This is extremely inspirational to me as I've had my dreams shattered to a million shards that has left me reeling and not wanting to live as I haven't seen the purpose of living-it was just too hard and painful.
This article reminded me of what Jesus said: John 16:33 ....In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Thank you Lord you have overcome the world and I need not fear or be ashamed of my failures. here are some practical ways to keep dreaming amidst all the angst of pain, failure and disappointment.
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
May this bless you as it blessed me.
God Bless,
Bianca.
Learning to Prevail: When Dreams Disappoint and Hopes Fail
By .
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
I love Langston Hughes’s poem, but I’ll admit that I’m more interested in what happens to the leader whose dream is deferred. How should a leader respond when her dream dies? How does a leader recover when his hopes are dashed?
1) A failed dream doesn’t make you a failure.
The moment a dream dies, we’re hit with a wave of negative emotions. We’re sad, disappointed, and prone to second-guess ourselves. To make matters worse, the demise of a dream usually happens publicly; the people around us see it shatter.
While no fun to experience, failure is a natural, instructive, and unavoidable feature of life. Consequently, wise leaders learn not to pin their self-worth on performance; rather, they possess an internal self-image that’s unaffected by outcomes. People with an unhealthy view of failure personalize it, seeing the failure as a reflection of their inadequacy. Conversely, those with a healthy outlook on life externalize failure. They understand its inevitability, and they look for the lessons it brings. One mindset wallows in the emotions of failure; the other works through them in anticipation of future triumphs.
2) Even when dreams die, our purpose remains.
Success is knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others. Notice that success is not defined by accomplishing your dream. Life is a journey rather than a destination. No matter how long you live or what you decide to do in life, you will never exhaust your capacity to grow toward your potential, nor will you run out of opportunities to help others. Your dreams may not come true, but the purpose for which you were created always endures.
3) By reflecting on our purpose, we can birth new dreams.
Dreams are pictures of our purpose. Just as Van Gogh’s Starry Night points to a beauty beyond its brushstrokes, but can never fully capture the loveliness of the night sky, so a leader’s dream only hints at the richness and wonder of her God-given purpose. When our dreams die, nothing is healthier than to reexamine our purpose. “Revision” literally means, “to see again.” Peering into our life’s purpose inspires us to revise our dreams or to give birth to new ones.
We can also think of dreams as paths leading us toward our purpose. My purpose is to add value to leaders who will multiply value to others. There are millions of routes by which I could realize my purpose. Sometimes the path I take leads to a dead-end, but I always have the option of finding another road on which to travel. The specific dream I choose to follow may not work out, but I still have a purpose, and I can keep exploring new avenues to realize it.
This article reminded me of what Jesus said: John 16:33 ....In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Thank you Lord you have overcome the world and I need not fear or be ashamed of my failures. here are some practical ways to keep dreaming amidst all the angst of pain, failure and disappointment.
Isaiah 61:3
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
May this bless you as it blessed me.
God Bless,
Bianca.
By .
A Dream Deferred
By Langston Hughes
By Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
I love Langston Hughes’s poem, but I’ll admit that I’m more interested in what happens to the leader whose dream is deferred. How should a leader respond when her dream dies? How does a leader recover when his hopes are dashed?
1) A failed dream doesn’t make you a failure.
The moment a dream dies, we’re hit with a wave of negative emotions. We’re sad, disappointed, and prone to second-guess ourselves. To make matters worse, the demise of a dream usually happens publicly; the people around us see it shatter.
While no fun to experience, failure is a natural, instructive, and unavoidable feature of life. Consequently, wise leaders learn not to pin their self-worth on performance; rather, they possess an internal self-image that’s unaffected by outcomes. People with an unhealthy view of failure personalize it, seeing the failure as a reflection of their inadequacy. Conversely, those with a healthy outlook on life externalize failure. They understand its inevitability, and they look for the lessons it brings. One mindset wallows in the emotions of failure; the other works through them in anticipation of future triumphs.
2) Even when dreams die, our purpose remains.
Success is knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others. Notice that success is not defined by accomplishing your dream. Life is a journey rather than a destination. No matter how long you live or what you decide to do in life, you will never exhaust your capacity to grow toward your potential, nor will you run out of opportunities to help others. Your dreams may not come true, but the purpose for which you were created always endures.
3) By reflecting on our purpose, we can birth new dreams.
Dreams are pictures of our purpose. Just as Van Gogh’s Starry Night points to a beauty beyond its brushstrokes, but can never fully capture the loveliness of the night sky, so a leader’s dream only hints at the richness and wonder of her God-given purpose. When our dreams die, nothing is healthier than to reexamine our purpose. “Revision” literally means, “to see again.” Peering into our life’s purpose inspires us to revise our dreams or to give birth to new ones.
We can also think of dreams as paths leading us toward our purpose. My purpose is to add value to leaders who will multiply value to others. There are millions of routes by which I could realize my purpose. Sometimes the path I take leads to a dead-end, but I always have the option of finding another road on which to travel. The specific dream I choose to follow may not work out, but I still have a purpose, and I can keep exploring new avenues to realize it.
HOPE
"Hope is the bedrock of this nation;
the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those
men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have
courage to remake the world as it should be."
~ President Barack
Obama
"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And
sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash
the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest
land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a
crumb of me."
~ Emily Dickinson, Hope
"The word which God has
written on the brow of every man is Hope."
~ Victor Hugo from Les
Misérables
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