Ebook Nurturing your Dream to Reality in 3 steps

Nurturing Your Dream to Reality in 3 Steps

About Joyce

Joyce is a mother of three grown daughters, a
son and a son-in-law. She has been a wife to
Philip for 30 years, is a project management
professional, teacher, student, motivational
speaker, worship leader, and author. Yes, she
juggles all these roles at the same time. She
holds degrees in business administration and
Christian counseling. In her spare time, Joyce
studies Traditional Chinese Medicine. Her
favorite pastime is writing comfortably from her
kitchen laptop, occasionally admiring her green
pine trees as she takes a moment to reflect on
life. Joyce lives in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.

Visit her blog at www.FullnessOfLife.com/blog

Copyright © by Joyce Y. Li. All rights preserved Page 1 of 10


One day in 1997, I came home from the hospital after saying goodbye to my father on his
deathbed. My 8-year-old daughter Amanda saw my gloomy expression and blurted:
“Mommy, what happened? You look sad.” I sobbed as I announced that Grandpa just
passed away. Curiosity struck her and she asked why. “Well, he’s old,” I explained. She
quickly said, “Mommy, you are also old, when are you gonna die?” Now, 15 years later,
Amanda is asking me another question: “Mom, when are you gonna retire?”

Let me ask you this: What comes to mind when you hear or see the word retirement?

What about these words and phrases? Disengage, boring, ageism, leisure, depart,
solitude, retreat, lonely, withdrawn, recline, hit the sack, hit the hay …

Unfortunately, many people have negative connotations to retirement, such as physical
and mental declines that come with aging. These include:

 The adages, “an old brain cannot learn new tricks” and “you’re too old to change.”
 And believing that your genes dictate how fast you age; “you cannot do anything to
alter the negative side effects of aging.”

Myths

But guess what? These are just myths! They clash with scientific findings. Researchers
from the MacArthur Foundation Study have learned that lifestyle choices in food and
exercise, plus challenging mental activities and social belongings, contribute to longevity



and aging gracefully. The good news is that It’s never too late to make these healthy
choices and begin to see a difference.

I am 54 years old. According to Canadian statistics, I am expected to live an active life for
another 20 or 30 years. Those images and descriptions of retirement are not what I have in
mind for my future.

There are many benefits to aging. The ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius said it well.
Let me paraphrase his experience for you.

 At 15, I focused on learning;
 At 30, I was firmly established;
 At 40, I had no more doubts;
 At 50, I knew the mandate of heaven;
 At 60, my ear was attuned to the
truth;
 At 70, I could follow my passion and
do what was right.

Confucius got it right 2,500 years ago. Here are some of today’s older people following
their passion:



 Cindy Joseph defies age barriers. She started modelling at age 49! Cindy launched
a new pro-Age skincare product line in her late fifties. Currently at 62, she is actively
modelling and running her business.

 My mom. She got her first job outside the home and received her first paycheque as
a part-time cook at age 58.

 My friend Cindy retired in her late forties from a banking career. Instead of living in
leisure, Cindy studied Chinese medicine and started a new profession. She became
an acupuncturist in her late fifties.

 My friend Ray has transitioned from his vocation as a successful international
corporate trainer. He went back to seminary school to become a pastor in his 50s.



Do you have a dream that is bigger than your current reality? If there is something that you
want to achieve, why put it off? No matter how young or old you are, you can follow your
passion by taking these three steps: Reflect. Reimagine. Reinvent.

Photo credit: Justin W. Moore (www.outdorphoto.com/)

Step #1 – Reflect

The Bible says “reflect” and “remember” over 200 times. “Reflect on what I am saying”,
“Remember the poor”, “Remember the Creator”, and such. Every day we are distracted by



people, events, deadlines, Facebook, Pinterest, texts, tweets, emails, the list goes on. Life
can be filled with activities, yet they can leave you feeling unfulfilled; which is why it’s
important to pause and reflect on things that matter to you the most. What is your passion?
What do you love doing? Who do you love helping? What are you good at?

