Achieving Your Dream

When I was a full-time professor, I can’t begin to tell you how many students would come up to me and openly share their dreams and aspirations with me. I guess because I often talked about pursuing our God-given purpose and having a vision bigger than ourselves. And as a result, I believe most students (especially young men) felt very comfortable and confident in sharing some of their most treasured and deepest aspirations with me.

Soon after they would share (in vivid details) the desires of their hearts, they would eventually ask me the million dollar question, “So what do you think Professor Martin, do you think I can do it?” They would stare with the anticipation of a 7-year old child on Christmas Eve searching my eyes and heart for approval and affirmation of their dream. Because like me, most of these young men didn’t have strong adult male-figure in their life who encouraged and affirmed them to let them know they were strong enough, talented enough, and fully equipped to achieve the deepest desires of their hearts.

However, my response to each of them (without exception) as they hung onto my every word was always the same, “Well, it isn’t a question of WHAT you want, but rather HOW BAD do you want it?” In other words, “What are you willing to do to get it?”

See, the truth of the matter is most people are just not that committed to getting what they want. Yes, they really WANT it, but they're not willing to do what it takes to get it. For instance, when it came to college, I can't describe in words how bad I wanted to succeed in college. Not only would I be the first person in family to go to college, I would be the first in my family to graduate from high school; I was obsessed with success. I WAS NOT going to be denied. I was willing to endure racist professors, boring teachers, irrelevant courses, insensitive administrators, bad roommates, lazy classmates, being broke, being rejected, you name it. Because my WHY for going to college was bigger than my problems. My WHY was bigger than any person, professor, or predicament I faced.

See, neither I, or anyone else can GIVE you a strong enough desire to succeed and achieve what you want in life. In other words, YOU have to want it bad enough (for your own reasons). And YOU must be willing to do whatever it takes to ultimately get to where you want to go – in spite of where you came from, what you’ve been through, or what others have done to you.

I wish I could offer every young man I meet a pill that could give him a burning desire for success and achievement with the commitment level to match. Because if I could, I'd be rich.

Success in life IS and will always be an “inside job.” And that inside job starts with your level of commitment to paying the price for what you want. Know that anything in life worth having is always going to cost you something. It may not always be money, but it will definitely involve commitment and some required action on your part. Even the salvation God offers us through His Son Jesus Christ requires a confession on our part (of sin and the need for forgiveness).

So check out the desires of your heart, and ask yourself two simple questions:

1.) How bad do I REALLY want this?
2.) What am I WILLING to do to get it?

And if your answer is not equivalent to a “Whatever it takes” response, it would be safe to assume you really don’t want it bad enough…yet. But only you and God will know the truth. So stay strong my brother, and stay in His grip.