Is your dream transferable? Who else will benefit from the majestic view of your dream? Is it motivational? Do you get excited about your dream? If you get excited others will also!

The following questions will help you clarify your dream by crafting a vision statement that identifies your destination, your purpose and your values. Remember these words: Transferable, Memorable and Motivational.

1. Does your vision statement identify your destination? Where are you going?
2. Does your vision statement define your purpose? Why do you exist? What greater good will your vision serve
3. Does your vision statement convey your values? What principles guide your decisions or actions on your journey?
4. Can your vision be easily captured by your audience?
5. Is your vision memorable? Use action words and succinct sayings to convey your thoughts. Avoid clichés or overly used statements.
6. And remember this. Is your vision motivational? Ask that question. It should be inspiring. If no one is excited about your vision you may not be effectively communicating.

Three things to remember as you continue moving forward with your dream:

Be Tenacious—toward your goal, tenacity is a firm grip on the future you have seen with the eye of your faith and in the heart of your imagination.

Be Gracious—not everyone is with your on your journey! Certainly many won’t believe and some will even question your motivation! Be gracious. You will win them over in the long run, and even if you don’t, the fruit of your actions will prove the wisdom of your decisions. With your actions, remember never to sweat the small stuff that goes wrong or the small distractions from the faithless around you. Stay with God; stay on principle; stay focused; be gracious. Today you can decide: I will be gracious to those who stand in the way of my dream! I will not allow the voice of negativity to halt my dreams!

And last: Be Spacious—make room for others. Include those you want to take along with you on the journey. No one likes going it alone! Dream big enough to include others in your dream. When others realize there is room for them they will join the team. Ask yourself, Who can I include? Are you living in a desert or near the vast ocean of abundant possibility? You may be in a desert, but can you see the Oasis!

Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets!  http://bit.ly/1KOOCxR

For the next two days we will learn the importance of instilling vision in others. I want to look briefly at three words: Magnetic, Magnanimous and Majestic.

Is your vision MAGNETIC? Is it attracting interest from others? Is it drawing resources to you?

Regardless of your socio-economic status, the world around you has extra resources looking to be employed, and your vision will provide a roadmap for those resources and people to travel along.

Ask yourself, What am I attracting to my vision? Is it what I want? Is it what I am expecting?

Your second word: MAGNANIMOUS.  Are you generous of spirit? It will take quite a bit of generosity of spirit, time, and talent to get you to your destination. The word magnanimous means to be royal in nature, noble in character, and capable of gracious behavior. Are you forgiving, charitable? Learn to think like nobility. You will need these characteristics when friends, family, and those you have trusted fail you on the pathway to your dream.

The result of being magnanimous is that you won’t sweat the small stuff…that’s what happens when you know who you are and when you know where you are headed. And you are made for royalty! You are made for DESTINY!

The third word: MAJESTIC. Is your dream memorable? This word asks, “What value will my dream add to others and to society?”

IS your dream quantifiable? What great results do you anticipate? How many people will you help? How much income will it generate? What great issue in society are you addressing?

Personally, I have a goal to feed and educate 12,000 children daily to improve the lifestyle of one billion people through education and training. I want you to think about your goals and then quantify them—be specific!

Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets!  http://bit.ly/1KOOCxR

Today we continue with some steps to help you in Putting Your Dream to the Test.

• Regard the experts. John Maxwell, leadership expert and noted author of over 60 books says, “In 40 years I’ve realized that the payments required for reaching a dream never stop. The higher you want to go the more you must give up, and the greater price you pay the greater joy you feel when you finally reach your dream!”

• Keep the Dream alive whatever it takes. Ask these questions: How long before I succeed? What if I fail on my first attempt? Look for incremental progress, because it always takes longer than you expect! Don’t live in the desire for completion, live in the reality of incremental change. As long as you are moving forward you are making progress!

The Cost of your dream? Face the reality that you may need to raise the funds to acquire your dream, you may need a new education, you may need to find legal assistance to initiate your idea!