Step #2 – Reimagine

“Imagination is more important than knowledge,” said Albert Einstein. Knowledge has a
limit, whereas Imagination does not. Maybe you’ve been told that what you want to do
won’t work. And you might believe this. So today, I dare you to re-imagine something great
for the next week, next month, next year or next five years. What if you did something that
you absolutely enjoy doing? You do it not because you have to; you do it because you love
it; it’s your dream. Imagine who is benefiting from your wisdom, your service, your product,
or your assistance?

Step #3 – Reinvent

Now that you’ve visualized your dream, what needs to happen for that dream to come
true? Plan your work and then work your plan. If you are not able to identify the steps for
making your dream come true, it probably won’t work. Think hard, do your research, read
books, take a course, consult with experts. Reinventing yourself takes effort, courage and
determination.

I’ve been applying these three steps to redefine my retirement. Here’s my journey:



As a little girl, I dreamed of being a movie star, doing and saying all the funny, cool things.

As a teenager, I dreamed of being a pop star.

Step #1 – Reflect
I love to sing and I love to entertain. I enjoyed connecting with an audience and sharing my
favorite songs with them. Many times, I fantasized myself travelling the world and
performing on stage singing just like Barbara Streisand….. These dreams never came
true. No stars for me. Yet, as I grew older, I have other dreams.



My passion has led me to become a motivational speaker who encourages people to live
out their full potential in life. Adding values to others is important to me. I went on to Step
#2 – Reimagine.

Step #2 – Reimagine
I reimagine myself facilitating a workshop to baby boomers. They are learning about their
personalities, talents, gifts and passion in life; they are putting together strategies and
plans to guide their future. My audience is excited about their next phase of life. I visualize
them building and living their dreams. A Japanese proverb says, “Vision without action is a
daydream.” Visioning is a good start but I need to work hard to nurture my dream to reality.

That leads me to Step #3 – Reinvent.

Step #3 – Reinvent
For more than ten years, I study leadership, psychology, counselling, and public speaking.
I read books about ordinary people achieving extraordinary deeds. I thought I was ready to
step into my dream role and become an overnight sensation as a motivational speaker.
Apparently, not quite yet! 3 years ago, during a casual conversation with my high school
friend Bernard, I told him about my aspiration. Bernard candidly advised me to publish a
book on my speaking topic in order to build my credibility as a speaker. Soon as I heard his



advice, my heart sank to the floor, thinking: “This is going to be another shattered dream.
How can I possibly write a book when I have a full-time job, and English is my second
language, I can’t figure out those ridiculous grammar rules, and I haven’t written anything
substantial before?” And. And. And. But, as I reflected more on my passion, the thought of
carrying my dreams to the grave haunted me. Deep down, I knew Bernard was right. I
needed to write down all that I’ve learned about living life to its fullest. Instead of giving up,
I started writing.

Finishing a 50,000-word non-fiction book seems like a daunting task. But, it all started with
a blank page. One line at a time, the pages got filled. 2 years later, it became a reality. I
reinvented myself as an author.

You’ve just heard my story and my dreams.

How about you? What is your childhood dream? What are you passionate about? In what
ways do you want to impact lives?



You and I can offer our love, passion, talents and resources to make a difference in this
world. Instead of hoping for a brighter future, let us create that future together. John Henry
Newman said, “to grow is to change, to become perfect is to change often.”

I challenge you to dream a bigger dream and grow to fulfill your dream, no matter your
age. Just like Cindy Joseph, my mom, my friend Cindy and Ray, You can shape a new
reality by following these 3 steps: reflect, reimagine, reinvent. Yes, you can do it!

Visit Joyce’s blog at www.FullnessOfLife.com/blog


Ebook Nurturing your Dream to Reality in 3 steps

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Ebook Nurturing your Dream to Reality in 3 steps