“All our dreams can come true—if we have the courage to pursue them.” —Walt Disney

Today, we’ll focus on the dream and the vision. Next Thursday in Part 2, I’ll give steps to convert a vision into a reality.

My dreams that have come to fruition are those I’ve worked hard to make happen. Because they were labors of love, I was energized to do the work.

When is it time to transform a dream into a vision?

For me, I know it’s time to pursue a vision for my dream:

1. When my dream will help others;
2. When I’m confronted constantly with things and people that spark possibilities and ideas for my dream;
3. When God nudges me through scriptures and prayer that it’s His will.

Prepare Yourself First

1. Visualize the experience your dream will create for others.
2. Picture people using and enjoying your dream’s benefits.
   

   Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

3. Envision people changing for the better and helping others because of it.
4. Believe in your dream so much that its fruit outweighs the costs.
5. Adopt a just-do-it attitude. Many good works don’t happen because we want others to approve and shoulder our dream.
6. Embrace that you will sacrifice time, money, and energy for your dream.
7. Garner courage and determination to complete the good work.
8. Refuse to entertain subtle or blatant discouragements.

Steps to convert a dream into a vision.

1. Enlist a supporter who truly believes in you. Ask them to be willing to listen to your ideas, challenges, and progress reports.
2. Mind-map everything about your dream that enters your mind in a brainstorming session—how the experience should look, the benefits, the tasks, the resources, materials, and permissions needed.
3. Prioritize the elements of your dream as laid out in your mind map. Some items may be extraneous or too expensive.
4. Brainstorm with your supporter alternatives for some of the expensive dream items. Pare down others.
5. Write a paragraph describing the vision of your dream.

Creating a Christian Library – Dream to Vision 

A Christian Community library hosted my workshop. The library captivated me. Having taken a library cataloging course and having worked in a branch library, my mind started churning. Wouldn’t such a library benefit our community?

Our church library lived in a tiny room and offered mostly ancient books. Often, the hand bells were stored there, hogging browsing space. How sad.

Among other dream igniters, every time I drove by a small house for sale near our church, I envisioned a Christian library inside it.

Finally, my prayers led me to turn my dream into a vision.

I brainstormed a mind map and trimmed my dream from a community library to a new church library. I decided forming a committee would only hinder forward movement. I had some money I could use. I’d secure permissions and just do it.

My husband and the church Education Director believed in me.

My vision: Refurbish the large, abandoned youth room, using its closet for an office. Keep two sturdy existing bookcases and add several new ones. Add comfortable armchairs. Find a table for the children’s area. Purchase a cataloging program and link the catalog to the church website. Use the Dewey Decimal System and catalog and label books. Develop rules for what goes on the shelves. Acquire modern books from donations and used bookstores. Once the library proves worthy, ask for donations of new books or money. Train assistants.

What dream would you like to turn into a vision?

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