Last week, in teaching some young men, I challenged them to decide now that they would make their lives significant. I challenged them to live the teachings of our faith, and promised them that if they did, they would live happy, productive, and meaningful lives. I meant it.

These boys live in the shadows of their older brothers who chose to follow other paths with extreme substance abuse, criminal activity and prison.

One boy replied, “But what if I make the basketball team, their practice times conflict with attendance here?” “What if I get a job that requires me to work Sundays?” “What if…?”

I tried my best to explain the difference between wishing, dreaming and deciding.

Have you ever said, “If only the government would reduce taxes, I’d get by?” “If I get a good raise, I’ll start saving.” “If my spouse would slow down on spending, we could get out of debt.” And on and on we go—wishing for external changes.

Wishing for external changes is a futile exercise. Actually it’s not an exercise at all—it’s passive wishing. Wishing can help us identify our dreams. But until wishing turns to deciding, it will produce no results.

Once we decide to take action, and to continue those actions until we realize our dream, we begin down the road to true achievement. By deciding to take responsibility for your own destiny, and to stop waiting for external factors to drop into your lap the realization of your dreams, you place yourself in a position to live your dreams.

Once we choose to stop waiting for the government, our employer, or our spouse to hand us our dreams, we greatly improve our opportunities for success.