DREAMS Our dreams shape who
we are and who we will become.
This is a time for dreaming dreams and making plans for your life.
The dreams you
choose to follow during these years
will influence forever the pattern of your life.
Choose
carefully.
Listen to your heart as well as your head.
Choose a dream you care deeply about,
not just an intellectual
interest.
Listen to the advice of others,
but weigh their words carefully.
If they
resonate with your soul,
if they feed your dreams,
take the words to heart and cherish them.
If the advice
challenges you to look deep within yourself
at your reasons for wanting to follow a particular path,
take the
challenge,
consider thoughtfully
and discover more about yourself.
If their words tear you down
or
cause you to deny who you are or what you value, even in subtle ways,
reject them.
Surround yourself with people
who build you up or challenge you.
Avoid discussing your dreams with those who would try to steal them.
Remember,
you are the one who must walk the path you choose.
Pursue your dreams with diligence and
discipline.
Prepare yourself to achieve your goals.
Work hard.
Make sacrifices.
Use your passion for
your dream and all the creativity you can muster
when facing obstacles and set-backs.
If this is a dream God planted
in your heart,
of a place where your abilities meet a need in the world,
you will find a way.
Be patient if the way doesn't open immediately.
Hold fast to your dream even if its achievement
gets
side-tracked for years.
Put those years to good use.
Continue to prepare yourself for the fulfillment of your dream.
Pray about it and trust God.
Be bold and brave.
Don't let fear or negativism keep
you from trying.
If you try, the worst thing that can happen is failure.
Consider failure an opportunity to learn
how to try again,
refining your plans into a success story for all to see.
If you don't try, you will have
to live with your regrets,
doubts and fears,
perhaps for the rest of your life.
My
prayer for you is a dream big enough to capture your heart,
bright enough to illuminate your mind
and deep enough
to satisfy your spirit.
May you find the strength to pursue it
and be enriched by it across the years.
