Well, if you’ve had the opportunity to visit my Facebook and Instagram pages, you would have seen my advances and attempts to inspire all my readers to LIVE IN 3D! If you haven’t visited me on social media, now is a great time to start! I try hard to share awesome thoughts, quotes, ideas, and motivation with anyone who will listen—or read! This is one of those things that hit me right in the gut, hard, like a Rocky movie!
Live in 3D: #The Dream. #The Drive. #The Destination.
It was an early morning, I was hurting, in pain from a horrific automobile accident that I recently endured. I was physically hurt, as well as emotionally hurt. I had been doing all I knew to be a good man and person. I was wondering, why Lord? Why was this happening to me? I can’t walk. I can’t work. How am I supposed to provide for my family? Then it was clear to me. Yes, roadblocks come. But a roadblock CANNOT take your DREAM. And the roadblock does not have to stop you from taking the DRIVE. You may have to find another route. But continue until you reach your DESTINATION!
LIVE IN 3D!
“There’s something that 3D gives to the picture that takes you into another land and you stay there and it’s a good place to be…” – Martin Scorsese
Of course, when I started really thinking about these three D’s, as clear as crystal I saw the 3D acronym. But I wondered, “What happens when you take a closer look at 3D, not just as an acronym, but also as a representation of actually being three-dimensional.” How do you see what it is you are looking at? How do you see yourself? What about that vision that you have been seeing over and over every time you close your eyes? How do you see the gifts God has given you? How do you see your accomplishments, failures and goals? Do you see yourself as flat? Not as it relates to your body. (However if you do, and you want to get ripped, check out my brother BodyByDGym! Ha-ha) But seriously, how do you really see you? The definition of three-dimensional is a model that displays a picture or item in a form that appears to be physically present with a designated structure. I know…when I read it, I said to myself, “Been a long time since college!” (Trust me…I wrote all that to look smart!) But essentially, to break it down, it allows items that appear flat to the human eye to be displayed in a form that shows various dimensions! These dimensions include width, depth and height. I was excited when I read that! I’ll share why. Just because something looks flat, doesn’t mean it has to be! Just because something looks flatlined, doesn’t mean it has to be! So let me go back to my question…how do you see yourself? Flat? You don’t have to be! I know it looks flattened. But you have dimensions to you! You have width! You have Depth! You have height! That vision you have and those goals you set for yourself and your family—NOT FLAT! You’re living in 3D! Take advantage of that and encourage yourself to keep you visions and hopes alive! The situation isn’t flat. As the young people say now, “THERE’S LEVELS TO THIS!” LIVE IN 3D!
#TheDream.
ONLY YOU CAN GIVE YOUR DREAM AWAY.
As I was growing up I used to have this really weird reoccurring dream. I won’t go into the dream…it was really weird; having to do with purple monkeys and spiders. I don’t know why on Earth I would dream of purple monkeys and spiders, especially together! But I did for many years as a child. (If you want me to share it, post that in your comments and I may just do it!) Anyway, I couldn’t shake this dream. I had it when I was happy. I had it when I was sad. I even had it when I said, “I don’t want to have it anymore!” It did not matter; I had that dream several times a week. I remember years later saying, no matter what, I always had that dream. That’s the simple point I want to share with you. We all have dreams, visions and goals. What are some of yours? It’s OK to take a moment and ask, “What are my dreams? What are my visions? What are my goals?” (I’ll wait!) I ask that because you HAVE to know what your dreams are. Many of us have had them but don’t believe we can reach them, but we can! Or we have had dreams but the cares or carelessness of life has seemingly been our dream killers. Yes, things will happen, and you will feel as though something has snuffed your dream out like a thief, without warning, and without regard to your well-being. But that dream is not dead! And that thief can’t take it. ONLY YOU CAN GIVE YOUR DREAM AWAY! Keep your dream. Your dream is the address to where you need to go in life!
#TheDrive.
Slothfulness only begets dead weight!
