“You have the ability to choose which way you want to go. You have to believe great things are going to happen in your life. Do everything you can – prepare, pray and achieve – to make it happen.”- Ben Carson

You have a choice. Regardless of your circumstances, you always have the ability to choose your path. I believe you can either let you dreams remain as mere thoughts or you can passionately execute your dreams and turn them into a reality. It is important to emphasize this because more times than often, we are quick to throw in the towel.

We have dreams, ideas, aspirations and yet we fail to see them through. Although the journey to greatness is long and hard, you cannot sleep on your dreams! In my few years of walking this earth, I have met several people who simply talk about their dreams but will never invest as little as two minutes into making their dreams a reality.

Now, I must confess that I have also been a victim of ignoring my dream. The truth is pursuing your passion can be extremely scary. I mean you have this incredible dream and you have to turn it into a reality. That is one heck of a responsibility! Who wouldn’t be scared? I remember when I decided I wanted to become a lawyer, I was extremely terrified. This was because I was bombarded by the what-ifs. What if I fail the LSAT? What if I never get accepted into any law schools? What if I cannot afford it? Eventually, I decided my passion was greater than my fear of failing. I acknowledged my fear but I did not let it hold me captive. Instead, I developed a plan and I am currently working towards my goal of becoming a lawyer.

“Eventually, I decided my passion was greater than my fear of failing.”

Are you ready to stop talking about it and start making some moves? Look no further! Here are some steps I take in order to turn my dreams into a reality:

1. Create your passion: I do not know what your passion is but you will never figure it out until you begin searching. You must be willing to take the time to ask questions and educate yourself. Explore! Do not be afraid to try new things. Go to that dance class you have always wanted to go to. Read that article about culinary arts. Take up that unpaid internship. Whatever you are interested in, you must get up and learn more about it!

2. Plan your execution: Once your passion has been established, you must make a plan towards achieving your goal. It is especially important that you are very honest when doing this. Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. For example, if you are trying to work out more often, do not schedule your work out for 6:00am when you know you are definitely not a morning person. During this process, you want to make sure you think both short-term and long-term. I knew in order to get into law school, I would have to make sure my GPA was impressive. This meant giving priority to my studies over social events in undergrad. Make sure your plan lines up with your desired goal.

3. Pray: I definitely did not want to pursue my dreams without prayer and meditation. I commit the first few minutes of my day to spending time with God in order to make sure I am mentally ready to execute my plans for the day. “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3)

4. Share your dreams: You definitely need support in order to accomplish your goals. Share your plans with your close friends and family. When they realize how determined you are to accomplish your goals, they will encourage and support you as needed. My family is my number one support group. When I started my masters program, I wanted to give up so many times but they wouldn’t let me. This was because I shared my dreams with them before I started the journey. Since they knew how passionate I was about my dream, they were able to remind me of my greatness during the rough moments.

5. Stay Committed: Congratulations! You made a plan to turn your dreams into a reality. Now you must remain committed to achieving your goal. It is going to be a long process and it will not be easy. In spite of the curve balls life throws at you, you must continue to persevere. Remember that you are filled with GREATNESS! Even though you fail, learn from your mistakes and keep growing.

How am I turning my dreams into a reality? Well, I am currently interning at a great law firm under the supervision of attorneys and paralegals who are super poppin’. I have so much I still need to learn but I will continue to BE ABOUT my passion!

Now it your turn. What dreams have you been sitting on? What if money was not an issue? What would you pursue? Are you gonna keep talking about it or will you be about it? Leave comments below!

Much love,

Deborah Queen