Those who achieve true success in life are those who dare to dream…
“Focus on what you want and you will get what you want.” – Johann Paul Gregory
I have always had this dream to be a speaker and it began many years ago. At that time, I had no idea how to even begin let alone get there, all I had was the ambition to be a professional speaker. But true to life as that little dream, you will get what you focus on and today I live and breathe as a professional speaker. Reflecting on the journey now, my speaking vocation truly only began with that tiny spark and as I recall how I’ve progressively grown over the years, I began to realise that it doesn’t really matter where you come from, where you’re going, what’s your colour, what you weigh or your age, the good news is everyone has a dream. The great thing about having a dream is that nobody can restrict you from having one and neither can anyone prevent you from dreaming up a dramatically larger than life dream.
Author Johann Paul Gregory during an autograph session of his inaugural book, “Overcome Tough Times”
In fact and especially for a time like this now where the world is reeling from all economic setbacks, it is even more important to reignite that dream of yours and stay on course. But why? By recapturing your dream, what you are essentially doing is that you are putting yourself on the starting grid to realise your dream. You will begin to see that by being in this very race, your whole being will rise up with a renewed hope, faith and passion to pursue that dream. You will spring up with ideas and solutions to overcome all challenges and adversities that come your way. Over time, you will be knocking down one challenge after another and you will begin to see your dream shaping up right before your very eyes. In other words, your dream becomes a reality when you maintain that focus. But how do I get started if I had forgotten or never even knew how to begin dreaming? Allow me to share my personal formula – DREAM.
Desire – hot or cold, committed or interested?
The first and most important element of a dream is your desire. Can you tell if you have a strong burning desire to achieve your dream or is your desire just an icy cold one? If it is a red hot one, then chances of you succeeding it will be higher. But if it’s only lukewarm or a cold one, then you need to fire it up. Next on the cards is your commitment towards it. Are you committed to achieving that dream or are you only interested in the idea of achieving that dream? The two are distinctly different and both carry very different results. The right answer here is of course to be committed because by doing so means you are preparing yourself for future glory even when the road ahead is bumpy. But to be a champion means you do not give up easily when obstacles begin appearing in front of you. Instead, continue to fuel the burning desire of your heart, give it your hundred percent commitment and battle it through with your best shot.
Real – see, feel, touch, smell…
The second element in this formula is to know if your dream is real. This is important because sometimes our minds play tricks on us and it makes us wonder whether our dreams are real and if it even makes sense to begin dreaming. Truth is, if you’re serious about achieving it then it is imperative that you see that dream, feel that dream, touch it and even smell it as a dream that is already part and parcel of your life. Your dream has to be as vivid as possible and if you like, to be as clear as the hi-tech high definition. To illustrate, let’s take your dream car for example, if you want to drive that blood hot Ferrari, I’d suggest you go ahead and test drive one now. When you see it, feel it, touch it and even smell its sexy leather, you will almost automatically find a way to own the car one day. Instead of excuses, you will reason your way through to accomplish that dream because nothing beats the feeling of having been with the real thing. So let me say this again, to make your dream come true, your dream has to appear very real for you. You’d need it even before you start your engine.
Enthusiasm – work at it, wait for it.
Next on the cards is Enthusiasm. Now this element is a bit like a smile, it is infectious and it has the power to keep you on course. You need enthusiasm immensely as a defense mechanism for your dream because inevitably there will be road humps and curves along the way. Your obstacles will be unpredictable too as they come in many shapes and sizes ranging from people, situations, circumstances to finances. Because of such varied possibilities, you have no choice but to always prepare with a healthy dose of enthusiasm so that at every juncture of a challenge, you will overcome them with joy and confidence. Admittedly, it is not always easy to keep the mood up especially when the stakes are stacked high against you. But we should be reminded that no race car driver has ever become a champion by just driving on a straight road. It is the knocks, turns and accidents that sharpen his ability to drive skilfully ahead of others. So like the driver, you too must embrace every challenge and corner as an opportunity to master a skill. It will help you face any obstacle that might come your way, anytime, any day.
Attitude – positive, right or talking your way out.
“Wow! I like his or her attitude!” Have you given such comments when you saw somebody’s positive attitude? That’s right and usually those who are positive will be more likely to succeed than those who are negative; this is a fact. If you want to realise your dream sooner, one crucial thing to have is a positive and right attitude. Without it, your dream will fizzle out faster than the soda loses its gas. Hence, for the sake of your future, hold your head high and keep it there with a positive attitude. You’d need the confidence to see you through.
Motivation – daily steps, actions, consistency.
Finally, in the process of manufacturing your dream, you need to be motivated, constantly. How can you do that? By taking baby steps, consistently. This open secret to making your dream come true is to carry out your tasks productively on a daily basis. It is in these daily steps that will lead you to better and greater success. The more consistent you are in your daily steps and actions, the closer you are to your dream. Always stay motivated, take action and take the next steps to remain motivated because without action, it leads you nowhere. To go somewhere, and it really doesn’t matter where you want to go, or how big your dream is, all you have to do is take the first step, step on it and step up consistently, constantly!
After Dream, You Must Have a Vision.
Much has been said and documented about the importance of having a vision and it is no different when it comes to personal discovery. Here are three of the most important reasons for having a vision.
- Vision Gives Us Direction
Vision gives us sight to the desired future state that we want to be in. It’s like a ship, it needs to know the route, the destination and the final port of call before it can even start sailing. And so in this context, what is your vision? Where do you want to go? What is your aim in life? Truth is however, even if you don’t really know where you’re headed to, you are still going to reach somewhere in the end. The question then is whether that somewhere is really where you had initially wanted to go. Instead of allowing your ship to just sail aimlessly, it’d be wise to take charge of your life by having a vision and a direction to start your journey of success.
- Motivate Us to Take Action
With a vision, you will take action. Yes, you will be motivated to take the baby steps to achieve your vision. The key takeaway here is that you will walk towards your vision knowing that your steps are focused on the vision planted in your mind. With every step taken you are drawing closer to that vision. Consistency hence is of great paramount.
- To Remain Positive, Persevere and to Progress
Having a vision also helps steer us into the right direction with the right mindset. How? Firstly, it helps us to remain positive when people laugh at our ideas or ridicule us for it. Secondly, by having the end result in mind, it compels us to persevere through all obstacles. Thirdly, as we weather through the challenges, we are making progress by inching closer towards our vision in every step of the way, with every passing day, week, month and year.
About Johann Paul Gregory
He is a trainer, consultant, real estate partner, motivational speaker and maverick author. Johann Paul Gregory is passionate about training individuals to succeed in the field they are born to thrive in. His prolific impartation packed with action and personal touch is profound in his era. To date, he has trained thousands across classrooms, auditoriums, seminars, conferences and summits. Kindly visit his official web portals at: and . He can be reached via email: or via mobile5. You may also find him on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIN (“Johann Paul Gregory”)
