There's No DREAM Without a TEAM.

"A dream is a compelling vision you see in your heart that's too big to accomplish without the help of others." ~ Chris Hodges

The author of this book (The Dream Book) that I'm doing the blog on is named - John C. Maxwell. He is one of America's top leaders. He's a Leadership Guru. He's fulfilling his dream. But if you listen to his story carefully, you'll notice that he didn't get to where he is by himself. Others helped him to achieve his dream.

Back in 1969 John graduated college and got married to a woman named Margaret. John had big dreams of building a large, influential church. Immediately after John got married, he accepted his first leadership position. The position was at a small church in rural Indiana and they didn't have much money. When John and Margaret met with the church's leaders, they offered him a salary of $80 a week. They told him, "John, you are free to pursue additional work to get some extra income to make ends meet." That's when John's wife Margaret stepped in and said,

"No. Even if the salary is part-time, John will give all his energy to the church full-time. He is going to become a great leader."
~ Margaret Maxwell

Margaret took on three jobs to maintain the household. She worked as a kindergarten teacher. She cleaned houses. She even worked part-time in a jewelry store. John is forever grateful of Margaret, because for so many years, she has been vital to his dreams.

"But I will never forget the empowerment I felt when she stood up for me and my dream that day so early in our marriage. None of my dreams would have come true without her."
~ John C. Maxwell

Can you answer 'YES' to the people question - "Have I Included the People I Need to Realize My Dream?"

"It's not enough to have a dream. You must also have a dream team." ~ John C. Maxwell

Who inspires you? Who encourage you? Who cheers you on? Who will tell you the truth? Who will lift you higher? These are the people that you need on your dream team.

"You can examine the story of any successful person who has achieved a dream, and you will find that he or she is surrounded by people who helped to make it happen." ~ John C. Maxwell

In His Righteousness,

Billie Miller
www.TheWordisYourLife.com

To Get Your Personal Copy of 'Put Your Dream to the Test' By John C. Maxwell, GET IT BELOW FOR 38% OFF!

Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize It By John C. Maxwell / Thomas Nelson When initially conceived, our visions are often little more than vague hopes. Maxwell shows you how to transform ambiguous dreams into purposeful action plans! Let his 10 field-tested questions equip you with practical and powerful direction, inspire you to act with confidence, and guide you in creating clear and compelling pathways to achieving your goals.

You Need PASSION to Dream.

"I have never seen anyone anywhere at any time achieve anything of any value without the spark of passionate desire!"
~ John C. Maxwell

Do you want to achieve your dream? Do you want to fulfill your vision? Do you want to accomplish your goals? Then you're going to need 'passion'. What is 'passion'? Passion is the enthusiasm that gives you energy and focus. Passion gives you power to keep moving forward and toward your future. Passion is the fuel you use to pursue your dream.

Without passion, you will go through the motions, but you will never reach your goals. Without passion, you'll try, but you'll quit before you fulfill your purpose. For example, I knew a lady who wanted to become a nurse, because she heard how much money they make an hour. So she decided to go to nursing school. Well, she was going through the motions. She was taking classes for a while. Things were going well until one day she had to change an adult's diaper. She wasn't prepared for that. Therefore, she ended up dropping out of nursing school. Why did she drop out? Why didn't she continue until she graduated? The answer is - She lacked passion. She was looking at the pay rather than the purpose; the benefits rather than the vision.

"Anytime you try to accomplish something of value, you will face adversity. Passion can help you get through it."
~ John C. Maxwell

You will have challenges on the road to success. That's why passion is so important. Passion keeps the dream alive, even when situations make it seem like it's dead. Let me end with a poem by William Arthur Ward:

Believe while others are doubting.
Plan while others are playing.
Study while others are sleeping.
Decide while others are delaying.
Prepare while others are daydreaming.
Begin while others are procrastinating.
Work while others are wishing.
Save while others are wasting.
Listen while others are talking.
Smile while others are frowning.
Commend while others are criticizing.
Persist while others are quitting.

Develop your passion. You're going to need it.
Get this book. You need to read it.

In His Righteousness,

Billie Miller
www.TheWordisYourLife.com

To Get Your Personal Copy of 'Put Your Dream to the Test' By John C. Maxwell, GET IT BELOW FOR 38% OFF!

Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize It By John C. Maxwell / Thomas Nelson When initially conceived, our visions are often little more than vague hopes. Maxwell shows you how to transform ambiguous dreams into purposeful action plans! Let his 10 field-tested questions equip you with practical and powerful direction, inspire you to act with confidence, and guide you in creating clear and compelling pathways to achieving your goals.

LET'S GET CLEAR ON SOMETHING...

"Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for." ~ Peter Marshall

We have to answer the Clarity Question - "Do I Clearly See My Dream?" This is a very important step. You will have to answer 'yes' to this question before you can get very far in your dream. Is your dream clear? Is it precise? Vision is simple. Vision is specific. And once you're real clear on your dream, then you'll have a better aim.

"If you have a clear vision, you will eventually attract the right strategy. If you don't have a clear vision, no strategy will save you." ~ Mike Hyatt

Even in business or trying to create a brand, you have to identify your target audience. If you hear someone say, "Well, everybody's my target audience...", then they have no one for an audience. Because if you try to shoot for 'everything' you usually hit 'nothing'. Vision is simple, not broad. Dreams are identified, not spread everywhere.

