Category: Boot Camp for Creators & Dreamers

We’ve all heard it: “God helps those who help themselves.” But before anyone goes out and steals a new car or robs a bank, we should point out that this little nugget of advice doesn’t appear in the Bible. And for good reason. God is actually all about helping the helpless. He “strengthens the weary and gives vitality to those worn down by age and care.” (Isaiah 40:29 VOICE) And regarding personal salvation we’re entirely dependent on the Lord to redeem us.

“For it’s by God’s grace that you have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. You didn’t earn it … so don’t go around bragging that you must have done something amazing.” (Ephesians 2:9 VOICE)

God never said it; and it’s hard to know for sure just who did originate this old adage. We do know that Benjamin Franklin popularized the saying when he quoted it, in his Poor Richard’s Almanac, in 1757. Apparently God approved, however, because Franklin went outside in the middle of a violent electrical storm to — of all things — fly a kite. And the inventor didn’t get struck by lightning, not even once! (That’s just a joke, friends.) 😆

Seriously, though, there are many principles in the Bible that support Franklin’s oft-repeated motto: God rewards our faith and obedience; and thanks to the Law of Reciprocity (discussed earlier) acts of love, service, and giving always come back to us in the form of God’s favor and blessings. But what’s all this got to do with creators and dreamers?

It’s God who gives us the vision, along with the talents and abilities necessary to create and achieve our goals; so He definitely wants us to fulfill our dreams. But He also expects us to do our part. For instance, God is probably not going to make you the next winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes if you don’t mail back the entry form! We state “probably” because God created the Heavens and the earth, so nothing is too difficult for Him! (Jeremiah 32:17) But don’t count on it, even if you do get one of those crazy letters proclaiming “You may already be a winner!”

If we want God to help us get published, we must first sit down and write a book. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt to mail the manuscript to a few dozen prospective publishers. Want to paint? Have you even purchased a brush and pigments yet?

If you want to do something fun and creative, if you want to realize your goals and see your dreams fulfilled — and you want God’s help — you need to do your part. Make a plan. Then execute the plan. Or, look at it this way: If we’re going to achieve our dreams, or be successful at anything, we gotta make the grade. And we should all hope to get a “D”!

Actually straight D’s is even better. D is for Dreams, and daring to dream BIG. But D stands for so much more.

• D is for Decision. Decide what you want out of life; decide what you want to accomplish in life; decide how you’ll achieve these things. Then make a decision to get started. You’ll never lose weight, look for a better job, sever a wrong relationship, put a stop to a destructive habit, or achieve any goal until you first purpose in your heart to do so. Doing the right thing starts with deciding what the right thing is! And you’ll never follow through on anything until you DECIDE it’s something YOU really want to do. Start deciding. Decisions are all about choices. Making them and sticking by them.

• D is Discipline. You’ll need this if you’re serious about accomplishing anything in life. You can’t hold down a job, maintain a relationship, stay out of trouble, stay out of debt, stay healthy, stay focused, or stay on track until you get Disciplined. And just like the nutritional supplement Vitamin D, we need more of this “D”; never less.

We all want to achieve our dreams. We all want something. But the unpleasant truth about life is that everything comes with a price, every achievement involves W.O.R.K! The work is always hard. Sometimes the work is no fun. But discipline is about getting the work done, even when your heart’s not in it; even when you’re tired; even when adversity strikes; even if people criticize you. Muhammad Ali always wanted to box. But staying in the training ring took discipline: “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'”

The next “D” works synergistically with Decision and Discipline. But, as with taking big vitamin tablets, it can be the hardest pill to swallow. There are tens of thousands of people who make a decision (and a plan), and who even have discipline — but you’ll never hear about these people. You’ll never know their names. They’re dreamers just like you. But sadly, they never go beyond the dream stage. They never move forward to the next “D”.

• D is for DOING! After all, nothing ever gets started until someone makes a start.

Be a “healthy” dreamer. Take your dietary supplements, especially vitamin D. But make the other D’s an important part of your life. DECIDE what you want to achieve, DISCIPLINE yourself to reach your goal, and then JUST DO IT! Because God wants us to put our good intentions (and plans) into action.

That’s why the “Disciple who loved Jesus” offers this case in point: “…Let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).” (1 John 3:18 AMPC) Got it? Then get going! Let’s do this!

