Dare to Dream

You hear that dreams never accomplish anything.  Dreaming doesn't get results, results are for people that take action.  Day dreams are often welcome escapes but they should never be confused with reality.  All those are sound advice, however, dreams are often the spark that leads to taking you places, that, well you only dreamed of.  We are, all of us, on a journey, dreams are sometimes the road signs that show us the right path.

All successful adult athletes know that goals are necessary to improve in their chosen activity.  Someone once said that, "you can't hit a target you can't see", dreams are our minds way of seeing a clear picture of just what it is we desire.  A goal that you can visualize is a lot easier to reach.  When I was a student of martial arts we would start to practice a difficult technique by visualizing ourselves doing it.  Once you could see yourself doing it in your mind it became easier to do it physically.

So you have a dream, the next step is to form a plan, how are you going to act on that dream to turn it into a path to what you desire.  Of course the answer to that depends on where you are in your training and current ability.  It's a different answer for someone just beginning to explore getting off the couch and starting out than it is for a seasoned athlete that wants to get better.  But the concept is the same.  You have to see it, want it and then set off after it.

What happens if you fail?  I'm going to use myself as an example here.  I'm an expert in the science of trial and error.  I'm a good athlete in that I'm motivated, consistent and dedicated.  I'm not however a talented athlete.  I have a couple of dreams and a plan to accomplish them.  One of my dreams is to own an age group record.  Another is to write a book on the subjects of health and wellness.

I plan to achieve the age group record by training consistently and learning from athletes that are successful.  I'm in a learning and developing stage now.  When I retire in 5 years I will begin my assault in earnest.  When I don't have to go to work I can structure my day around my training.  I can get the proper rest and better control my nutrition.  I can literally train like a professional, but at a senior level.  What I can do now is keep on the path and when retirement comes I will have a good clear vision to follow.

The book is a learning process as well.  What I can do now is train.  I'm training by writing these articles and practicing what I learned back in creative writing and journalism classes.  I have the blessing of the social media world as my practice field.  Soon I will be ready to start putting it together.

Now back to that question, what happens if I fail?  When I retire and devote my time to my love of training, traveling to races, eating properly and writing my book, I will, I believe have all I could ever ask for.  I will be pursuing my dreams not waiting for the end of life.  I will be living my dreams.  If I never break a record or ever get my book published, well so be it.  The journey will be reward enough.  I will not regret my failure, but I would regret not trying to follow my dreams.

Do you have dreams?  Have you thought of a plan to get what you desire?  Perhaps the next time you head out for a long slow distance training you can think about it.

Thanks for reading.

Dave