The Dream Thief often prevents people from taking steps towards their dreams. It fills their minds with visions of disastrous situations they will endure if they dare to step outside their comfort zone. This would have been the case for me if I hadn't learned a valuable lesson from my friend Carlos that kept The Dream Thief from robbing me of my dream.

HE WAS TERRIBLE

When I was in college, I would play pick-up basketball at the rec center every evening. Carlos, who was 6ft tall, light skinned and very slim, would also come to play. When the guys selected teams, Carlos would always be the last picked because he was terrible at basketball. The one thing that stood out about him when he played is he ran up and down the court like he was the best player on campus.

One day I asked him, “Why do you have so much confidence on the basketball court when you can't dribble, and you can hardly shoot the basketball?” His response shifted my perspective on how I approach my own aspirations in life.

Carlos said, "It's not about me being good at basketball, Gene. It's having the courage to do something I'm afraid of. You see, I've always wanted to play basketball with others, but I was always afraid, so I would shoot hoops alone. My dad would encourage me to go out and make friends, so I could play with them, but I was too scared to try."

CARLOS WISE FATHER

He took a deep breath and continued, "When my parents dropped me off for college, my dad said, "Carlos, you're an adult now, so you can't keep living your life allowing fear to control you. While you're here at college, I want you to practice overcoming your fear by doing the things you are afraid of. This is important because Fear Is The Robber of Dreams."

Amazed at that statement, I said, "Wow, that's a very wise quote." Carlos smiled with pride and responded, "That's what I thought when he told me. And that's why I'm here--so I can keep fear from robbing me of my dreams."

HOW'S YOUR BATTLE?

Carlos’s discussion with his father about The Dream Thief motivated him to do the thing he was afraid of, and it also motivated me. When I have fear about a goal or a dream I'm thinking of pursuing, I tell myself to take action on it so that The Dream Thief can't rob me of my dream.

I’m curious to know how your battle with The Dream Thief? Are you allowing it to rob you of your dream or are you taking action despite it? If you are allowing The Dream Thief to rob you of your dream, I want to encourage you, like Carlos, to do the thing you are afraid of because You Are WORTHY TO BE GREAT!