As I settle into my new Florida studio (The Sandbox), I’m gradually exploring my decades-old collection of books. Yesterday I opened a beautiful journal (pictured) that I had not looked at for years. The title page read Dreams ’06.
The journal was given to me by a close friend named Ramon Presson. In a hidden pocket, there was a note from him, “use this journal as a place to dream without censorship, expand your vision, write out goals, and list ideas.”
He continued, “Cathart and rant, protest and wrestle elsewhere in a different journal. This one is for dreaming. I look forward to seeing what happens in 2006 and beyond.”
The first page has my handwriting and reads, “A dream journal…no catharsis here…just dreams…” A list of eleven audacious dreams follow. I’m sure that in January 2006, the realization of these ambitious goals must have seemed impossible. But for some reason, that has never stopped me from dreaming.
To my utter amazement, all but one of the eleven dreams have come true. I’m still working on number ten. Throughout my life, I’ve found that writing and verbalizing dreams and goals create a momentum that—more often than not—powers them into reality.
There is no way that at the beginning of 2006, I could have known how my life would turn out. But it is better than I could have dreamed. I’m grateful. Here is the list:
- I dream of the day I am no longer working at a church with inept people who do not care to work hard or smart! (That happened June 2006)
- I dream of traveling to Rome, Italy. (That happened in 2008 and again in 2012.)
- I dream of writing a book about Letters From A Devastated Pastor/Artist. (Available on Amazon.)
- I dream of my blog being in the “top 100.” (I accomplished this landmark in 2006—2007.)
- I dream of another sabbatical as beneficial as the one this past summer. (That happened in 2008.)
- I dream of a series of professional videos that are accessible to anyone. (Created and published in 2014.)
- I dream of consulting over videoconferencing. (I began doing that in 2007.)
- I dream of a Retreat for artists and others to find solitude and develop spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically…to impact the world through encouraging influencers. (Opened Fall 2015.)
- I dream of giving away $50,000 to charities and those in need. (Through a series of miraculous events, I have been able to triple this.)
- I dream of changing the world. (Still working on this. It’s a big one.)
- I dream of beginning a Tuesday writers gathering called In Vino Veritas (In Wine There Is Truth) where admission is a bottle of wine and something they have written. (That began in fall 2006. I listed the writers by name in the journal, and every one of them accepted and attended.)
I list these not to brag or intimidate. This list illustrates what can happen if we only dream. When I wrote this list, I had no idea how it could occur or if it would. They were ambitious and outlandish. They were laughable. But somehow they came true. These dreams took a lot of work, a lot of luck, and a lot of tenacity—but I firmly believe they would not have come true if I had not written them down.
What are your dreams? Say them out loud. Write them down in a journal. Take it out fourteen years from now in 2034 and see what happened. I think you’ll be as shocked as I was.
