3 Keys to reaching all your dreams

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Dreams might be imagined on vacation, but they are birthed out of focus and work.
Saturday with Friends and Family 028 (Photo credit: -DjD-)

I've been up writing again at 5am on Saturday. Not because I hate myself or I'm rested, but because I have a burning dream.

You see, I've found that dreams aren't made on sandy beaches with your feet up drinking a cold Diet Coke. That might be where they are first thought about, but it isn't where they are made.

I've accomplished more dreams since I started setting my alarm clock for 5 am than before. Dreams are made out of work. They are made out of early mornings and late nights.

Five am is particularly attractive to me (and sometimes 4 am if on a deadline.) They are attractive because they are guilt free. I have no one who needs my attention and more importantly, there is no one who feels ignored or untended to. If I have to work all day and let my family know ahead of time, there's not usually struggle there.

So, I'm up writing again on a Saturday morning when lots of people are sleeping. This will be my second book. I did this on Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time and I'm sure I'll do it again.

Lots of dreams mean lots of work, but like a good delicious watermelon, you can only bite one small piece at a time.

The 3 keys to reaching your dreams:

FOCUS. Pursue one at a time
ENLIST SUPPORT. Make sure your inner family circle is supporting and with you (don't ignore them)
WORK. Make a plan for when you'll work on it every week so that motion is always forward

If you struggle with your family being “in on” your dream – there are ways to work with that. It also doesn't mean ALL of your family. For me, my inner circle is my husband: 1 person. The person you live with should be ‘in on” or at least respect that your dream is happening because it takes the sacrifice of everyone in the house to help dreams happen. For me, no dream is worth losing my family.

I add also a fourth and PRAY over it – which for me, as a Christian, is vital. The dreams I pursue must be aligned with my personal values or the inner conflict will sabotage any forward motion.

Got a dream? Get started.

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Vicki Davis

Vicki Davis is a full-time classroom teacher and IT Director in Georgia, USA. She is Mom of three, wife of one, and loves talking about the wise, transformational use of technology for teaching and doing good in the world. She hosts the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast which interviews teachers around the world about remarkable classroom practices to inspire and help teachers. Vicki focuses on what unites us -- a quest for truly remarkable life-changing teaching and learning. The goal of her work is to provide actionable, encouraging, relevant ideas for teachers that are grounded in the truth and shared with love. Vicki has been teaching since 2002 and blogging since 2005. Vicki has spoken around the world to inspire and help teachers reach their students. She is passionate about helping every child find purpose, passion, and meaning in life with a lifelong commitment to the joy and responsibility of learning. If you talk to Vicki for very long, she will encourage you to "Relate to Educate" or "innovate like a turtle" or to be "a remarkable teacher." She loves to talk to teachers who love their students and are trying to do their best. Twitter is her favorite place to share and she loves to make homemade sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls and enjoys running half marathons with her sisters. You can usually find her laughing with her students or digging into a book.

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