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Some people, it seems, merely drift through life. While others appear driven and focused.
Have you ever wondered why that is? Is it personality? Upbringing? Talent? Ambition?
There’s no doubt that those factors play a role in how each of us approach life.
But I think there is something more important, something available to all of us, that also motivates us to live intentional lives—and ultimately become the best version of ourselves.
That potential can be found in the size of the dream we choose to pursue.
You see, when the goals that we choose for ourselves are meaningful—when they matter deeply to our hearts and souls—they compel us and equip us to become better versions of ourselves. Therefore, getting clear on what is most important to us is an important step in self-development.
We can drift through life pursing nothing. We can take small steps to accomplish small goals. Or we can live each day with passion and ambition to accomplish something lasting.
There are two ways big dreams help us grow:
1. They almost always require our hardest work. And because of that, we are forced to improve and develop ourselves if we are ever going to meet them.
2. But even more important, our dreams and goals motivate us and shape us. When we pursue meaningful pursuits, work is no longer drudgery. Work becomes meaningful. Discipline and sacrifice are not activities to avoid. Our goals make them desirable—because our focus is on a prize worth giving everything for.
In that way, we don’t become better versions of ourselves by accident or because someone required us to do so. That is always a recipe for disaster. We become better because the finish line is worth becoming better for.
Unfortunately, not every dream brings out the best in us.
If the biggest goals in our lives center on items that bring only fleeting or passing or temporary happiness, they may motivate us for a bit. But in the long run, our hearts and souls scream out to us that the pursuit is empty.
Goals of accumulating money, possessions, or popularity can motivate for awhile. But often, at some point in our lives, we realize that we sold out our greatest potential for the fading trinkets of this world. When we are focused on self, comparison, leisure, or when we allow fear to dictate the size of our dreams, we end up chasing things that can never satisfy. And our development is stunted.
There’s nothing wrong with being successful in a career or becoming the best employee or boss that we can possibly become. But we sell ourselves short when our dreams stop at comfort, status, or luxury.
There are more meaningful dreams available to us:
—Raising a family that can carry your values and legacy into future generations.
—Solving problems that we see in the world.
—Loving the people around us and contributing to society in a positive way.
—Serving others, benefiting others, using our talents and gifts to help others.
—Passing on wisdom and understanding to move people forward.
—Bringing about the greatest good in the world with the one life that we have to live.
These are the kinds of dreams that change us in the long-run. They shape our mornings, afternoons, and evenings. They shape how we spend our money and our hours. They redefine fulfillment and meaning. And in so doing, they compel us to become better versions of ourselves each day and every day.
So dream bigger dreams for your life than possessions or money or status.
The bigger the dream, the better version of ourselves we become.
And everybody benefits from that.
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