Dream Big - Have your dreams ever not worked out just the way that you planned? Yeah, mine too. About two years, I quit my job at the pinnacle of my career to go to work for a small nonprofit ministry to pursue a dream. Our dreams for the ministry were big, but financial circumstances have prevented us thus far from achieving our dream in exactly the way that we envisioned it. The ministry can no longer really afford my salary so I will be doing something else for a paycheck next month. Honestly, it has been a little discouraging.

Last week a friend of mine showed me a copy of a newspaper ad for Apple (see above) that had inspired him years ago. Last week it inspried me. (Thanks Bret!) This is what it says.

If there were ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing, it is now. Not for any grand cause, necessarily - but for something that tugs at your heart, something that's your aspiration, something that's your dream.

You owe it to yourself to make your days here count. Have fun. Dig deep. Stretch.

Dream Big

Know, though that things worth doing seldom come easy. There will be good days. And there will be bad days. There will be times when you want to turn around, pack it up, and call it quits. Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself, that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea, determination, and the right tools, you can do great things. Let your instincts, your intellect, and your heart guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power of the human mind. Of doing something that makes a difference. Of working hard. Of laughing and hoping. Of lazy afternoons. Of lasting friends. Of all the things that cross your path this year.

The start of something new brings the hope of something great. Anything is possible. There is only one you. And you will only pass this way once. Do it right.

Sometimes, I think God tests us to see if we believe in something enough that we would continue to work toward it - in the evenings. On the weekends. With no compensation. And so, next week I start a new and great job. And I will continue to help the ministry pursue it's mission when I can with no compensation. And I will continue to dream big.

What are you passionate about? What are you doing about it?