Do you have a dream? Yes, you do. You may answer in the negative because your dream has become buried under so many layers of life that you’ve lost track of it, but everyone has a dream: an aspiration, a goal of some sort. For some, the dream may be grandiose: “I want to be an NBA superstar”, for others the dream may be simply to have a stable family and a nice home where they can all be content. I have had a number of aspirations during my life; I’ve pursued several careers in different fields but through them all has been the desire – the need – to teach.
Even as a kid, I remember my sister and I setting up a play school and inviting the neighborhood kids to attend. Looking back, it boggles my mind that those youngsters chose to spend their summer vacations – at least an hour of each day – attending a pretend school!
Though my job pursuits have been varied, training tended to be a large part of each. In several, training others was the majority of my job.
I also taught woodworking classes, I taught 5th grade computer science, I managed a preschool for several years, and I’ve taught young adult Sunday school.
I’ve been a writer for over 3 decades. Even here, most of my writings are non-fiction: instructive. I hope my scribblings are entertaining, but teaching something is the primary drive.
Of course it’s quite difficult to teach if you don’t know anything, so my whole life has been dedicated to learning. It is said that you do not actually know a subject until you can teach it to others. I’ve found a good deal of truth in this, partly because students pose questions. Questions test your knowledge. If you do not know the answer, you must find it – for them and for yourself. Of course you could make something up (lie or guess) but that disqualifies you as a teacher and sets you on course to becoming a politician.
Are you pursuing your dream? Too many abandon their dream because someone – a parent perhaps – tells them their dream is impractical. I stand 5’4” tall. Had I aspired to be an NBA superstar, most people would say I was crazy. Or stupid. And I admit that it would be unlikely… but not impossible. There are many stories floating around about people who overcame deficiencies such as birth defects, or mutilating accidents and went on to achieve as much or more than any fully functional person could.
The key is to pursue your dream. Pursue being the operative word here. Inspiration without perspiration yields desperation. Dr. Dan Netherland, holder of several Guinness world records, says, “Wishing is a cancer on your well-being. Dream, believe, DO: pursue the dream God gave you.”
Wishing is the desire to have or be something without having to work for it. Pursuing a dream means you are willing to invest considerable time and energy into achieving your dream.
A major issue in life today is that the world tries to tell us that we should not excel, we should not stand out, we should be content to be the same as everyone around us. This thought kills aspiration, smashes inspiration and prepares us for life as automatons in the great machinery of a servile society.
Dig down under those layers of disappointment and redirection, find your dream, and pursue it! As long as you’re still breathing, you have ability. Decide to make the very most of your God given ability.
