What dreams did you have as a child? Which aspirations fell away to the realities of life and which ambitions inspired you to develop a Habit of Resilience so that those desires would flourish? My sister’s childhood goal to become a tall nurse didn’t quite come to fruition, as she had once envisioned, since God created her more fun-sized than granting her with the necessary inches to be considered tall; and her hopes of employment in the healthcare field transitioned to a career in music education, but through the creation of a Habit of Awareness, she came to realize a variation of her childhood dreams in relationship to God’s calling on her life. My memory to recall a childhood career aspiration fails me, but around the age of 15, I discovered how much the world of sports intrigued me, which ultimately led to a flourishing career.
Other accomplishments in life, which I would be reluctant to classify as actually Chasing a Dream have occurred, such as Racing to Roam, traveling to all 50 states, and visiting all the Major League Baseball (MLB) parks; however, these items did require some dedication on my part for them to happen, especially amid a worldwide pandemic! I share these examples to reinforce my belief, as shared in the post entitled Find Your Flame, that God desires for each of us to uncover His calling on our life, specifically when it comes to our vocation, and He hopes that we will opt for Chasing a Dream, a dream aligned with His purpose. Living my life in the arena of sports and education, I find it challenging to engage and equip emerging generations to intentionally invest in good running shoes so that they are ready to Chase a Dream.
For anyone who has spent much time in my presence, they can bear witness that I enjoy most sports, especially when being a spectator (or employee) involves watching people I know personally striving and Chasing Their Dream. Some of the best memories I have on the ballpark endeavor are personal in nature-traveling with precious friends while at the same time supporting players such as Jeff Fayne, Luis Ortiz, Aaron Fultz, and Drew Sutton (and in the near future, Tyler Gentry). The enjoyment for me increases when I know the people who have skin in the game! The hours of practice, the years of dedication, and the development of a Habit of Resilience, all these come together as a life-long dream is accomplished.
As you perhaps have already gathered, I have a crush on the sport of baseball. There is something about the game that intrigues me in a way that other sports do not; perhaps it’s all those hours this introvert spent being entertained by two van loads of characters that seem unique to the sport of baseball. However, as I turned the pages in the book Chasing the Show recently, I was reminded of the importance of having a Life Plan, whether it’s Chasing a Dream of playing professional baseball or pursuing a career in coaching or finance. Since it’s highly unlikely that any of my students will become a part of the two percent that will engage in a professional sport career, I feel a calling to engage and equip students in planting seeds for other dreams they might choose to chase.
This professional pursuit to equip students with essential skills that might lay the groundwork for a flourishing life also becomes a personal investment for me. As I witness my students (often student athletes) pursuing their passion on the field/court, I hope to encourage them to use this same determination to Chase a Dream in all areas of their lives-personally, professionally, and spiritually. Whether it’s asking them to spend time in introspection developing a Habit of Awareness or challenging them to acquire a Habit of Growth by searching for mentors who can offer wise guidance, my dream is realized when they find a dream to chase, equipped with good running shoes, and finish well the race that God has inspired within them.
Please feel free to share in the comments below your answer to the following question: How did you uncover your dream to chase and who was instrumental in allowing that dream to come true?
For further stories about Chasing A Dream, please follow the links: Drew Sutton’s Story by John Mark Walls and Brent High’s Story.
References:
Hall, P. (2020). Chasing the show. Authors Place Press.
Ortiz, L. (2005). The Natural Hitter’s Handbook. Coaches Choice.
Walls, J.M. (2021, January 21). Jackson Grown: Drew Sutton. Long Shot: How a former middle of the road player from a mid-sized town finds his game and a way to the biggest show in baseball. Our Jackson Home. Retrieved from https://www.ourjacksonhome.com/blog-2/2020/12/17/jackson-grown-drew-sutton
Flourishing @ Life 
Dr. Powell, I found this discussion to be quite a rejuvenation of a younger, much more hopeful me. As I read through your experience and questions that followed, I was constantly reminded of how I always wanted to become a professional soccer player. In the small town that I grew up in, the competition was easy and so I thought I could make it all the way to the pro level; however, once I started playing in the higher league of travel soccer in high school, I realized that dream was not so realistic. Although I was still near the top of the competition, I knew this was still nothing compared to those who will go pro. At one point in my career I had the opportunity to travel to England and play with the Olympic Development Team of Tennessee. This was when I knew I could not make it to my dream of becoming pro. However, I knew that I wanted to play in college and I have successfully done so and I have enjoyed every minute of it.
