Martin Luther King had a dream. A dream he expressed very passionately to everyone. What is your dream? What lights your heart, soul and mind on fire with excitement? What inspires you to bound out of bed in the morning with joy and purpose – truly anxious to take action? Deep in the very fiber of your being a fire, or maybe at this point just an ember, burns waiting for you to fan the flame. Or have you allowed someone or something to steal that dream away from you? What threatens your dreams? Low self-esteem, day to day circumstances, the people in your circle of influence, or your own lack of dedication to your dream? Focus on that vision and imagine it as a reality at this very moment. How does it feel? Savor that feeling of accomplishment and joy. Napoleon Hill reminds us “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

Explore, dream, question, and discover that special desire. Once you absolutely identify your dream, it is easier to determine how badly you want it and exactly what you are willing to do to achieve it. If you absolutely knew you could have anything you wanted, what would it be? Visualize yourself already possessing that goal. Most people hesitate about reaching for their dreams because they don’t know how they are going to achieve those lofty goals. Don’t settle for what you think is possible or what other people tell you that you can or should expect. Go for what you truly want. Do you believe you deserve to have it? If so, why or why not? Explore your feelings and you will determine your level of self-esteem. Your self-esteem is closely tied to your feelings of deserving to receive your dreams. Don’t give up on yourself and smother your own dreams?

Revive that fire of passion. Live that dream even if only in your imagination. Now what are you willing to do about it? Nothing great arrives without some time, effort and sacrifice. Fried chicken does not fly in the window. Dreams do not arrive fully achieved. They start with an idea, a bud, and develop into a full petaled flower. What price are you willing to pay to realize that dream? Are you willing to water and nurture and weed and tend that dream? When will you awake that goal and decide to do whatever it takes to bring it forth into reality? Start living your dream. Wayne Dwyer talks about thinking from the end – seeing and feeling that dream as if it is already in existence.

We each have a special desire deep within us. Sometimes, far too often, we allow day to day circumstances to dictate mediocrity and mundane existence. Yes, we allow, our time and our days to slip by without setting aside any time to work on our dream. Set aside some golden time – time just for you. The people around us squelch our dreams by telling us we can’t have or don’t deserve or can’t afford. Remember this is not about what they want for us or for themselves. They have their own path. You have yours. Live your own life. Dream your own dreams. You are what you think. You are what you decide. Make the vision on the inside become the reality on the outside. No, not “I’ll try.” Trying is failing with honor. Don’t try – decide and achieve.

Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise,

Risking more than others think is safe,

Dreaming more than others think is practical, and

Expecting more than others think is possible.

Start and end your day with positive thoughts and affirmations. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams and your future. You have a responsibility to yourself. Letting circumstances or someone outside of you to steal your dreams hurts you and everyone who truly cares about you. Feel that dream. Experience how it will feel to accomplish it. Enjoy the moment in your imagination when it really comes true. Reach up on the shelf of your dream storage closet; dust off the hopes and plans you have stored away for so long. It is your dream.

Allowing something or someone outside to steal your dream is criminal but the worst tragedy is when we give up on ourselves and our dreams.

Find that ember deep inside your soul, fan the flame and bring it to a roaring inferno.

Ok, so there will be times when someone tries to pour water on your dream or there will be spring showers that dampen your dream. Stay focused on your progress and little victories along the way. Each step moves you closer to your goal. Hold that dream tenderly and protectively. Decide to keep it alive and glowing. Shelter it from the wind of daily events. Use that wind to fan the flame, not put out the fire.

It is your dream. No one has a right to steal it – not anyone around you and certainly not yourself. Don’t steal your own dream. Instead find a way to make it glow and burn for all to see. The secret of the law of attraction states that your current work is not the way to reach your largest dream. Thinking consistently and positively about them coming true; that is how dreams come true. You deserve to realize and live the fulfillment of your dream.