SERIES OVERVIEW
This is a ten-part series – based on John Maxwell’s Best Selling Book “Put Your Dream To The Test: Ten Questions To Help You See It and Seize It!” This week, Pastor G talks about “The Reality Question: Am I Depending On Factors Within My Control To Achieve My Dream?”
MESSAGE NOTES
Dreams that are realized are ALWAYS rooted in reality ~ Pastor G
Shallow men believe in luck … Strong men believe in cause and effect.~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
REALITY CHECK TIME
(The Fine Print of Your Dream Pursuit Contract)
1) The journey will always take longer than you hoped.
2) The obstacles will be more numerous than you could have imagined.
3) The disappointments will be greater than you expected.
4) The lows will be lower than you thought possible.
5) The price will be higher than you anticipated.
It is vitally important that you are depending on factors within your control to achieve your dream. ~ Pastor G
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. ~ Psalm 46:1
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~ Galatians 6:9
You have to embrace reality while also not allowing reality to shatter your dreams completely. Your dream needs to be able to bend without breaking and adapt without crumbling.
The more unrealistic your dream, the more you will be tempted to depend upon things that you cannot control to make it become a reality. The trick is to balance the boldness of dreaming with the reality of your situation. You need to reach far beyond what you think you’re capable of but at the same time base what you do on your strengths and other factors within your control. ~ John Maxwell
EVERYONE is a PERFECT TEN at SOMETHING!
EVERYONE is a PERFECT ZERO at SOMETHING ELSE!
Your dream needs to be built on YOUR STRENGTHS! ~ Pastor G
TWO REASONS TO BUILD ON YOUR STRENGTHS INSTEAD OF YOUR WEAKNESSES
1) STRENGTH BUILDING REASON #1:
Building on your strengths activates “The Law Of Least Effort.”
Work SMARTER, not HARDER – The Mazzarini Maxim
SOME DISCOVERY QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR REALITY-BASED DREAM
1) What things come easy to me but are harder for some others I know?
2) What project would I enjoy working on for a long time even if I wasn’t being paid?
3) What could I do in my life, that I would greatly enjoy, that would also help other people around me?
There are two kinds of talent; man-made talent and God-given talent. With man-made talent, you have to work very hard. With God-given talent, you just touch it up once in a while. ~ Entertainer Pearl Bailey
2) STRENGTH BUILDING REASON #2:
Building on your strengths gives you the highest return.
Our potential for growth in an area of talent is usually only about two points out of ten. Focus your dream in areas where you are already starting with a 7 or higher ability. Starting with a level 4 weakness, no matter how hard you try, it will never rise above a 6.
IS YOUR DREAM BUILT ON YOUR REAL, DAILY HABITS?
Some studies suggest that up to 90% of your behavior is habitual.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit. ~ Aristotle
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” ~ Matthew 7:24-27
Is your dream built on your REAL POTENTIAL?
THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK QUESTIONS
1) What Is My Dream?
2) What Is My Starting Point?
3) What Are My Strengths? (Think of everything else as a weakness.)
4) What Are My Current Positive And Negative Habits?
a) What habits lead me closer to my dream?
b) What habits pull me away from it.
5) Realistically, How Long Must I Practice These Habits To Reach My Full Potential?
GO DEEPER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & PERSONAL STUDY
READ: Psalm 46:1
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) When it comes to pursuing one of your dreams how often do you find yourself leaning on the promise of this Scripture? Do you truly believe that God is “very present” in your life? Why or why not?
READ: Galatians 6:9
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) Do you ever feel “weary in doing good?” What kinds of things are usually responsible for making you feel that “weariness?” When you get weary of doing good what is it that turns you around and helps you find the strength to “put yourself out there again?”
2) One of Pastor G’s “Discovery Questions” to help you find your reality-based dream was “What could I do in my life, that I would greatly enjoy, that would also help other people around me?” Why does it matter if your dream also helps other people?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) Pastor Greg said “EVERYONE is a PERFECT TEN at SOMETHING! EVERYONE is a PERFECT ZERO at SOMETHING ELSE! Your dream needs to be built on YOUR STRENGTHS! Do you agree or disagree? Why?
2) Can you name a few of your strengths? Is sharing your strengths prideful? Why or why not? Who built those strengths into you? So who deserves the praise and glory for those strengths?
2) Can you name a few of your weaknesses? Is it hard for you to share your weaknesses with other people? Why or why not?
3) Why is it so important to have a clear and realistic evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses before you begin actively pursuing a dream?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) Pastor Greg shared what he calls The Mazzarini Maxim: “Work SMARTER not HARDER!” With the way he described the intent behind this, do you agree or disagree with this mindset? Why?
2) Can you think of a way you can apply this to the pursuit of your particular dream?
READ: Matthew 7:24-27
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) What is the “big picture” Jesus is teaching here? If you had to summarize this passage in one or two sentences how would you do it?
2) What does this passage have to do with the topic of establishing daily habits that lead you closer to accomplishing your dream?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Work through this week’s “Homework Assignment?”
If you are doing this as a small group, run your answers by your group and get their input.
1) What Is My Dream? Describe what “The Finish Line” looks like.
2) What Is My Starting Point?
3) What Are My Strengths? (Think of everything else as a weakness.)
4) What Are My Current Positive And Negative Habits?
5)What habits do I have that lead me closer to my dream?
6) What habits do I have that pull me away from it.
7) Realistically, how long must I practice these habits to reach my full potential?