What does it take to make a dream a reality?  How you capture the ideas swirling in your head to put them on paper and then, to put those thoughts into action?  Is there a how-to manual for making your turning your vision from a dream into a tangible project/building/organization/service/etc?

There are certainly some fabulous resources out there.  Some of the books that I have read or that I am still in the process of reading include: Hearts and Hands: Creating Community In Violent Times by Luis J. Rodriguez; Visioneering by Andy Stanley; The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey; How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas by David Bornstein; The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership by Steven B. Sample; and Passionaries by Barbara R. Metzler.  As I reflect upon this list of books and authors, I see such a diverse collection of perspectives, beliefs, motivations, and priorities but I also see a collection of wisdom of those who have gone before me and have shed their blood, sweat, and tears to see their dreams realized.  I cherish this wealth of insight and consider these as some of my mentors—most of whom I may never meet, and some of whom I just may have the chance to learn from in person.  Furthermore, I’m not entirely convinced that any one book could really do justice to providing a step-by-step practical guide for realizing dreams because just as each person’s vision is so fabulously unique, so too is each story of how said vision came to fruition.

At any rate, as I continue down this path to making my visions concrete, I will offer up my meager contribution as I strive to document my process and some of the practical steps I have taken and will continue to take to make my dreams real.  Stay tuned for various installments on this theme.

Comment/Email assignment: If you are at any point along the path of realizing a dream, I would especially love for you to post a comment or send me an email at: thisfrontporch [at] gmail [dot] com.  I’d love to hear about what is your dream, what steps you have taken to pursue your dream, what resources you have found helpful, what wisdom/insight you’d like to share, what were your most difficult challenges, what were your sweetest victories, and anything else you want to write!  If you email, please be sure to let me know how much, if any, of your content and name I can post on my blog to share with others.  Thanks!