have different facets. I have known that workshops are part of my business model, yet, I told this fellow speaker that I haven’t booked any gigs recently. I invite you to recognize how you are pursuing your dreams, even if it looks different from the words you use to describe those dreams.
I challenge you to find your dream and start working on it today. If you dream of recognizing your strengths and building your self-esteem, start talking to people about what they see in you. Listen with an open heart and mind. You will learn about yourself. Receive it and OWN IT.
If you dream of enjoying your work more, look at what you
enjoy doing outside of work and observe WHY you enjoy it. Does it challenge you
mentally? Does it challenge you physically? Does it relax you? How have you developed
personally while doing things outside of work? Now, consider how you can bring
that personal development to work. How can you apply those lessons or the
enjoyment factor at work? If you cannot, pursue different employment.
If you dream of a happier personal relationship with a significant
other, look at that person’s strengths and point them out to your significant
other. The more you focus on your significant other’s strengths, the more you
will find your own and how you two complement each other.
Consider YOUR dreams. What makes these dreams attractive to
you? I would love to hear about them. Share in the comments below.