Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
(Hab. 2:2-3)
In 1990, when Jim Carrey was a young, struggling standup comic trying to make it in Hollywood, he would drive his old Toyota up to Mulholland Drive, look out at the city below and imagine his future. One time he even wrote himself a check for $10 million and postdated it “Thanksgiving 1995.” He wrote in the memo, “for acting services rendered.” Carrey kept that check (and that dream) in his wallet, and it went with him everywhere.
After the films Ace Ventura Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber were released in 1994 and became huge box office hits, Carrey’s asking price had risen to $20 million per picture. When his father died the same year, he placed that $10 million check into his dad’s coffin as a tribute to the man who taught him to dream. Isn’t that awesome? Carrey walked right into his dreams.
Your vision and your dreams must be on paper. How many times have you gone to the grocery store without a shopping list and forgotten an item (or two) you needed? Or you had something to do for your kids but you forgot because you didn’t write yourself a reminder? Dreams are no different.
Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, “Then the LORD told me: ‘I will give you my message in the form of a vision. Write it clearly enough to be read at a glance. At the time I have decided, my words will come true. You can trust what I say about the future. It may take a long time, but keep on waiting—it will happen!’” By taking the time to put your vision down, you establish the discipline of remembering your dream, and you will attract the images you keep before your eyes. You have to write what you see. Get your dreams on paper.
For example, if you have a dream of owning a house by a lake, imagine what it looks like and write that down. Be specific. If you see a big deck, a hot tub or lots of trees, write down those details. I suggest making (or finding and cutting out) pictures of similar-looking houses and using those images as a point of reference. If you dream of going back to school and getting your master’s degree, make a picture of a diploma with your name on it. If you dream of earning $50,000, get a blank check, write in the dollar amount and put it somewhere you’ll always see it—on the bathroom mirror or refrigerator or a vision board. The point is, write it down.
I’m telling you from experience, something happens when you put your dreams on paper. It proves you’re serious. It confirms that you are committed. It is evidence of how badly you want them. You instantly become that much closer to reaching your dreams.
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For years, Terri Savelle Foy’s life was average. She had no dreams to pursue. Each passing day was just a repeat of the day before. Finally, with a marriage in trouble and her life falling apart, Terri made a change. She began to pursue God like never before, develop a new routine and discovered the power of having a dream and purpose.
As Terri started to recognize her own dreams and goals, she simply wrote them down and reviewed them consistently. This written vision became a road map to drive her life. As a result, those dreams are now a reality.
Terri has become the CEO of an international Christian ministry. She is an author, a conference speaker, and a success coach to hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. Her best-selling books Make Your Dreams Bigger than Your Memories and Imagine Big have helped people discover how to overcome the hurts of the past and see the possibilities of a limitless future. Her weekly podcast is a lifeline of hope and inspiration to people around the world.
Terri Savelle Foy is a cheerleader of dreams and is convinced that “if you can dream it, God can do it.” She is known across the globe as a world-class motivator of hope and success through her transparent and humorous teaching style. Terri’s unique ability to communicate success strategies in a simple and practical way has awakened the dreams of the young and old alike.
Terri shares from personal experience the biblical concepts of using the gift of the imagination to reach full potential in Jesus Christ. From stay-at-home moms to business executives, Terri consistently inspires others to go after their dreams. With step-by-step instruction and the inspiration to follow through, people are fueled with the passion to complete their life assignment down to the last detail (see John 17:4).
Terri and her husband, Rodney Foy, have been married since 1991, and are the parents of a beautiful redheaded daughter, Kassidi Cherie. They live near Dallas, Texas.