You might say, “I don’t have enough money to fulfill my vision!” Believe it or not, that’s not a new thought!  Most dreams begin with very little. We have always taught young leaders that money follows vision.

Remember, it’s not the money in your pocket that counts, but the value of the idea in your mouth that will open the door to opportunity. It’s not what you have or what you know, but often it’s the Who that you will meet that will make a dream a reality! Ask yourself, “Who do I know?” “Who can I get to know?”

Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets!  http://bit.ly/1gmsroFhttps://

Today and tomorrow in my Live Your Dream series I want to talk about Putting Your Dream to the Test.  What measurements, standards or costs are associated with your dream?

Anything worth having has a price attached. As an athlete I learned early on: no pain, no gain. What do I mean? To improve our game, skills, and opportunity we had to practice, practice, practice! In the daily pursuit of our dream sometimes we didn’t feel like carrying on, but the sheer will of fortitude, the desire to win, and the constant challenge to press beyond our current capabilities kept us charging forward toward our destination.

Today, let’s begin refining our dream by discovering the facts. How do we do this? We begin by first researching what it takes.  We ask questions such as, “what price is too high to pay?” You can count the cost of your dream by asking some more specific questions:

• What will my dream cost me personally—financially and emotionally?
• What will my dream cost my family, my marriage?
• What will my dream require from my current free time? Are you willing to give up your free time to learn a new skill, take a class, build a prototype, set a goal? Consider the price before you embark!

Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets!  http://bit.ly/1gmsroFhttps://

Have you ever asked yourself, “How do I live my dream? Where do I begin?”

Abraham, a man of God in the bible, desired to have a family. He and his wife were very old, beyond the child bearing age. But God gave Abraham a dream and told him to, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, that’s how many descendants you will have!”

Maybe life’s struggles or hard economic times tell you to downsize your dream but ideas are meant to be SUPERSIZED! Dream big – live large with your ideas!

When capturing your dream, take off the limits. You are like a star in the sky, shining with potential. If each one of us dares to dream the impossible we can change our lives, our families and our communities!

Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets! http://bit.ly/1gmsroF

Scripture: Genesis 15:5

My experience from working with people in over 60 nations shows me that DREAMS need an action plan and strategic intention in order to move forward! A dream of the heart without a plan, simply put, is nothing more than a fantasy!  Together we can discover simple truths and take action steps that will enable you to identify and fulfill the dream that is in your heart!

Let’s begin with STEP 1 – Establishing a LITMUS test—a foundation on which to begin. This foundation requires three important questions for defining your Dream. These questions also create a standard for you to measure your dream by, as well as setting parameters for your life that will guide you throughout your dream building process.

QUESTION #1: Is my dream good for God?  A simple, yet profound question by which to measure our dream. What would God want me to do to better or to improve the world around me? What is His highest and best will for my life?

I can tell you that God’s will is not a mystery or drudgery! Knowing God’s will produces confidence! When you can say your dream is within the will of God, it is as if God Himself is saying this must be done.

QUESTION #2: Is my dream good for People? Creating win-win scenarios for people unlocks great potential and resource, and paves a way for others to join you in your business, mission or project.  Remember…solving a problem for someone else is a clear path to your own problems being solved!

QUESTION #3: Is my dream good for Me? Only by understanding how valuable you are can you value your dream. Measure the cost you must pay physically, emotionally and spiritually! Consider what this new idea, vision or dream will introduce into your world? Ask yourself this question—are you ready?

Today we complete your toolbox with the final tool to help you on your journey to realizing your goals and aspirations with confidence!

Tool #3: Track Your Progress!

Journal writing is one of the best tools for organizing mental clutter, by capturing thoughts and emotions in writing. After my mentor’s wife of 53 years passed away, he began documenting their life together and the “WHY?” behind her early demise. “When I finished writing this book,” he said, “I knew I was ready to move forward. I was healed.”

You can create different journals for different parts of your journey. One may be for personal healing and insight, while another may be an “idea journal” reserved for capturing inspiration.

