Do you have dreams? Are they big dreams? Your dreams and your vision are very important because they are yours!

Every day countless people abandon their dreams. They either succumb to those who tell them that they can't, or they look at their own ability and talk themselves out if it.

This is especially true if they have a big dream!

Walt Disney had a pretty big dream. And there were many people who thought he was absolutely crazy. A 330-acre theme park in Anaheim, California, called Disneyland?

His wife was not sold on the idea at first either. "When I started on Disneyland," Walt admitted, "My wife used to say, ?But why do you want to build an amusement park? They're so dirty.' I told her that was just the point ? mine wouldn't be."

Walt was turned down numerous times in attempts to get bank financing. He once said "I could never convince the financiers that Disneyland was feasible, because dreams offer too little collateral."

But, Disneyland did become a reality in 1955. And today, the Disney Corporation employs over 100,000 people.

So what's wrong with dreaming big? What's wrong with having a big vision? There are so many who don't because they are afraid of what others might say, and, because they are afraid of failing.

Michelangelo is quoted as saying, "The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." That quote really puts dreaming big into proper perspective, doesn't it?

There are a lot of people who think that they are just too old to dream. They sadly admit to themselves that life has passed them by and that it's useless to dream. They regret missed opportunities from times past.

What about you? Are you too old? Who said so?

Walt Disney was 53 years old when he opened Disneyland. Michelangelo was 71 years old when he became the chief architect for St. Peter's Basilica. At 81 he was still working every day. Cliff Young not only ran the Melbourne to Sydney race at age 61, competing against top athletes, but he won first place, breaking the race record by 9 hours and became a national hero!

I could go on and on.

You have great potential! It's only too late if you think it is. It all starts with your vision, your dream!

And, what's wrong with dreaming big dreams? The reason most people won't dream big dreams, or even dream at all, is that it is all too easy to take the safe road. They choose the path of least resistance. They feel safe when there are as few of things as possible to go wrong. In short, they are afraid of failure.

Do people actually believe that those who are successful today have never had any setbacks or obstacles to overcome? To the contrary, of course they have! But, here's the point, and it is such an important truth to recognize. Fear of failure has stifled more dreams than any other thing.

Walt Disney's dream seemed ludicrous to those who had no vision and to those who had fear of failure. People thought Bill Gate's vision for a computer in every home was absolutely ridiculous. And how many people rolled their eyes when they heard President Kennedy talk about putting a man on the moon?

Don't ever be afraid to dream big. Set your goals high. Don't limit yourself to what others think is possible. Don't allow others to steal your dreams from you. And, don't talk yourself out your own dreams and abandon them.

Always remember that your dreams, your goals, and your vision, are so very important because they are yours.