Imagine yourself being a father working in the steel industry or a mother in the banking business, raising two toddler sons, 23 months apart in age, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in the late 80’s. If someone told you that someday both of your sons would be professional football players AND play against each other in the Super Bowl, would you believe them? What would you think or say?
“Are you crazy?”
“It’s impossible!”
“Never!”
“Lightning will strike us before that ever happens!”
The road to becoming a professional athlete certainly isn’t easy. The chances of going pro aren’t in one’s favor. It’s something only 1% of the top 1% achieve.
Actually, it’s even less.
Only the top 8% of the top 1% of the top 1% of high school football players will make it to the NFL – let alone play in the Super Bowl. To put these percentages into perspective, the odds of getting struck by lightning at some point in your life are greater.
Growing up, Jason and Travis Kelce used to dream of playing professional football with the goal of playing in a Super Bowl. They envisioned themselves reaching the big game with their hometown team, the Cleveland Browns, that they passionately rooted for and pretended they were members of during neighborhood football games.
Defying the odds, their dream of playing in the NFL came true, but not with the Cleveland Browns. Travis is a record-setting tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and Jason is a fan-favorite center for the Philadelphia Eagles.
As for their dream of playing in the Super Bowl, it came true, too. But what they didn’t ever dream of was playing in a Super Bowl against each other.
So, when the Kelce brothers made history on February 12, 2023, by becoming the first brothers in NFL history to square off against each other in a Super Bowl, lightning didn’t strike once, but twice!
Imagine being the parent, school counselor, classroom teacher, or middle or high school football coach of Jason and Travis. At some point, you likely would have heard their dreams verbalized, and not just once, but many times over. It probably sounded something like this…
“Jason, what do you want to be or do when you grow up?” “I want to be a professional football player and play in a Super Bowl.”
“Travis, what do you want to be or do when you grow up?” “I want to be a professional football player and play in a Super Bowl.”
And, each time they shared their dream, you more than likely would have thought or said,
“Are you crazy?”
“It’s impossible!”
“Never!”
“Lightning will strike us before that ever happens!”
Lightning literally did not strike the Kelce family twice on February 12, 2023, but the power of dreams did.
In his book, Your Road Map for Success, John Maxwell shares what he has learned about the power of dreams and how they can shape our goals, our work and our lives.
A Dream Gives Us Direction
Have you ever known someone who didn’t have a clue as to what they wanted in life, yet was highly successful? I haven’t either. We all need something worthwhile to aim for. A dream provides us with that. It acts as a compass that shapes our choices that can shape our way forward.
A Dream Increases Our Potential
Without a dream, we may struggle to see potential in ourselves because we don’t look beyond our current circumstances. But with a dream, we can step out of our present and begin to see ourselves in a new light, as having a greater potential and being capable of stretching and growing to reach it. Every opportunity we meet, every resource we discover, every talent we develop, becomes a part of our potential to grow toward that dream.
A Dream Helps Us Prioritize
A dream gives us hope for the future and it also brings us power in the present. It makes it possible for us to prioritize everything we do. A person who has a dream knows what they are willing to give up in order to go up. They can measure everything they do according to whether or not it contributes to the dream, concentrating their attention on the things that bring them closer to it and giving less attention to everything that doesn’t.
A Dream Adds Value to Our Work
A dream puts everything we do into perspective. Even the tasks that aren’t exciting or immediately rewarding take on added value when we know they ultimately contribute to the fulfillment of a dream. Each activity becomes an important piece of the bigger picture.
A Dream Predicts Our Future
When we have a dream, we’re not just spectators sitting back hoping that everything turns out all right. We’re taking an active part in shaping the purpose and meaning of our lives. The winds of change don’t simply blow us here and there. Our dream, when pursued, is the most likely predictor of our future. That doesn’t mean we have any guarantees, but it does increase our chances for success tremendously.
Jason and Travis dared to dream big. They didn’t let their dreams sit on a shelf. They acted on them. They lived them. Their dreams became their future.
They are a reminder of how our dreams are the most valuable thing we will ever own in our life. So, whether it be with your own child, a student you work with or even yourself…
Nurture a dream…
Encourage a dream…
Believe in a dream…
Protect a dream…
…even when the dream feels so big that the odds of getting struck by lightning at some point in life, not just once, but even twice, seems greater.
P.S. Are you looking for a process that will encourage your students to dream big, plan for their futures, set high expectations for themselves and have loads of fun doing it? All Stars – Building Bright Futures for Kids might be just what you are looking for! Download the Guide to All Stars to learn more or reach out to me by phone (402.489.1072) or email!