How do you use an idea journal? Keep a small notebook in your purse or pocket and jot down your ideas throughout the day. Often during quiet moments of reflection, you’ll find your written ideas weave an interesting tapestry.

Early morning is another vital time for journaling your thoughts! Keep a notepad by your bed—I like to call mine my morning ‘think-pad.’ Glean these early thoughts before a child or a morning hello interrupts your clarity. Never minimize the importance of capturing these early thoughts! Your heart and mind are working while you sleep, planning life’s journey! Start each day with your idea journal, capturing your morning revelation.

If you need to simplify, an electronic journal, cellphone or voice recorder can help you record your fresh ideas and the answers to your soul-searching questions!

Today we continue equipping your toolbox with tools that will help free you from mental clutter and keep you motivated toward achieving your aspirations!

Tool #2: Try a New Activity! 

I am constantly learning! Why? Despite all the information we have at our fingertips, one of life’s greatest obstacles is the fear of the unknown.

Information is power to change, and education is one of the greatest sources of personal growth! The electronic age allows access for skilled and unskilled, alike. I learn through internet articles, professional journals, on-line courses and personal coaches.

What have you wanted to do but were afraid to attempt? Overcome that fear by trying ONE new activity! Why not go back to school? Or take an on-line course? Having trouble getting started? Find a coach or trainer who can motivate you in your new activity. Many free on-line training and coaching tools are available!

Are you low on funds? Become a volunteer! You can often learn a new skill while volunteering at places needing help. Volunteering has been one of my greatest learning methods! It’s totally free, it only costs your time.  Get busy—you CAN do something now!

Have you ever lost an inspirational idea? Or, have you ever felt trapped in your own mental clutter? During the next three days I want to share some tips that will keep you motivated toward achieving your aspirations! Let’s get started equipping our toolbox!

Tool #1: Take a Personality Test

Personality tests can identify how we function in stressful environments, how we approach practical problem solving, whether we are competitive in nature, how well we work in teams, as well as pinpointing our best career choices. For my English speaking friends, I recommend the Kendall Life Languages test at www.lifelanguages.com. This test identifies communication style and recommends related career paths.

The internet offers many resources such as Queendom.com, providing a full range of psychological assessments that empower you to reach your potential. These include emotional intelligence tests for improving how you lead and interact with people. Recently, I found the Oxford Happiness Test on theguardian.com. From curiosity, I took one of their brief personality tests which, not surprisingly, indicated I should be a public speaker!

Are you ready for greater mental clarity? Let’s look at 4 powerful exercises to increase self-awareness and eliminate mental chatter!

STEP #1: Order Your World! In her bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo offers insight into releasing ourselves from the clutter that produces chaos. Her how-to book has gained traction globally by helping people reform their own spaces—physically and mentally.  In other words, decluttering your space helps declutter your mind. Today: find time to organize. You WILL be less stressed and more focused!

STEP #2: Think Like A Child. It is proven that a child’s brain is flexible and adaptable. Children can quickly change their viewpoint. “When people begin thinking like a child, they see a fresh perspective,” says Jack Uldrich, bestselling business author. “They learn to step back and view problems, people and things from a completely different point of view.”  Ponder these questions:  As a child, what did you dream you would become? What toys or childhood activities did you most enjoy?  Often seeds of greatness start in childlike attitudes.

STEP #3: Learn To Meditate. Biblical meditation provides a clear voice in your life that helps delete the mental chatter, focus your thoughts and identify your pathway. It is pondering and reflecting on what God’s word says about you!  The Holy Scripture says, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” The Psalmist said, The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.  Begin Now: Ponder these 2 scriptures—they will produce peace for today and confidence for your future!

STEP #4: Identify Your Internal Conversation. According to psychologists, each of us conducts a conversation with ourselves known as “self-talk.”  Positive internal dialogue can generate favorable expectation, while negative internal dialogue raises stress. The Reality: Negative thinking produces mental clutter. The Remedy: Take a mental inventory! It brings order to your mental world. Learn to capture and order your thoughts on paper!  Begin today: Write down 5 optimistic thoughts about your life and surroundings!

Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 23