Dream Big
By Bette Dowdell

W hen we get dissatisfied and decide to change the way we go at life, the first thought--the very first thought--is to do something big. Lose 100 pounds. Move to Tahiti and farm whatever they farm there. Give up all our worldly goods and be noble.

Not that our ideas are concrete or, for that matter, logical. They’re just big. We’ll do something big and grand, preferably something that allows us to puff and strut about whilst explaining our amazing new humility to one and all.

We dream. We smile. It’s a good thing. Big dreams give wings to many a weary soul. But the pleasure doesn’t take up permanent residence if dreaming’s all we do. Making our dreams come true is where it’s at. How are we going to do that? Can we?

We need to examine our dreams in broad daylight to see if they’re even possible.

First off, do we have any idea what we're talking about? "Move to Tahiti and farm whatever they farm there" lacks a certain specificity. What do they farm there? What skills does it take? Is it something we can do? Can we find a profitable market for our crops?

What about the rest of Tahiti? The weather, for instance. If we love schussing down snowy slopes, we’ll hate Tahiti. And geography, for another instance. With not far to go in any direction, island living’s tough on the RV brigade. Whatever we do, if we can’t learn the language, it’ll get lonely in a hurry.

Secondly, does our idea include an iota of logic? Losing 100 pounds is not a reasonable goal for somebody with a two-week horizon.

And if we accept a longer time frame, do we have the sticktoitiveness to execute our plan? Nobody loses 100 pounds in a hurry. Can we stick it out while losing two pounds a week? What about the weeks when nothing happens? Or when a Death by Chocolate cake calls our name?

And if we decide to take the quick route to weight loss via surgery, can we deal with a liquified “bird seed” diet at first, then small portions forever? In other words, does our personality fit the dream?

Thirdly, does our idea make any kind of sense? Nobility doesn't automatically arise from the ashes of giving everything away. Sure, possessions can own us and take time away from opportunities to do noble things, but when you get right down to it, life’s not about things. If you’re a jerk with stuff, you’ll be a jerk without stuff. Nobility’s about who you are, not what you own.

So does this mean we can’t dream big? Heaven forfend! We need the splashes of color dreaming big adds to our lives. But big dreams, small dreams and in-between dreams need to be workable, require no more perseverance than we can muster up, and have more than emotion to recommend them.

So think big, then plan to step it out. Achieving big results is almost never a Shazam event, but comes from small-step-by-small-step execution. Big results take a whole lot more heavy lifting than big dreams, but if we stop with the dreaming, we’ll miss the best part.

© Copyright 2007 by Bette Dowdell. All rights reserved.

Bette Dowdell is a former IBM Systems Engineer, a small business consultant and software company owner. And while that was going on, she taught about God to just about anybody who would listen, including some successful years of teaching serious theology to grade school kids. She wrote How to be a Christian Without Being Annoying, an encouraging book about how the Bible describes Christianity. She also creates Quick Takes on Life, a no-cost, weekly e-mail subscription to her original quotes. You can read about both the book and subscription opportunity–and contact Bette–at http://www.ConfidentFaith.com

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