Every great dream starts with an idea. It’s that passion that never fades — no matter how many years pass; the vision God plants in a dreamer’s heart and mind, which continues to shine bright no matter how many challenges and obstacles come.

Once we dreamers write the vision to “make it plain” (Habakkuk 2:2), and concrete, we must plan a course of action that will enable us to achieve our goals. Most people are good at this, but many fail at the next step. They map out a course of action, but then fail to act upon it.

Planning without action is pointless. In fact, a plan is like a pirate’s map: unless someone follows it to the treasure, it’s just a scrap of old paper. No matter how much we plot and plan, we won’t accomplish much until we put our grand schemes into action. We. Must. Execute. The Plan!

Think about it, buying a cool musical instrument and signing up for lessons won’t make sweet music — until a person commits to attending the classes and practicing for long hours. And those nifty blueprints for a better mousetrap will just be gathering dust unless the inventor follows them to construct his new contraption. Similarly, a book outline is meaningless until a writer sits down at the keyboard and taps out the complete manuscript.

In an episode of 1970’s TV drama The Waltons, the show’s protagonist learns the difference between having a plan and executing a plan. During the Great Depression, a budding writer nicknamed John-Boy, struggles to finish his schooling in rural Virginia, while helping his family make ends meet. He dreams of leaving the mountain — where he helps his father operate a sawmill — to become a novelist. To accomplish this, he knows he must work hard, at the mill to save for his college tuition; and every night, after school and work, upstairs in his room, writing and rewriting, until he’s filled scores of notebooks. John-Boy is executing his plan.

One day a stranger passes through Walton’s Mountain, bound for adventures in exotic places. John-Boy’s parents offer this tired and hungry traveler the hospitality of their home, as is their custom, and John-Boy gets an opportunity to hear about the man’s “journey.” Turns out this dusty fellow is a WRITER. At least, that’s what the man claims; and he certainly knows his stuff: he’s met many of the great poets and novelists John-Boy has read and admires; and he appears to have mastered all the skills of writing.

This wanderer regales John-Boy with tales of famous authors, gives him practical advice on becoming a novelist, and shares about the lifetime of experiences he’s collected from many strange lands — in the pursuit of his own dream of being a great writer. Needless to say, John-Boy is in awe of this man who is actually “living the dream.” That is, until he learns the truth about his guest. Despite the stranger’s erudition, despite all his literary friends and connections, despite his endless travels hither and yon, the man has never published anything. Far worse, he’s never written a single word of fiction.

As this unfulfilled dreamer bows his head in shame, he confesses to John-Boy that he’d always wanted to be a great American author. He’d made plans to that effect, but he’d failed to execute those plans. For decades he’d thought about writing, talked about it, and even prepared for it. He just never got around to doing it.

Ironically, John-Boy was more of a writer than this aimless wanderer, who talked a good game but never actually ventured into the field. The poor guy had a plan to write, but he never sat down and got to it. He never executed his plans. While John-Boy, on the other hand, spent his nights writing about his family and the simple life he led in the mountains. He planned to write. And he did!

The Waltons is based on a book that ultimately grew from John-Boy’s impassioned scribblings — only Earl Hamner, Jr. was the writer’s real name. Hamner stayed faithful to his plans and fulfilled his dreams. He penned several books, scripted radio dramas, and even wrote several episodes of The Twilight Zone. Eventually he created the aforementioned, award-winning television series, which ran for ten seasons.

Fellow dreamers and creators, let’s take this cautionary tale as a warning. We can follow all the steps discussed in Boot Camp (and there are more to come), read every motivational book we can get our hands on, and attend monthly seminars on fulfilling our dreams — hosted by the most sought-after teachers. We can have tons of talent, great ambitions, and a solid game plan for success. But if we don’t put our plans into action we’ll never accomplish our goals or achieve our fondest dreams.

Life is funny that way. So if you’re serious about your vision … make a move. Get up and get going. No one will ever care if you have a plan — or benefit from it — until you begin to implement it. We all know that talk is cheap, and deeds speak louder than words. Or, as the Apostle James writes, “…What good would your words alone do? The same is true with faith [or a plan]. Without actions, faith is useless. By itself, it’s as good as dead.” (James 2:16-17 VOICE)

The world wants to see your plan in action! “OK, you have faith [a plan]. And I have actions. Now let’s see your faith without works, and I’ll show you a faith that works.” (James 2:18 VOICE) So, put your money where your mouth is. Make your plans. Then execute those plans.