Where are you going with your dream? That’s the ultimate question. Where are you going with what you’ve been imagining your whole life? Or with that great idea you just thought about last week at dinner? Where are you going with it all? Where are you going with that beautiful woman who treats you like a king? What are your plans for that handsome man who honors you like the world is yours? All these dreams, goals, thoughts, plans, desires, visions…but where are you going with them? How do you get there? What do you do? Here’s the answer as simple as I can put it—drive! Just drive! You can get nowhere if you don’t get in the car! If you never leave the house! If you stay in the bed! Get out and Drive! It’s the drive that gets you there.
Now you can look at that word DRIVE a couple ways. The first way I want to look at it is as a noun, meaning the travel that is taking you somewhere. Some argue and say that it’s a verb. But I just discussed verbs and nouns with my 11-year-old as we checked homework…so I’m good! This DRIVE is the journey! Be ready for it. It has ups and downs, twists and turns, detours and long stretches without bathrooms and rest stops! But if you don’t jump on the journey, the dream never has the opportunity of becoming the reality.
The second DRIVE I want to share is the VERB –to DRIVE. This means to get in a vehicle and operate it to move in any direction. Of course for most, this is a figurative analogy. Although for some, maybe it is as simple as starting your car up and driving somewhere. Maybe you have a loved one that you long to visit or reunite with, and all it takes is for you to get in your car, start it and pull off. If it is, then your dream is quickly becoming your reality. For those who need to see it from a different angle, I simply mean to MOVE! Get up and do it! Slothfulness only begets dead weight! You have to take a chance on your dream; you have to take a shot at your future. This means make a leap towards the goal. That address of the future you dreamed of…make a move and take a drive. Don’t worry about having everything you need all the time. That will never be the case. But I will say this. My pastor, Bishop Jermone James Sr., always says, “You will get more on your way than you will ever have when you get started.” Move in faith! Have the DRIVE (another noun..meaning the DETERMINATION) to DRIVE the DRIVE! How dare you allow your dreams to die because you will not move towards the goals and visions you’ve been seeing all these years!
#TheDestination
One great thing about a destination is that it does not move! The destination has NOT changed…only the route that you expected.
So you have the dream. That is the address to your future. Now you have gotten in your automobile. For some it’s a Buick, others it’s a Benz! Some it’s merely letting your faith motivate you to move forward. One great thing about a destination is that it does not move! Ever heard of Mt Rushmore moving to Atlanta? Or the Pacific Ocean relocating into the middle of the North Pole? NO WAY! The destination is always there awaiting your arrival!
I want to leave you with this story. One day I attended a summit, an annual event that I always dreamed about going to. This year it was within driving distance! I went, enjoyed, was inspired and motivated! When I left that night, I was preparing for the 4.5-hour drive back to my destination—Norfolk, Virginia. I got a little rest, filled up the gas tank, got snacks and food and all the things I needed for my trip home. I put the address in my GPS and got on my way. Then I noticed that this way was different for me. And for some reason, very unfamiliar. I didn’t notice any of the landmarks, and then I looked at the GPS route and this was different from the way I would have normally taken. I was worried, scared a bit and also confused. It was about 1:00am with basically no other cars on the highway. But I heard a very small and calm voice inside saying, “Why are you worried? The destination has NOT changed…only the route that you expected.” You have gas, food, GPS, everything you need to travel a successful journey. Just listen to the GPS and keep your eyes on the road! Yes, I went through some very small towns, and drove over some very narrow bridges on the way, but I reached my destination just the same. There had to be some reason, I thought; some reason I did not go the way I thought was right. Who knows? And it does not matter! What matters is, I reached my destination! So I challenge everyone reading, every dreamer, every visionary, everyone with a goal, everyone with an inkling of an idea…stay in hope. Your dream has not flatlined. It lives. It lives inside of you. See it again. See it in 3D. Live it in 3D. Have the dream. Plug in the address of your future. Take the DRIVE! Remember…have the drive to drive the drive. And keep going until you reach your destination. Yes, sometimes you get a different route funneling through your GPS. Know the difference between a detour and a distraction! Take the drive and don’t stop until you arrive at the address of your future! I hope this encourages, inspires, and motivates you! Live in 3D: #TheDream. #TheDrive. #TheDestination.
