Dream B.I.G.
in 3D!
“How to pursue a bold,
innovative,
God-inspired life!”
by
Paul J. Wilson, Jr.
Copyright © 2009 by Paul Wilson, Jr.
Smashwords Edition
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Published by Biznovations, LLC
PO Box 30141, Hiram, GA 30141
Copyright © 2009 by Paul Wilson, Jr.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher of this book.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NiRV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERATIONAL READERS VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright© 1994, 1996 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Cover Design
Copyright © 2009
By www.JamesPritchett.com
Table of Contents
Section 1: Discover Your Dream
Chapter 3. Discover Your Dream
Section 3: Drive to Your Dream
Chapter 9. Requirements for Dream Fulfillment
Chapter 12. Next Steps – 360 Action Plan
B.I.G. Acknowledgements
I would first like to thank God. Without His unconditional love, enduring patience, and “velvet hammer” discipline (which is much needed!), I would not be at this place in my purpose journey. I owe everything to You and that’s still not enough to repay Your investment into my life.
I would like to thank my biological family, including my mother Tina Wilson, brothers, Phil and Perry, and sisters, Shawn and Tanya. You all helped to lay the foundation in my life while we were growing up together. I didn’t know it then, but that is where my B.I.G. dream was being formed. I love you!
I would like to extend a special thanks to my father, Paul J. Wilson, Sr., who graduated from this life in January 2007. Two scriptures he always quoted while we were growing up still influence me today:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and learn not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
Thanks to Clyde and Jan Anderson, and the team at Paramind Publications for allowing God to use you to propel me into a new stratosphere of my purpose. Although we didn’t know it, God knew what He was doing with our initial “divine connection” years ago. I look forward to doing B.I.G. things with you for years to come.
Last, but definitely not least, I would like to thank my wife Shawnice, and children, Soraya and Paul III. Without your love, sacrifice, investment, and support (even when I doubted myself) this book would still be just a dream. I don’t deserve any of you, but I definitely appreciate God for allowing me to enjoy the gifts that you are.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a dream
fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Proverbs 13:12 (NLT)
My life purpose is to lead people to thrive by creatively teaching them to unleash God’s potential and plan in their lives. To accomplish this, I design personal empowerment tools that inspire, equip, and energize people to maximize their lives to the glory of God. My goal is to positively influence others to see new opportunities and achieve unthinkable feats that they may not have realized were possible for them. Investing into others’ lives with my time, talents, and resources is what drives me everyday.
I am living my B.I.G. dream as a business coach, motivational writer, and inspirational speaker, however, I have not always been able to say that. I have been teaching and motivating youth and adults for almost 10 years, but I only began to capitalize professionally on my passion for empowering others a few years ago. It was during my pursuit of a career at a large Fortune 200 corporation that I had an eye-opening experience that would forever change my life path.
Have you ever wondered what your true life’s work really looked like? Not the part that resembles the mundane tired existence you so hesitantly pursue everyday but the bold, innovative, passionate you bursting with brilliant ideas, poignant solutions and inspiration. The only thing that stands in your way is the gap between your frustrated reality and the true vision you see when you dream.
Your true life does not have to be only a dream, it can be a dream manifested in 3D. I had to recognize my ability to Discover, Define, and Drive my dreams by unleashing the God given muse to help me envision myself in a B.I.G. way. God designed you for greatness so stop dreaming small. Uncover your legacy. Now is the season for a Bold Innovative God-Inspired Life!
Learning Objectives in 3D
I love the symbolism associated with three-dimensional, or “3D”, technology. Our eyes are naturally spaced apart, so we typically see two images whenever we look at something. 3D technology adds depth to two-dimensional (2D) images on the screen by taking advantage of this natural occurrence. Special equipment displays a dual representation of the same image. With 3D glasses on, our brains respond by merging the dual images to create a single image that now has depth, hence 3D.
Wearing 3D glasses gives you the impression that you are sitting inside the action. The images on the movie screen or television appear as if they are floating around or coming right at you. The experience is so life-like that it causes you to jump, squirm, flinch, or grimace as if the images being displayed were actually real.
How does this relate to a B.I.G. dream? Often in life you see two images: one is the image of your present reality and the other image is of your desired reality. In order to close the gap between those two images you need the equivalent of 3D glasses to help your brain put those perspectives together to form one functional image. That’s exactly what this book will do for you. It will help you close the gap between your desired reality so that you can live your dream, and not just experience it in your mind from afar.
This book is broken into three sections that build upon each other: I) Discover Your Dream, II) Define Your Dream, and III) Drive to Your Dream. Each section has a key learning objective.
(I) Discover Your Dream: Understand the importance of knowing your core identity and purpose (i.e., knowing the difference between who God has created you to be and what He has created you to do).
(II) Define Your Dream: Learn how to choose (a) career path(s) based on the intersection of your purpose, passions, and professional skills.
(III) Drive to Your Dream: Write a plan that will allow you to maximize your talent and creative potential to glorify God within your chosen career path.
Practice/Practical Application
I endeavor to ensure that when you finish reading this book, you are equipped to move forward and make confident decisions for the next steps of your life. You will have several opportunities for in-depth exploration of your heart and mind to identify who you are at your core being. Several exercises, including Dream Seeds and DreamStorming, have been designed to stimulate your thinking about your past and present that will help to spark ideas for your future. You will also develop a simple 360 Action Plan to use as a map to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be.
Discover Your Dream
“...with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
“God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. He does everything by his power that is working in us.”
Ephesians 3:20 (NiRV)
“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
– Christopher Reeve
When I began my career, I planned to eventually become a Vice President in my company. However, after a few years I realized that my personality and work style didn’t fit the culture of that company. The environment was very conservative and not very open to new ideas and concepts (especially from someone as young as I). Our management team was of the frame of mind that they already did most things as well as or better than their industry peers. It’s true that we were a recognized leader in our industry, but I believed then (and still do now) that there is always room to improve what you do and how you do it. They were more of the mindset “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
In addition to the mismatch between my interests and their culture, I was not intellectually or creatively stimulated by the projects I had been assigned. My job was very mundane and did not require the full utilization of my talents and giftedness. Sometimes I felt so stifled that I would go to work frustrated before the day even began. I was so dissatisfied and unfulfilled that I decided to pursue other outlets, which included taking on additional projects and joining committees, some unrelated to my actual job.
One project I decided to undertake was relative to the performance management process. During this self-initiated project, I performed several tasks that resulted in the enhancement of these processes. I developed an employee training curriculum, tools to help managers better assess the performance of their employees, a career map to chart career options. I even learned how to build a web site for the first time, which housed all the documents and the employee career map.
The benefit to my department resulted in management and employees having access to efficient systems and practical tools to fulfill management’s goal of creating an environment where employees were valued and thereby enhancing their significance to the department and the company. All this happened while I was still getting my “paid” job done.