Living the Dream

"I want to play professional baseball." "I want to be a rock star." "I want to be a movie star." "I want to be an astronaut." As kids, we all had dreams, and we weren’t afraid to dream big because nobody had ever squelched our hopes and dreams. No kid ever dreamt of mediocrity. Yet as adults, we view life from a mediocre perspective.  We say things like “TGIF" and "hump-day" as if our lives only have joy and meaning on weekends. We set low standards such as “getting by” and “paying the bills” as  acceptable.  When we use words like “living the dream,” why are we more sarcastic than serious? What ever happened to those child-like dreams? 

Your Four-Minute Mile

For hundreds of years before 1954, running a mile in under four minutes was deemed physically impossible.  It didn’t just seem impossible, it was scientifically determined that humans were incapable of doing so. Roger Bannister refused to believe that this was impossible. He programmed his mind and body as if the four-minute mile was a foregone conclusion, and to solidify his place in history, he then trained as if it would happen.  While others were explaining to him the science of why it was impossible, he was busy making it happen.   On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister ran the first four-minute mile in history with a time of 3:59.  Within a year, someone else ran a four-minute mile.  Now, it’s almost routine. We all have self-limiting beliefs. We all have limits imposed upon us by others. Maybe it’s time to break the paradigm and program your mind and body for success.  What’s your four-minute mile?

Think Like an Infant

If babies were negatively programmed like most adults, they would never learn to walk. Most of them would never even try to stand up, as they’d be afraid of failure. They’d be afraid to fail, afraid to get laughed at, afraid to not be conforming to the ways of the world. They simply wouldn’t try. For those that did try, they would fall once. They’d point a finger and blame their parents, their environment, the carpet, and anything else to justify their failure. Worse yet, they’d try, fall once, and use the “c” word. They’d doom their destiny by saying, “I can’t.” Fortunately, the human brain protects infants, but over time, people are conditioned to dream smaller and to fear failure. It's time to dream big, abolish fear, and relentlessly pursue those dreams. 

Go Big or Go Home

What would it take for you to live the dream?  First, define the dream. What are your three P’s in life: your purpose, your passion, and your priorities?  If you don’t know, it’s worth carving out some time to think about it.

• Purpose - the reason you believe you were put on earth; the legacy you plan to leave for generations to come
• Passion - how you enjoy spending your time, talents, and treasure
• Priorities - your North Star in life that guide your decisions, your actions, where you will and won't spend your time, and where you will and won't sacrifice

Using the three P’s, now set a far-reaching goal. Run a marathon, learn a new language, take an exotic vacation, grow into a new career, lose weight, find new ways to spend more quality family time, go on a mission trip… the sky’s the limit. Aim high and go for it!

Putting it Together

Life’s short. You were meant to thrive, not just survive. Don’t sell yourself short - destroy all false self-limiting beliefs, destroy all fear of failure, aim high, go big, and go for it!  If you do, I promise the journey of a lifetime.

Welcome to the new you.  Enjoy the journey... 

Check out Enjoy the Journey on Amazon.com at  https://goo.gl/G9BM8O

Learn more about Dave VanEpps or request a speaking engagement at www.davevanepps.com