"Building Your Dream"
from Own Your Dreams
by John C. Maxwell
As you move forward in the pursuit of your dream, you need to ask yourself, “Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?”
People who build their dreams on reality take a very different approach to dreams than people who live in Fantasyland.
| Fantasizers | Dream Builders |
|---|---|
| Rely on luck | Rely on discipline |
| Focus on the destination | Focus on the journey |
| Cultivate unhealthy expectations | Cultivate healthy discontent |
| Minimize the value of work | Maximize the work they do. |
| Look for excuses | Lead to action |
| Create inertia | Generate momentum |
| Breed isolation | Promote teamwork |
| Wait | Initiate |
| Avoid personal risks | Embrace risk as necessary |
People who are successful in the long run don’t leave everything to chance. They focus on what they can do, and then they do it. To achieve your dream, you not only need to work hard for it, but you also have to make sure it plays to your strengths. That means knowing what you can and cannot do.
The first step in facing reality requires you to look at yourself realistically, to see yourself as you truly are. The nature of self-evaluation has a profound effect on a person’s values, beliefs, thinking processes, feelings, needs, and goals . Focus on doing the things you love to do and building on your strengths.