What would you dare to dream if you knew you would not fail? Several weeks ago I was watching the NFL Draft. This is an annual event in which the NFL selects the best college football players in the United States to play professional football at the highest level. While watching this, there was one player in particular that caught my eye. He was six feet five inches tall and weighed two hundred and sixty-five pounds. He was a big tough guy! That’s why his response to being selected caught my attention. He started crying! He was so excited that he couldn’t stand up when his name was called. What would make this tough guy cry? He had achieved the impossible dream.
This was a dream that he had since he was a little boy. This was a dream that kept him awake at night. This was a dream he thought about every day. What is your impossible dream? I have discovered that all impossible dreams have one thing in common. To achieve this you have to overcome what I call the “Amazing Statistic”. The staggering statistic is in place because often on the journey towards your dream you come across a large number of people who share the same aspiration as you. This large group becomes an amazing statistic. For example, there are 9,000 people who play college football at their highest level. Of those 9,000 there will only be 215 who will be drafted into the NFL. That is an amazing statistic. Your dream may be to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. The average Fortune 500 company has more than 100,000 employees, but only one CEO. That is an amazing statistic. So the question is how do I achieve my impossible dream and overcome the staggering statistic? I will share with you the two things you need to achieve your dream. I call them the “two rights” of dream achievement.
The first right to the achievement of dreams is the correct philosophy. The correct philosophy is the belief that all things are possible. The right philosophy is needed because the staggering statistics will make your dream seem impossible. The key to having the right philosophy is to know and accept your purpose. Your purpose is what makes your dream possible. We are all born with a destiny and a purpose to fulfill. You are the only one who can achieve your specific purpose. Knowing and accepting your purpose will move you to the front of the queue and allow you to overcome the staggering stat. That reminds me of an experience I had at the airport when I was trying to catch an early flight. I arrived at the terminal only to find many people lined up in front of me who were trying to do the same thing as me. I was sure I would miss my flight! Then I saw my friend good old Paul near the front of the line. He motioned for me to go ahead. We hugged, he left me in front of him, and I made my flight. Our purpose is like my friend Paul. When he knows about it and adopts it, he will move to the front of the line and ahead of others who are trying to do what you are doing. Knowing and embracing your purpose will allow you to have the correct philosophy.
The second right to the achievement of dreams is the right perspective. The right perspective will come from selecting a mentor who has done what you are trying to do. Finding a good mentor has two advantages. First, you benefit directly from the mentor’s experience and perspective. Second, they will help you change your perspective. This is important because sometimes our delayed dreams are a direct result of our inability to change. I’m reminded of a YouTube video I saw the other day about a blind man who was homeless and begging on the street. He had a sign in front of him that said “Help, I’m blind.” People walked past him every day without giving him any money. This became a constant pattern. One day, a lady walks up, turns her sign over, writes something on it, and walks away from her. Suddenly, people read what he wrote and donated money. His cup was now full of money. I saw this video surprisingly and wondered; “What’s on that sign?” Suddenly the camera snapped on the sign which was changed to read “It’s a beautiful day and I can’t see it”. The lady was an effective mentor for the blind man because she helped change his perspective. Once she changed her perspective, she was able to change her outcome. When we have the right perspective, we will get closer to our dreams.
The first right to the achievement of dreams is the correct philosophy, the second right is the correct perspective. As I close, I am reminded of the story of a young man named Craig who brings these two points home. Craig had a difficult childhood. He spoke with a lisp and slurred his words. The other kids teased him constantly for the way they talked about him. Then things went from bad to worse for Craig. When he was ten years old, a friend of his father told him that when he spoke, he sounded like Daffy Duck and that he should shut up. This event had a dramatic impact on him and he went to great lengths to avoid public speaking. Well, this sad story has a happy ending. In 1999, Craig won the Toastmasters World International Public Speaking Championship, and today Craig Valentine is a successful motivational speaker who speaks around the world. What was the secret of Craig’s success? First, he had the correct philosophy. Craig’s dream was to win the world championship and he believed it was possible even when everyone made fun of him. Second, he had the right perspective. Craig wanted to be the world champion, so he selected a mentor who had been a previous world champion. The mentor helped him change his perspective, overcome the staggering statistic, and achieve his dream. I have good news for you today. If it worked for Craig, it will work for you. If you have the right philosophy and the right perspective, you can achieve the impossible dream.