"You have to identify the target before you try to hit it. You have to know what the landscape looks like before you can paint a picture of it to others. You have to see the dream with clarity before you can try to achieve it." ~ John C. Maxwell

Do you want to give meaning and significance to your life? Get a clear vision. Do you want to rescue a struggling organization? Get a clear dream. If you want to accomplish your dream, you're going to have to get specific. It can't be fuzzy, smokey, and unclear. If so, you'll never achieve your dream.

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want." ~ Ben Stein

"If you see your dream clearly - and keep it in front of you continually - it will help you to understand what you must sacrifice and what you must dedicate yourself to in order to keep moving forward." ~ John C. Maxwell

In His Righteousness,

Billie Miller
www.TheWordisYourLife.com

To Get Your Personal Copy of 'Put Your Dream to the Test' By John C. Maxwell, GET IT BELOW FOR 38% OFF!

Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize It By John C. Maxwell / Thomas Nelson When initially conceived, our visions are often little more than vague hopes. Maxwell shows you how to transform ambiguous dreams into purposeful action plans! Let his 10 field-tested questions equip you with practical and powerful direction, inspire you to act with confidence, and guide you in creating clear and compelling pathways to achieving your goals.

WHO'S DREAM IS IT ANYWAY?.

Many young people find themselves in a situation where they are not doing what ‘they’ really want to do. They end up being what their parents want them to be. “Jr. is going to be a pastor” one father says. “After all, my father was a pastor. I’m a pastor. So you know Jr. is going to be one also.” Many times people will put on you what ‘they’ want you to be. But what is your dream? What did God put in your heart? It may go against your parents’ expectations. It may go against your family tradition. But until you’re doing the dream that God put in your heart, you will never be satisfied. You’ll always feel incomplete.

“They (young people) don’t know what they want to do. So they listen to their parents or friends and start in a direction for their lives that reflects someone else’s desires and dreams, not their own.” ~ John C. Maxwell

A mother will say to her adult daughter, “When are you going to get married, so I can have some grandchildren?” Therefore, she rushes to get married to please her mother. Or what about the young man who wanted to pursue acting? But his parents kept pressuring him to get a ‘real job’.

“Anytime you see people pursuing a midlife career change, you can almost be certain they had been living someone else’s dream and lost their way.”
~ John c. Maxwell

So ask yourself the Ownership Question – “Is My Dream Really My Dream?” If you can answer ‘yes’ to this question, then you’re off to a good start. If you answered ‘no’ to this question, then you need to get better connected with yourself and your dream. Once you do that, then you need to develop enough confidence to own up to that dream.

“God will help you be all you can be, but He will never help you be someone else.” ~ Joyce Meyer

Do what God has called you to do. Pursue the dream that’s in your heart. When you try to live someone else’s dream, your life becomes a nightmare.

In His Righteousness,

Billie Miller
www.TheWordisYourLife.com

To Get Your Personal Copy of 'Put Your Dream to the Test' By John C. Maxwell, GET IT BELOW FOR 38% OFF!

Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize It By John C. Maxwell / Thomas Nelson When initially conceived, our visions are often little more than vague hopes. Maxwell shows you how to transform ambiguous dreams into purposeful action plans! Let his 10 field-tested questions equip you with practical and powerful direction, inspire you to act with confidence, and guide you in creating clear and compelling pathways to achieving your goals.

THE DREAM BOOK

“Put Your Dream to the Test” By John Maxwell is the next book I want to explore for the month of August. My friends and I call this one 'The Dream Book'. I chose this book because it’s not only a great book, but it compliments “The Principles and Power of Vision” By Dr. Myles Munroe so well. Do you have a dream? Are you going after your dream? Do you want your dream to come to pass? Then this book is for you.

“It’s one thing to have a dream. It’s another to do the things needed to achieve it.” ~ John C. Maxwell

“Put Your Dream to the Test” is composed of 10 questions that will help you to not only see your dream, but seize it. Maxwell also says,

“If you’re willing to put your dream to the test – and do what’s needed to answer yes to the 10 questions – then your odds are very good for seeing your dream become reality.”
~ John C. Maxwell

You may be thinking, “I’ve got a dream. I think it’s worth pursuing. Now what? How can I know that my odds are good for achieving it? What are the 10 questions that I need to answer ‘Yes’ to?” Here’s What We’ll Be Discussing Below:

1. The Ownership Question: Is my dream really my dream?

2. The Clarity Question: Do I clearly see my dream?

3. The Reality Question: Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?

4. The Passion Question: Does my dream compel me to follow it?

5. The Pathway Question: Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?

6. The People Question: Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?

7. The Cost Question: Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?

8. The Tenacity Question: Am I moving closer to my dream?

9. The Fulfillment Question: Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?

10. The Significance Question: Does my dream benefit others?

So take the journey with me to get a better understanding of this book, so we can answer ‘Yes’ to these 10 questions. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my BLOG. By doing so, you can LEARN as I LEARN and GROW as I GROW. So make sure that you leave your COMMENTS and continue to FOLLOW my BLOG. This is an AWESOME book! You can't go wrong with John C. Maxwell.

In His Righteousness,

Billie Miller
www.TheWordisYourLife.com

To Get Your Personal Copy of 'Put Your Dream to the Test' By John C. Maxwell, GET IT BELOW FOR 38% OFF!

Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize It By John C. Maxwell / Thomas Nelson When initially conceived, our visions are often little more than vague hopes. Maxwell shows you how to transform ambiguous dreams into purposeful action plans! Let his 10 field-tested questions equip you with practical and powerful direction, inspire you to act with confidence, and guide you in creating clear and compelling pathways to achieving your goals.