If You Don’t Have a Dream, How You Gonna Make a Dream Come True?

I am sitting on the beach contemplating my life.

That one sentence lets me know I am living my dream life. The beach … sitting … contemplating… are all high values of mine.

I believe in making dreams come true. That sounds trite, I realize, yet it is one of the fundamental truths that has guided me all my life.

I became aware of this concept – making dreams come true – through a song. That was how a lot of wisdom was departed to me in childhood, and I am happy to say that experience has continued to this day.

As I sit on the beach contemplating life in my adulthood…

The song was called “Happy Talk” from the 1949 musical South Pacific. My dad was the musical director of a small school in Ohio. One of his jobs was to put on a musical every year.

Sitting in the audience was one of my most treasured experiences. My dad was masterful at inspiring his students and bringing to life wonderful stories that seemed big on the little high school stage.

Happy talkin’, talkin’, happy talk
Talk about things you’d like to do
You’ve got to have a dream
If you don’t have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true

If you don’t talk happy and you never have a dream, you’ll never have a dream come true.

I loved everything about that song. I was known for my happy talk, and having a dream sounded wonderful. However, I panicked at the same time. What if I never have a dream?

I decided that I would not allow that to happen and set out straight away to come up with some dreams.

The next place I looked for a dream was in the question often asked by adults: What do you want to be when you grow up, sweetie?

My favorite answers were an actress, a missionary, and a storyteller. I never could narrow it down to one or even two things. All three seemed essential to my happiness. I loved putting on plays. Spurred on by the magic I saw on my father’s stage, I would create little vignettes for my friends and me to act out. Of course, I always had the starring role!

Sometimes we would act for hours and hours, improvising the stories I had dreamed up. Other times I would organize the play for public consumption, inviting the neighborhood to view our theatrical event.

So being an actress was a part of the dream.

I was also a spiritual seeker. I had a personal relationship with what I considered to be GOD. I also took my bible stories seriously and knew that I was supposed to help others. That was the highest order of things in GOD’s eyes.

My mother also drilled this into me, as she viewed service as sacred. Though she worked full-time while raising four girls and pursuing a doctorate degree, her volunteer work never wavered.

Missionary summed up this part of my dream, though honestly, I didn’t know what the term really meant.

I knew about telling stories.

This was my absolute favorite social activity! I would conjure up a story to inspire my friends to put on a play or simply, to play. I would sit in the field next to my house and imagine these stories. I have one distinct memory of questioning how I would make storytelling into a career.

I figured I would tell my stories to people, and they would write them down and make them into songs, books, movies, and plays.

Being a storyteller just had to be a part of my dream.

What I have learned in the years since that dream was born is how many ways a dream can be realized.

For me being a storyteller has manifested in a variety of ways.

Writing a blog, hosting a radio show, writing a book, in sermons and presentations, and when leading my mastermind group.

One of the most surprising ways I have found to use my love of storytelling is in my marketing messages.

Even though I want to let people know about my business, I have discovered that these messages also bring hope and inspiration to people. It is a way of being in service! Go figure.

When you look at marketing your business, my question for you today is this:

How does your message connect to your dreams for yourself?

I would love to know the answer, so please reach out and let me know.

My dream for you is that you find the connection, and it helps you grow your business while bringing a much-needed message to those you most want to serve.