Dreams Becoming Goals

One of my goals every day is to include some inspirational and motivational reading into my schedule.  For me, this includes not only spending some time every day reading my Bible, but also reading other writings that challenge and inspire me.   Here's a quote I recently read that inspired me:  "A dream becomes a goal when action is taken towards its achievement" ~ Bo Bennett.

I really like that quote because it outlines the difference between a dream and a goal, and that difference is ACTION.  I like to dream and I've often dreamed about things that I'd like to see happen, but more often than not I've never taken any steps to make those dreams become a reality.  Of course, some of the things I've dreamed about are strictly in the realm of fantasy - becoming invisible, being able to fly, etc., but other dreams could easily become goals if I decided I really wanted them badly enough.  I have dreams of traveling to Europe, dreams of going on mission trips, dreams of writing a book - lots of dreams that could be realized if I decided that I wanted them enough to take steps to make them happen.

The fact that you are reading this today and most likely on program indicates that you have taken one or more concrete steps to turn your own dream of being at a healthy weight into reality.  That's a good thing!  I used to dream about being at a healthy weight even while I was busy stuffing myself with the very things that would keep me obese.  As long as I did that, it was nothing more than a dream with as much chance of being realized as me flying.  However, there was a day when the dream became a goal and I put into place some specific actions to move me towards that goal.

Making the move from a dream to a goal can happen in an instant, and it happens the moment we choose to make the the dream a goal.  We have to be willing to take the action steps needed, and that's where it gets challenging :-).  Turning a dream into a goal can be scary, because that goal may well take us places we've never been before, or at least haven't been in a long time.  Turning a dream into a goal may force us to change in ways that may not be comfortable at first, stretching us in ways we don't want to be stretched.  Nobody ever said that turning dreams into goals was easy, but I can promise you that the end result is worth it.

It was an amazing journey for me as I went from a 260 pound woman who propped myself up in bed with pillows every night to watch TV and eat, dreaming of someday, somehow being thin, to weighing in the upper 130's to low 140's, being at a healthy weight and a size 6 with tons of energy to spare.  The reality is so much better and richer than anything I ever dreamed, and it's not just because the dream came true.  What I didn't realize was how much I would change and grow in the process of moving towards that dream/goal.

You are in the process of transforming your dream of being at a healthy weight into a goal, and you move closer to making that a reality each day that you choose to stay on plan.  Keep dreaming, but don't stop with dreaming.  Keep taking the steps necessary to make your dream come true.  It all comes down to the choices we make today, so choose wisely :-)