WINNING WITH 2013! - Part 2

"Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is." Vince Lombardi Right from childhood, I have always loved to write. If there is something that has stayed with me over the years, it is writing. You would always find me with a notepad. And guess what? I write anything and everything! As thoughts stream from my mind, it flows into my pen and comes alive on my paper. From poetry to pleasant dreams, my pen keeps doing the dance. There are times I take time to go through these notepads to check my thoughts, ideas and aspirations in the previous years. Many a time, I end up having mixed feelings, especially when I get to read of goals, dreams and aspirations I had set for myself that I have not achieved as at the time of the review. This brings me to the subject of our discourse this week – how to actualize one’s dreams. Like me, I believe you have written out your dreams or goals for this year. If you have not taken time to write them down, please do. It is a critical step forward. First, there is no mysterious formula to actualize dreams. Secondly, there are many approaches to every aspiration. So, I am not about to give you a winning method, rather I will share a winning principle with you. It’s the mother of all principles that will help you actualize your dreams – that’s RESPONSIBILTY. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, a former Prime Minister of Great Britain made a comment about greatness that has always struck a chord in me. He said ‘Responsibility is the price of greatness’. That means you have to take responsibility for your dreams, if you want to be great. In this sense, responsibility means responding to your dreams with corresponding actions. It’s never enough to dream. Take responsibility. Taking responsibility involves deciding to pull through till your dreams come true. You can refuse to be discouraged, distracted or derailed. Dreams not backed up with determined steps will die naturally. It’s not enough to dream big. You’ve got to work out the Dream! Once the dream is conceived, you need to take time and calculate the cost of achieving that dream. Dreams don’t come true by default. Every dream places a demand on the dreamer. When you have a fair understanding of the demands of your dream, then it’s time to take the first step(s). Les Brown, a top motivational speaker gave an important piece of advice when he said you do not have to be great to start, but you have to start in order to become great. A lot of people get trapped at this point – trapped in their Big Dream! Isn’t that funny? Many keep basking in the excitement of their Dream, others are just afraid to start. So they find consolation in procrastination – ‘’I’ll start this project October next year’ or ‘I will wait for a more favourable time to kick off this programme’. These dreamers keep procrastinating as years pass by. So, once you understand your dream’s demands, prayerfully set out. Do not postpone or procrastinate. First steps are crucial. As you take your first steps, you can generate a dangerously positive momentum that keeps you asking relevant questions, pushing boundaries and crossing frontiers even as you move closer to the actualization of your dream. In all of this, persistence is a great catalyst for success. You are born to win, but you need to be stubborn. You must jostle for your dreams! Yes! It seems your optimism is running out. Your enthusiasm is ebbing away. Your dynamism is diminishing. You just have to fight for the fulfilment of your dreams. I’m talking about a fight-to-finish! Don’t behave like the cheetah. The cheetah is the fastest land animal. If a cheetah runs after an animal for twenty to thirty seconds and doesn’t catch up with it, it gives up. If you see a cheetah run, you’ll agree that it has an unbelievable speed, but it lacks staying power. Dreamers who turn achievers have both speed and staying power. I’ve been there. I know how it is. When it seems everything is just working against you and your dreams. It’s like the doors are shut in your face. You’ve to protect that dream by all means. Even if it means you have to read real life success stories of people overcoming great odds to succeed. People such as the famous Abraham Lincoln, who can be said to have bagged a doctorate degree in Failure. Yet, Abraham Lincoln later became the sixteenth President of the United States of America. As the year progresses, make sure you keep reviewing your goals so as to sustain your enthusiasm and measure your progress. Taking responsibility might mean developing competencies and skills. You may need to attend trainings and make new decisions. On the whole, you must respond to your dreams of greatness by taking steps, decisions and actions that move you into the realms of fulfilment. In the next edition, we will discuss on how you can take advantage of the opportunities that 2013 comes with. You cannot afford to miss it. Till next week, always remember you were born to win! Keep dreaming! Keep winning! Decide to win with 2013! I’ll love to get your emails, text messages, phone calls – let’s win together! You’ve got greatness in you! Brief profile: Idowu Omisore, popularly known as ID Greatness! is a facilitator, talent coach, motivational / public speaker, youth development consultant and author of the books; Invest Your Youthful Years, Dream and Achieve Greatness. He appears on TV programs as a youth development advocate and social commentator. Contact Details; idgreatness1210@gmail.com, 08059371461, www.idgreatness.com