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I think that having a dream to chase gives us a since of purpose. It gives us something to work on and improve upon everyday. Without dreams we wouldn’t have the drive to accomplish things in life. The work ethic that I have in myself definitely is reflected from me trying to improve myself to achieve my dream. Much like James I have always had the dream to play professional soccer. I have my coaches by my side to help me along the journey and family and friends. I hope to achieve this dream through hard work and dedication to the game, but if its not in my cards I will still know that I worked hard and did everything I could to try and fulfill my dream.
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I really enjoyed reading your article and knowing more about your experiences. It is funny because very often I think I have everything figured out. since I was little, I always wanted to follow my dream thinking that whatever I had in my was the best option for me. But, throughout these past years, God has been teaching me that life is more than things that we want. I always wanted to have this specific job, making this specific amount of money, but life is more than that. God is calling us to a life of worship to His and He knows the future, and I’m glad He didn’t listen to what I thought was good for my future. Instead, He is taking me to a different route that I never expected to go and it’s been great. I’m reading this book called “Life on Missions” and there is a quote that says, “when we take on the mind of Jesus, we hold on to our plans and ideals loosely. We become more willing to follow His plans and ideals, even if on the surface they don’t make sense and may not seem successful.” Today, I don’t think of things that I want to do “Chasing my dreams” to satisfy my desires, but I my dream is where God is and let Him guide my steps because He knows me better than I know myself. I live For HIM and not for me.
Thank you for sharing this article with us 🙂
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I’ll have to add that book to my reading list!
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To answer the question at the bottom of the article, “How did you uncover your dream to chase and who was instrumental in allowing that dream to come true?” For my current situation in life, my biggest dream is to graduate college and get an education. This dream was not my main focus growing up but as time went on I found that an education would be my greatest tool in the future. The main factor that has pushed me to reach this goal and pursue this dream has been my parents. Neither of them have a college education so they wanted to make sure that through athletics we could pursue a college education.
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I was born in a small rural area in Kenya and I went to a day school, I mainly ran home at lunchtime to have food and be able to get back on time. This allowed me to embrace running as it was my means of transport. When I finished high school, I always dreamed of being a nurse, and helping people was a core value in me. I had this American dream, not knowing how I could manage to be in such a good school like union, I started training. I ran about 60 miles a week and prayed to God that I could find a christ-centered school here. My then-coach Johnson allowed me to come here and pursue the course I wanted and as though that wasn’t enough the school is Christ-centered. I am now in nursing school and this dream is what I have always wanted.
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I enjoyed reading this article, the topic “Chasing a Dream” is quite interesting and we all grew up learning new things and getting to specialize on one thing and make perfection of it. When I was in high school I used to play in different field of sports but I did not realize that specialization could help me chase my dream. I later specialized in track and field that that is where I learnt that focusing on one thing will help you build your dreams. Chasing our dreams needs us not to focus on our goals but instead, focus on the habits (practice) that will get us to them(goals).
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I enjoyed reading the article and loved the name of it as well. It made me think of my current situation with school. Both of my parents never pursed a college degree or played a sport while getting an education. They have always told me and pushed me to try my best and give it my all in life situations. I believe this relates to “Chasing a Dream” because I am chasing a dream of getting a college degree. I really enjoyed this article and the interesting facts it has to offer. I would surely recommend this article for others to read.
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Dr. Powell,
When I look at my childhood I also realized how much important sport for me and in my life. As a kid, I was seeing my dad playing professional basketball. I was always impressed and inspired by him and I wanted to become a basketball player as well. It became my dream that I need to chase for my entire life until I have it. I am still working on it and I will not give up until I have reached my dreams.
I agree with you that “for anyone who has spent much time in my presence, they can bear witness that I enjoy most sports” because seeing people being at that successful you can guess how much hard work they put into it, how much hard times, injuries they went through and even more.
You have a crush on baseball, for me, it is more for basketball because I grew up playing it and I also think it is the most exciting sport to watch.
This blog reminded me once again that I need to chase my dreams for my future life because I do not do something for it now, I might be regretting it later cause I did not put in the effort to have it or done it. Thank you for this beautiful blog!
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I think that our “dreams”, especially in careers, change multiple times throughout our lives. As kids, we dream of being someone extraordinary that everyone will notice or remember. Then we grow up a little bit and realize what is more obtainable. I think it is important to find something you are passionate about to chase, not just something for the money or recognition. As a freshman in college, I am still struggling to find what I am truly passionate about. I have various things that I think will be a great career to put myself into, but is it something that I truly love to do? This post is insightful into how we should find something that we love and go after it.
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