Test it!

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure...Bill Cosby

The first litmus test for your dreams is Desire. The online Free Dictionary defines desire as a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. Desire is not necessary the same as interest. Desire speaks to a strong commitment to a cause, a goal, a vision, a dream. The strength of our desires fuels our drive to persist through the seasons of adversity every dreamer goes through. Desire is what gets you out of bed with a shout, and takes you to bed with a smile.

Glenn Cunningham was born in Atlanta, Kan., and had high hopes of becoming an athlete. When he was 7 he had an accident and was rushed to the hospital. The doctor suggested that his leg should be amputated but Glenn, though young refused. At that tender age the doctor told him that he would never walk again. Here was Young Glenn’s reply: “Sir, I won’t just walk again, I will also run”. Not wanting to discourage him, the doctor did not reply as he saw this statement as a mere rambling from a lame kid.

With intensive therapy and application, he overcame the odds and by high school was running competitively. He was the fastest miler in the Amateur Athletic Union in 1933 and 1935-38, and in 1934 he set a world record (4:06.7). He became one of the greatest U.S. middle-distance runner. He not only walked, he ran; he not only ran, he broke records.

If Glenn did not hide his gift because of an accident that occurred in the past, I am now more than ever determined that no matter the accident(s) that have happened or that will happen in my life, I will keep pressing on until I make my mark in my generation using my God giving gift(s).

“…a ship is safest when in harbour but it was not made for the harbour, it was made for the sea”…Anonymous

Some questions to help you check your dreams using this "desire" litmus test includes:

* Do I have a strong desire to pursue this dream or are my only interested?
* Is this something I will be willing to pursue if money was not a problem?
* Is this something I go to bed thinking about and wake up thinking about?
* Do I always need someone's encouragement to continue pursuing this dream?
* Would I be willing to keep pursuing this dream even if I don't become famous or get noticed?
* Do I feel a sense of joy anytime I'm engaged in activities in line with this dream?
* Do I get excited when I talk about this dream and/or when I'm in the company of individuals pursuing similar dreams?
* Are my willing to do what it takes to pursue this dream?
* How bad do I want this dream?
* Do I feel a sense of peace on the inside whenever I think about this dream?

His first animation company went bankrupt and he was fired by a news editor because he lacked imagination. Legend has it that he was turned down 302 times before he got financing for creating Disney World. Walt Disney's desire to realize his dreams was so strong that the failures he had encountered did not stop him. He moved to Hollywood after the bankruptcy and, with his brother, set up cartoon studio.Within a short time they received an order from New York for the The Alice Comedies. Walt Disney would go on to create several cartoon characters including the very famous Mickey Mouse character. Walt Disney holds the record for both the most Academy Award nominations (59) and the number of Oscars awarded (22). He also earned four honorary Oscars. His last competitive Academy Award was posthumous.

Without a strong desire to act on and persistently pursue our dreams, they will never become realities.

All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you...Walt Disney