What If...

Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself, “What if?” What if you finished your degree? What if you started that business? What if you were out of debt? When you ask the “What if” question, you're allowing yourself to dream.

Let’s talk about 5 years from now. What do you see? What are you doing now to prepare and plan for what you see 5 years down the road? Can you even see that far ahead? Most of us are so distracted doing what we have to do that we never get around to doing what we want to do.

As I travel far and wide, I meet many people who have abandoned their dreams for one reason or another. I don’t want that to be the case for you. Why? Because I believe the dreams in your heart are God-given and are a part of His calling for your life. If you’ve heard me teach much or read my articles, you know my life is drastically different today than it once was. A lot can change in 5 years! God has taken me from being insecure in His call on my life to living a life of purpose as I actively pursue my destiny. However, I have discovered that it’s not always easy. In fact it can be downright hard to pursue your dreams! The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 5:3, “A dream comes about with much business and painful effort.” Sheesh, aint that the truth?

Let me share what I’ve learned on how to fight for your dreams, and how to turn what if into what is!

You are a creature of habit. Every day, you do much of everything you do the same way without even thinking about it. The way you put the toothpaste on the toothbrush. The way you put your makeup on or the way you shave. The way you put your shoes on. You may have 200 restaurants in your city, but you probably eat at 2 or 3 of the same ones and order 2 or 3 of the same menu items every time.

After doing these habits for years and years, you continue to make these choices without even thinking about it. And it works the same way with the bigger issues of life. It’s not until you STOP and THINK about what you want to do with the rest of your life…that things will start to change.

You could be doing the same things you did last year and can’t figure out why nothing has changed. You must make decisions that will lead to and support the goals you want to achieve.

How do you know if your choices are leading you to your dreams? Look at the results! A lot can happen in 5 years…or nothing can change in 5 years!!!

Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz, said, “If you don’t know where you’re headed, then any road will take you there.”

During a recent quiet time, an illustration regarding the sport of boxing came to me.

If a boxer is going to win the prize, he has to train with a good coach. If you are going to achieve your dreams, you will need a coach, a mentor, someone to consistently speak truth and encouragement to you.

Don’t let just anyone have a voice in your life.

During a boxing match, there are always people in the corners of the ring. Have you noticed? What are they there for? Are they yelling at their boxer, “You stink!”, “Give up!”, “You can’t win!” No! They are there to cheer him on, encourage, support, strengthen, and help. Who you have in your corner is vital to your success.

Proverbs 13:20 tells us, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but a companion of fools will be destroyed.” Jim Rohn accurately said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

It is vital to spend time with people you want to become like. You may not personally know people who are the success you want to become, but you can spend time with them through the influence of their books, videos, and audio teachings, etc.

One of the major ways the devil will try to distract you and cause you to give up on your dream is through the negative words of others speaking into your life. That’s why it is so important to make God’s Word the final authority in your life, not other people’s opinions.

I read a story about a man named Victor who, at 15 years old, was told by his teacher that he wouldn’t amount to much and that he should drop out of school and learn a trade. Because he was told he was an idiot, he acted like one for the next 17 years. Then, when he was 32, he took an IQ test and discovered that he had an IQ of 161. Since finding out he was brilliant, he began to act brilliantly! Since that time, he has written books, secured several patents, become a successful businessman, and chairman of the Mensa Society. Never let negative words determine your destiny. What if you only spoke positively about your future? Hmmmm....

On October 2, 1954, a young man got his chance to sing at Nashville’s legendary Grand Ole Opry. Afterwards, the concert hall’s manager told the singer he wouldn’t be singing there again and was better off returning to Memphis to pursue his old career of driving trucks. That young man was Elvis Presley!

No matter what your dream is: to get out of debt, to see your marriage restored, to be physically fit and strong, to publish a book, to run for office, to open your business, etc. – it will require intense focus. Are you willing to pay the price when it becomes hard work? What if you paid that price?

Pursuing your dream will require a fight, but listen: Never, never, never throw in the towel! It’s always too soon to give up! What if you keep going? Determine to FINISH STRONG.

Any time you look at an American penny and see the face of Abraham Lincoln, think about what he went through to see his dream fulfilled:

At 22 years old, he failed in business.
At 23, he ran for legislature and lost.
At 24, he experienced a second business failure.
At 26, he lost the woman he loved. She died.
At 27, he suffered a nervous breakdown.
At 29, he lost another political race.
At 34, he made an unsuccessful run for Congress.
At 37, he did get elected to Congress, only to be defeated again 2 years later.
At 46, he lost his bid for the Senate and the next year failed his attempt to become vice president.
At 49, he was defeated for the Senate again.
At 51 years old, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States.

He fought for his dream no matter what. You and I have to fight for our dreams, too. What if you don’t give in? What if you don’t give up? What if you actually make it?

Some people say, “Life is like a carousel—sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down, sometimes you just go round and round.” Others may say, “Life is like a deck of cards—you just have to play the hand you’re dealt.”

The truth is, life is an assignment. You are here on assignment. You have been assigned a mission! Look at the personal mission statements of these three people who have changed the world:

WALT DISNEY: “My mission in life is to make people happy.”

PHIL KNIGHT, FOUNDER, NIKE: “My mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”

ERIC SCHMIDT, CEO, GOOGLE: “My mission is to collect all the world’s information and make it accessible to everyone.”

Their mission keeps them focused.

You’ve got to see beyond today. I have a mission to provide the tools & the teaching necessary to show people how to make their dreams bigger than their memories.

My mission keeps me focused. My mission helps me see what my life could be like 5 years from now. Seeing beyond today helps me set goals and know where I’m going. My mission empowers me to dream and ask “what if ” questions.

• “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” – B. J. Marshall
• “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” - Proverbs 29:18

Write down at least 1 thing you see 5 years from now for your life – and keep it before you in plain sight! There is great power released when you write the vision (see Habakkuk 2:2). Don’t be shy. Don’t be timid. Trust God – trust the process - allow yourself to dream - and write it down.

5 years is 260 weeks, 1,825 days, or 2,629,744 minutes! What are you going to do with it? Richard Bach said, “Here’s the test to determine whether or not your mission on earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t.”

The next 5 years can be the most exciting, rewarding, productive years of your life…. or just another 5 years! You have a mission, an assignment. See something, and let your what if become your what is!