I like to browse the internet and just read random stuffs. So, I came across a post of the Pope’s recent visit to the Philippines, and while reading, my attention was drawn to the sentence he made. “If you lose your capacity to dream, then you lose the capacity to love…”Everything starts with a dream, having a family, owning a business or a company, finishing your education, the list goes on and on, it all starts with a dream. You can’t afford to lose your ability to dream. You have to dream before your dreams can come true." (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam).

Some people throttle their potential by refusing to think "what if?" and ignoring what's truly important to them in life. You have to start dreaming before you can achieve anything.Many of us take for granted what we are currently able to do. We stop ourselves even though we are full capable of dreaming big and moving towards those very dreams. You see, we all have the will in us, but it’s about lighting the will that is within us… The big question is, Have you lost your will and ability to dream?

“It’s very hard to have ideas. It’s very hard to put yourself out there, it’s very hard to be vulnerable, but those people who do that are the dreamers, the thinkers and the creators. They are the magic people of the world.”(Amy Poehler)

When you are chasing your dream be prepared to meet with obstacles. Every dream chaser meets them. The thing about obstacles is that you need to learn from them, find a solution, and continue on your path to your dream. Do not let your obstacles detour you from continuing on the path to your dreams. “People will kill you over time, and how they’ll kill you is with tiny, harmless phrases, ‘like be realistic.” (Dylan Moran). If your dreams are big, people will mock you for them. Forget those people; they will not help you succeed.

Your dream will attract some attention, even from the naysayers and haters. You will feel strong as you prove the naysayers wrong. As Walter Bagehot said; “The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” People who follow their dreams are doers. Doers have more power to create, influence, and change their environment… and eventually the world.

We all have to start by saying “I WILL”. ” I will reach my goals”. Sometimes we dream and don’t take it further than that. Sometimes we dream and set goals but don’t work to reach our goals. And sometimes we lose our will to accomplish all of these things.

“What are you prepared to give for your dream? If it is not everything…stop pipe dreaming.”Live in your dream. Refuse to wake up until it is completely over. Then dream again.”

Step 1 is to dream. Dream big! I mean very big!

Step 2 is to think about your dreams. Some times we forget about our dreams or just don’t connect with the fact that they can become a reality.

Step 3 is to set goals. Dreams become goals and if they aren’t becoming goals then you need to return to step 2.

"You will never find time for anything. You must make it." ( Charles Buxton). Many people convince themselves they'll have time for their dreams in the future, but there's never a better time than now. Make time for your dreams. Persistence is much of what separates the successful from the pure wishful thinkers. Distinguish yourself by staying motivated even in the toughest of circumstances.

When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure." (Mary Kay Ash).

Following your dreams is an exhausting, draining effort, but the rewards are well worth it all. We all have unique sets of circumstances in our lives that we can use as excuses, but learning to find those workarounds in our life that give us the ability to succeed, can inspire us to start implementing changes in our lives that need to be made, to make our dreams come true.

You are never too old, too poor, too young, or too sick to live your dreams. You might not get there the same way as others but if you start chasing your dreams now you eventually will get there. If Mark Zuckerberg the creator of Facebook would have given up when he had his first major obstacle in 2006 who knows where Facebook would be today. He instead chose to meet his obstacles head on and he continued to the next phase of changing how we all communicate in the world today.

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” ( Paulo Coelho). Fear is a limiting factor, and it's present in all of us, but moving past that fear is essential for success. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Elbert Hubbard once said, “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.”

Your dreams and your actions define you. Don’t let others define you with what they tell you to do and not to. You will inspire others to follow their dreams, even if they know nothing about you. Following your dreams makes you interesting. Not following your dreams makes you feel unaccomplished. Eventually, this will stop you from dreaming altogether.

Don’t lose your ability to dream. "Don't give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you." (John Wooden). The moment you believe you can't do it, everything else begins to crumble. Never stop believing. Accomplishing your dreams will spark even bigger dreams.

The scripture says, “the whole creation waits breathless and in anticipation for the manifestation of the sons of God.” So much is tied to your ability to dream, and make sure to walk towards its manifestation. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”(Eleanor Roosevelt). I encourage you to not lose your ability to dream.

Please don’t forget to like, comment and share. Thanks and God bless you. Happy Sunday.
#GistwithEsther