Dream, plan, persist, accomplish, repeat.

Dreams without plans are like cars without wheels; they don't get anywhere.

One of the things I have understood most clearly all my life is that there is creativity in me. Creativity that is eager to express itself one way or the other. Whether it was coming up with poems in the-spur-of-the-moment when I was 6 or 7 years old, singing in the choir, stuffing my shoes with toilet paper to make them ballerina slippers, or acting, I was always creating and producing. I have never lacked ideas. As I grew, this lead me to participate in many events and to foster in my heart the dream of one day living off of one of my talents. When I was younger, though, it was easier to believe it would be so. I still have a page from a prayer journal I had when I was 15 years old. One of my prayers: "I want to make a movie and I want it to reach the movie theaters." Call it faith or craziness, I believed it could happen.

As the years progressed, I discovered that if I only dreamed or believed, life would pass me by and I would have only lived a life filled mostly with regrets, frustration, and sadness. If I waited for things to come my way instead of going after the things I desired and was passionate about, I would feel unfulfilled and unsatisfied as long as I kept dreaming and not seeing. My biggest fear wasn't dying without reaching my goals and my full potential, but rather living without ever realizing them. This was a very scary thought, one which would bring me to tears those days I felt I was getting nowhere. I was always concerned about how I would be able to make a living and live a satisfied life. It was time to start planning.

My first dream-turned-into-plan, turned-into-accomplishment? My self-published book. I began dreaming about this book when I was 15, started working on it when I was 17, and wrote out a plan to see the dream materialize when I was 24. Guided by this plan, I was able to publish the book when I was 25. It was a huge step for me, not just artistically speaking, but in the way I viewed life and opportunities moving forward. If you truly want to achieve something, you must be willing to devote your time and focus, amongst other things, in order to do it.

This journey of self-discovery about who I am, what moves me, and what I'm wired for sometimes seems unending. But, my strategy is simple: Dream, plan, persist, accomplish, repeat.

Dream: What are the things that excite you? What keeps you awake at night? What do you see yourself doing? Do you really have the talent for this or are you being unrealistic?

Plan: Turn your dream/desire into a clearly defined goal. Then, consider what you need to do to make this goal happen, make a plan and stick with it.

Persist: Some goals depend on other factors, like opportunities you can't control, health, economical situation, etc. When the goal seems farther and farther, persist!! Do not give up. Take a break if you need to, but keep going at it, be consistent. Learn from your failures and try again.

Accomplish: When you finally achieve your goal, celebrate it! Enjoy the moment, laugh, cry, savor the fruit of your hard work. This is the only life you get to live, milk it.

Repeat: Keep dreaming no matter your age. We have yet to tap into all the abilities God has gifted us with. Read. Learn. Teach others. Keep growing.

One of my biggest passions in life has always been acting, and I've had quite a journey with the Performing Arts. A few months ago, I was feeling a bit blue because I felt I wanted to be part of something and I felt I wasn't being all I could be or using my creativity to its maximum capacity. I was doing my part by going to auditions, reading books and writing screenplays (another, related passion), networking, etc. But, in this industry in particular, rejection is almost daily. I turned down full-time job opportunities because I wanted to have a flexible schedule for my auditions, shoots, and also raising my children. We lived on a tight budget because of this, but I was booking commercials, industrial videos, etc. I was tasting some of dream, but not fully.

That's when I went into more self-discovery and analyzing, by reading the book "Talent is Never Enough," by John Maxwell. For about two months I read and re-read the book, came up with questions for my life, and  took the time to answer them. Doing this I realized that I was already living off of my talents (my dream since I was a teenager), just a little tighter than I expected! I wrote to myself where I wanted to be in 5, 10, and 15 years. Then I made a list of what I would need to do to get there. A few weeks into this new plan, I came upon a huge opportunity! The funny thing was that it was obviously orchestrated by God, more than my careful planning! I did my part by working, auditioning, persisting, but He put the pieces together better than I could have ever imagined.

As I reflect on these past few months, I can't help but thank God for giving me the strength and courage to persist, even after having been rejected, literally hundreds of times. Had I given up just a few months ago, I would not be enjoying what will probably be a mayor turning point in my artistic life. That's why I felt I needed to share this with you. Someday you will be tempted to give up or to stop dreaming and planning. Please, don't. Take a break, visit your favorite spot, recoup, refocus, and keep going. Pray and do your part, and keep your joy while you wait. You truly can achieve many things if you not only dream and believe it, but if you also plan and persist.