Never Stop Dreaming

As I watched my 6 year old’s softball practice one day, there was one little girl that always seemed to be thinking about something else. Sometimes it took her a little bit longer to realize what to do, or sometimes she forgot what to do, which is very common for kids, right? Her dad was constantly hollering through the fence telling her what to do, or telling her what she should have done. I get it. For some reason, we feel so much pressure for our kids to perform, even at the ripe old age of 6 or 7. This went on every practice. One practice, well into the season, I was standing next to another mom on the team, as the same father hollered through the fence to his girl to pay attention to what was going on. The mother next to me very calmly said, “she’s a dreamer….that little girl is a dreamer.”

I still think about this. Instead of looking at that little girl like she isn’t paying attention, she saw something else. I ❤️ this. I know kids need to learn to pay attention and focus and give 110% when they commit to something, and I am not ignoring that, but do we let them continue to dream? We tell them to dream big and that they can do anything they set their mind to. Then they grow up. Sometimes it is easier to encourage this when they are little, because if we encourage when they get bigger, they might actually pursue that crazy dream, and possibly fail. Don’t let fear of your kid failing keep you from encouraging them to dream. Don’t let fear of failure keep you from dreaming. There isn’t an age limit to dreaming. Nope. Not 10, or 20 and not even 50, 60 or even 70.

As if I couldn’t love Tim Tebow more. When he decided to pursue his dream of playing in the MLB, I made sure my kids were watching. I wanted them to see the naysayers and to hear his response. I wanted them to see him keep going, regardless of what people were saying around him. I also wanted him to see all the encouragement he received. During this time, a friend posted some amazing words supporting Tebow. He said if deep down you are secretly hoping for Tebow to fail….you should evaluate your own self, because this says a lot more about your character than Tebow’s choice. Wow. This is powerful on so many levels.

Most importantly, we should never stop dreaming and never stop running toward those dreams. It is never, ever too late. Also, think about how you encourage others in their pursuits. Their dream might seem crazy to you, but you aren’t pursuing it…you are just encouraging them, which is always possible. This is for our kids as well. Keep them chasing their dreams. This helps you feel alive. This is hope and faith in action. Keep hope and faith alive in all of us. Chase your dreams and encourage others to chase theirs, no matter where they are in life.

As we approach the New Year, start thinking about what you want to pursue in 2017. What have you been putting off because you thought it might be too crazy, unattainable or scary? Now is the time. Leave the normal, comfortable, status quo. Start dreaming….and then chase them, one step at a time.

[su_quote]Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity. – Will Smith[/su_quote]

Dream on.