Do You have a Dream?
Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
To unwind and stay in shape, I adore playing golf. I also enjoy going to the beach, where I can go fishing, run, stroll, or simply paddle through the surf.
Thus, my dream is to own a retirement residence with a balcony facing north, a beach on the east, a golf course on the west, and a garden where my wife can indulge in her passion for gardening.
At the moment it seems a “pipe” dream but at least my dream has been implanted in my sub-conscious and it rises to conscious thought more regularly as time goes on. Carl Sanburg would agree that this is the start of my home by the sea for he writes:
“Without a dream, nothing else occurs.”
Our hockeyroos are a prime example of the many golden dreams that have been realized in this Olympic year. But for many who say “I have a dream” their “Gold Medal” is something quite different to Olympic Gold.
To Martin Luther King in his “I have a Dream” speech the achievement of racial equality was to be his gold medal.
Terry Fox, on the other hand, ran across Canada on an artificial leg to raise $1 million for cancer research because he wanted to live his life to the fullest. What a gold medal performance that was, with $24 million raised by his run!
These achievers serve as a fantastic model for how to pursue our goals. The word “dream” is made up of the first letters of numerous words that describe the character qualities our gold medal heroes and heroines needed to fulfill their dreams.
Desire, Drive, Determination, and Damn Hard Work are all represented by the letter D. I need these to fulfill my dream.
R stands for taking personal responsibility for doing everything necessary to fulfill that dream. It also stands for remaining resolute in the face of adversity.
The letter E stands for the energy and enthusiasm we need to keep moving forward even when things seem hopeless.
The letter A stands for the audacity, the proper attitude, and the adventurous spirit we must cultivate and adopt in order to realize our dreams.
The letters M stand for the motivation we require, the messages we send to ourselves, and the obstacles we must overcome in order to realize our dreams.
All these words above are summed up in one simple sentence:
“We are merely occupying space until we make a commitment.”
A poem by W.H. Murray titled “Until one is Committed” sums up this law of success extremely well.
“Until One is Committed”
by W. H. Murray
Concerning all acts of initiative and creation
There is one elementary truth,
the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
That the moment you definitely commit yourself
Providence then follows suit.
All sorts of things occur to help you
Otherwise, that would not have happened.
A whole stream of events issue from this decision Raising in your favour all manner
Of unforeseen events and meetings
and material assistance,
which you could never have dreamt
would come your way.
Here is yet another perspective written by Goethe:
“We are capable of doing anything we set our minds to.
We must begin it boldly for boldness
has genius, power and magic in it”.
To me, every important “dream” is like a long journey because each journey must begin with a single step. Similar to how one apple seed marks the beginning of an orchard. Other cancer patients could live rich and fulfilling lives thanks to Terry Fox’s dream. Racial equality was Martin Luther King, Jr. Up until he took the first actual step in his march to Washington, his words had only been rhetoric. When every player agreed to follow the coach’s 10 sporting Commandments, the Hockeyroos started their pursuit of Olympic success. These Commandments used words like “challenges, sacrifices, dedication, tenacity, faith, and commitment.”
It simply comes down to this:
Nobody can foresee the altitudes we will reach.
Until we spread our wings, not even we will understand.
The only limit to what we can achieve is the width
of our ideas and depth of our dedication.
Our “gold medal” dream can be our vision for our future. What we do about it on our own will determine how it develops and grows.
My dream is not a matter of chance
Rather it is a matter of choice
Any worthwhile goal is worth making every effort to achieve.
According to Steven Covey, we must be proactive and always keep the big picture in mind. He has these two traits in common with highly successful people. This brings to mind the tale of the legless runner who completed one New York Marathon. He completed the 42km torture test 2 days after the fit runners did. The lone reporter who was still there asked him if it hurt to walk so far on his hands as he crossed the finish line. He said “The only time it hurt was when I lost sight of the finish line, though.” What a gold medal performance and what an illustration of passion, tenacity, audacity, commitment, and desire for a goal.
Each of our “gold medal” achievers had a passion or love for they were doing.
Successful people have “fire in their belly”. Additionally, a belief in oneself and one’s dreams comes along with this fire or passion. We saw this in the Hockeyroos Mission Statement which read:
“Because winning Olympic Gold is the pinnacle of our sport, we will prevail in Atlanta by performing at the highest level possible. We’ll accomplish this by playing better than we have in the past and by never, ever giving up.”
In order for me to realize my goal of owning a home close to both a golf course and a beach, I must make a commitment to an action plan and keep going even when nothing seems possible. Calvin Coolidge was a U.S. President summed it up well when he wrote:
“Persistence is a quality that is unmatched in the world.
Talent will not.
Genius will not.
Education will not.
All-powerful are only persistence and dedication.”
Thus, it is up to me if it is to happen. It is only I who has the capacity to dream, believe, and have the courage to act on my desire for a house close to a golf course and the beach. So, when I commit, I won’t just be taking up space; instead, I’ll be going for the gold, which is realizing my dream.