Three Enemies trying to Kill Your Dream.

But, the world is not perfect. We have enemies doing their best to destroy us. They whisper to us that our dreams will not become real.

Let me tell you this. It is a lie. But lies have destroyed humanity from Day One. Remember the story in the garden — the one with God, a snake, a man and women?

It did not work out well, because an enemy was present and humans became distracted.

Of course, every single person has to face their enemies if they want to see their dreams come to fruition.

I think there are three enemies that will destroy your dreams:

The first is Spiritual — Scripture is quite clear. We have a spiritual enemy who wants us to live in the flesh and not the Spirit. The flesh always leads to a place called despair, but the Spirit always leads us to place of hope.

For everyone, this war wages everyday. No one can avoid it.

We usually try to ignore it, but that is a fatal mistake, for ignoring it will cause our lives to suffer from not dealing with this spiritual reality.

The second is Fear – You have a dream . . . you know, that thing that keeps you up at night. It is the book or blog, the song or album, the blank canvas that in your mind you know what you want it to look like.

It is too easy to push down your dream worrying about details.

The business, the travel, the relationships — there are endless reason why we should not take the plunge.

But fear is what those reasons come down to. We are too scared to jump into the deep. What if we drown? What if we can’t swim? Will somebody rescue me? Worse, will anyone even care?

We will never know until we jump in, and most people will never take the leap. Therefore, the dream just rests in the mind, creating agony for the artist.

The final enemy is Resistance – Made famous by Pressfield in The War of Art, this is the day to day battle of doing the work. The work is the hardest part. It is frustrating and painful and tiring and challenging.

So, we avoid it and make excuses.

Yet, it is the work that will launch your dream. There is no magic wand. There is no microwave or quick-fix solution.

To get to the top of the mountain, you have to climb. Step by step. Of course, you could take take the cable-car, but that means you did not conquer – the work was not yours. You got to the top of the mountain because of someone else’s work. Believe me. It is not the same!

Dreams come alive when you take them step by step.

Everyday, over and over. You face your fears, you fight the resistance (procrastination) and you pursue your God-given talent knowing that an enemy is always trying to get you to eat the fruit.

I just launched a dream. It’s called the Legacy Project. My organization — Help One Now — is raising $100,000 to build a school in Petionville, Haiti, for over 150 orphans and vulnerable children.  It will be a safe space for children who have virtually nothing and a shelter for the surrounding community.

I faced my fear of failing. I looked evil in the eye. I had to overcome the resistance and launch the project to the public. I still don’t know if it will succeed. I guess we will find out soon. But because it’s public, because the risk was taken, the dream can become real.

It was hard, tiring labor, but now the real work can begin.

The thing is, though, that we cannot do this alone. We need you to help us this Christmas. It takes 4000 bricks to build the school – can you buy 1 brick for $25? Or maybe 2 or 4, or even a bundle (10 bricks) for $250?

And will you help us get the word out to your tribe?

Even now, I’m facing my fear that you will say no. I feel the resistance to stop writing; screaming in my mind is “Don’t bother asking.”

But a school needs to be built. Haiti’s orphans need an education.

Together, we can create great work. Because greatness is never created without a community that can help the work become real.

What is your dream? What do you need to do to make it become a reality?