What's Your Dream?

I recently read a great quote which said, "The poorest of all men is not the one without a nickel to his name. He is the fellow without a dream... [He is like] a great ship made for the mighty ocean but trying to navigate in a millpond. He has no far port to reach, no lifting horizon, no precious cargo to carry. His hours are absorbed in routine and petty tyrannies. Small wonder if he gets dissatisfied, quarrelsone and "fed up." One of life's greatest tragedies is a person with a 10-by-12 capacity and a two-by-four soul." Kenneth Hildebrand


I can relate to this quote on many levels!


Most people I know have a dream...or dreams. But...How many of us actually believe that we will achieve the dream? How many of us are willing to do the work to make it happen?


I have a few dreams; many of which have been on the back burner for quite some time...until now. I shared one of them with you in the previous blog (See blog from Feb.20.12). There is much to do in order to get to the point of fulfillment but I believe it is possible and I am prepared to follow through on whatever is necessary for it to become a reality.


My heart in writing this blog is not just to tell you all about my life and my dreams but to spur you on and encourage you to dream and actually DO what you only hoped you could do!


I believe that one has to actually be able to 'see' the dream; actually know what it would look like, feel like, sound like, smell like and taste like - as if they are already there doing it. If we don't know the answer to these things, how will we know that it has actually come to pass? We must know what the target is so that we can aim for it and hit it.


Zig Ziglar once said, "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."


How true this statement is!

Below are 4 questions to get you thinking about your dream and what it will take to make it a reality. There are other things that must be considered but this is a good start (more to come later). I would encourage you to find a quiet place, grab a pen and a note pad and begin to think about and jot down answers to these questions. For each question, write down everything that comes to mind no matter how detailed. 

1. What is your Dream?
2. What will it take to get there?
3. How will you stay on track?
4. How will you know that you've achieved it?


I would love to hear your feedback on how this exercise went for you. You are welcome to make a comment below or email me at: yourlifeonpurpose@hotmail.com.


Have fun dreaming!

Dreams Do Come True!

I've been singing and songwriting since I was 10 years old. During those first few years I thought my songs sounded 'so cool'! Years later I remember listening to the the recording of them I had made on a cassette tape and thinking, "Oh my gosh, they sound sooooo corny!" Now, I cherish them. I cherish the wonderful and weird things that inspired me to write them. Since the age of 12 or 13 I wanted to record an album. When I was in grade 8 my singing debut started in my little home town. The song people continually asked me to sing was 'I Will Always Love You' as sung by Whitney Houston. She was my favorite singer (and still is). From that time on, friends, family and various town folk who had heard me sing told me I should do an album. I thought, "One day I will." 

When I was 17, I auditioned to be one of 10 people to record a song on an album called New Talent Canada. It was being produced by a small recording company based outside of Kelowna, BC. They invited me to record a song on the album which of course I happily agreed to! I had the privilege of recording a song I wrote. The album itself didn't really take off but, as you can imagine, I was incredibly grateful for the invitation and the experience. I was a little closer to my dream of recording my own album.

It is now 17 years later and I know without a doubt, that it is time to make this 'dream' a reality. I've been in 'someday' mode for a very long time. In December of 2011 I had a strong sense that I should only focus on one big goal and that was to do all the prep work so that within a year I would be in the studio recording my first album. So that is what I'm doing and I'm totally stoked about it! There is a lot of work to be done and money needed but I don't care. I have set my face like flint to make it happen as I believe Father God is the one who planted this dream in my heart to begin with! 

God is a dream giver but He usually requires that we, by faith, begin to take practical steps toward the dream. I'm trusting that He will lead me through this process and will provide divine appointments with the right people along the way to make it a reality. 

I want to share a song I wrote in December of 2011 with you. I wrote it during a time of uncertainty. A season of my life had closed and I had no idea where God was taking me. Even now, though I see glimpses, I still don't have it all figured out. I only know that He knows, and that's enough. I have included a raw, unedited, un-instrumentified recording of the song for you to listen to as well as the lyrics. Just click on the link below.

http://soundcloud.com/crystalsings/lead-on/s-8wUA4

Lead On

I can’t say that I know the future

I can’t say that I always understand

I don’t know where the bends in the road are

All I know is I’m holding Your hand

   

I can’t see where I’m going

But I’m with the God who is all-knowing

So lead on

Lead on

Lead on

I will follow

  

Words & Music by Crystal Lalonde

Copyright December 2011