Forgetting and Reaching: Two Keys to Reaching Your Dreams by Preslaysa Williams | Guest Post

The road to success is paved with failure. Yep, failure. Some of the most successful people have failed their way to success.

Bill Gates is one example. Long before he became one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, Bill Gates started a company called Traf-O-Data with his partner Paul Allen. The company aimed to process large amounts of data. They tried to sell their idea, but they garnered a lot of “no’s”. Gates and Allen later went on to found Microsoft, their biggest success.

Did you know that Walt Disney was once fired from a newspaper company because he “lacked creativity”? He persevered and later started Laugh-O-Gram films, but that failed. Disney eventually made his way to Hollywood and created films which gained in popularity.

Milton Hershey started three candy companies before he founded Hershey’s chocolate. I, for one, am very thankful that Hershey persevered!

Philippians 3:13-14 says: “Brethren, I don’t regard myself as having laid a hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus.”

To see your dream materialize, this passage says to do two things: 1) forget the past and 2) reach for the future.

To fully let go of the past—the failures, the mistakes, the regrets, the pain—you need to have something to shoot for in the future. “Without vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Without vision, you can easily get sucked into the past and literally drown in negativity and failure.

I believe that when God created you, He had big dreams for your future. I believe you were created to fulfill God’s big dreams for your life. I also believe that when you tap into your heart’s desires, you’re tapping into God’s dreams for you. They’re one and the same.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). As you delight in Him, your true heart desires will spring forth. You’ll know what you were called on earth to do. You’ll know your dreams. The first step is delighting yourself in Him.

To tap into your dreams, you have to set aside time with God. It doesn’t have to be a legalistic set amount of time. It can be five minutes a day, but consistency is key. During this time you can:

1. Pray
2. Listen to a faith building message
3. Read a couple of verses in the Bible, etc.

During this time, ask God: “What are your dreams for me?” Also, ask yourself: “What do I want most for my life?” Write down your thoughts.

At first, what you write may be hazy, murky, diluted. You may be unsure if this is really what God has for your life, but over time your vision for your life will become clear. You’ll start taking first steps towards your dreams. Yes, you’ll be met with failure, but don’t worry, you’ll be in good company (Gates, Disney, Hershey!) Simply seek Him and persevere. 

Preslaysa Williams is a multi-award winning writer of Inspirational Romance. Her work has won the 2015 ACFW Genesis contest and the Indiana Romance Writers of America Golden Opportunity contest. Her work was also a double finalist in the 2015 Windy City RWA Four Seasons contest and a finalist in the Northwest Houston RWA Lone Star contest. She has a Master’s degree from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University. You can sign up for her newsletter at http://www.preslaysa.com/newsletter-sign-up/ to get updates on her writing journey.

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