“Men grow great through their dreams,” said Woodrow Wilson. That was certainly true for the Martin Luther Kings, the Christopher Columbuses and the Olympic gold medal winners. Dreams inspire us and energize us to discipline ourselves to achieve them. That’s the stuff great biographies and films are made about– Dreams envisioned and fulfilled.

As a young teen I saw the admiration shown the outstanding school athletes and I wanted to be one. But although I was tall, I was so uncoordinated I could not qualify for the basketball team. Undeterred, I became the team assistant, washing uniforms and cleaning the locker room. BUT I had the key to the gym! I worked late by myself, learning to shoot and dribble. All Summer I drilled on a backyard goal until I would drop. That next year I made the team, served as Captain, and we won the City Championship! On to High School I had to start at the bottom again but I had my hero to follow, the all-city center,  and my dream to drive me. In two years I was the All-Memphis Center and team captain. Dreams translated into goals, preparations and discipline pay off. My early confidence and practice came in handy when I decided to earn a Ph.D. and when my wife and I set our sights on a million-dollar level in our business. “The poorest man,” said Harry Dent, “is not the one without a cent, but the one without a dream.” In the musical South Pacific, two children sing about “Happy Talk,” saying, “You’ve got to have a dream, ’cause if you’ve got no dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?” What’s yours?