A Vision Without Action Is Merely A Dream

*Upon further discussion, the gal pal of mine who was the influence behind this title told me the title is actually from a song, but who doesn't love music*

Yesterday morning as I stretched awake from my slumber, I did something I don't hardly ever do, I went straight for my phone. Now this is a little bit out of the norm for me because I don't ever get on my phone as soon as I wake up. I find it leaves me feeling a little cluttered, unfocused, and like I've just wasted a ton a time. But for some reason, that's what I decided to do on a rather wet, cold, and dreary Tuesday morning.

Now I can admit I'm glad that I did because it all lead to this blog post. I decided on Twitter that morning. I didn't have class until 11 o'clock and as I had recently learned from my boyfriend, Twitter was like the next Google- you could search anything on there. I figured I'd be saving myself a little more time that would have been wasted had I chosen any other type of social media and/or search engine for the latest and greatest buzz. Not too long after I began lazily sliding my thumb down my phone, a tweet just about jumped from my phone and pecked me on the head. The tweet read "A vision without action is merely a dream". Bingo. Exactly the title I needed to aid me in my writing of the post (which I have been wanting to write for a while now). And the tweet came from a very good friend of mine, which made it even easier to begin writing.

As I sit in my dorm room now, thinking of all the other people my age, I believe we all have visions. Young and old alike, our imaginations flow. However, I find it more that in my generation- and when the old were at this point in their lives and when the young will be at this point in their lives- this is the time that we are not only envisioning things, but our imaginations are fiery, wild, and passionate. We see ourselves finishing school with a major in whatever we are going to school for. We see ourselves excelling in every area of our young lives. We imagine the future, everything about the future. Our minds are electric.

As for me, I have very big visions. I'm very blessed to be going to school on a track scholarship. It's something I worked very hard for and don't take for granted. So at this point, I envision myself breaking my personal record and running in high-caliber meets, including a national championship meet. But I can say, that's not what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. It was satisfying for a couple of years, but I have other things I'd like to take on as well. For those of you who know me (here's something new for those of you that don't) I have had a long-standing vision of one day being humbled with a new job and being crowned Miss America! For two years in my early teens, I switched my focus from track to pageants; I competed in the Miss Oklahoma's Outstanding Teen program, which is the program under Miss Oklahoma for girls ages 13-17. I COULD WRITE PAGES ON HOW THIS ORGANIZATION HELPS TEENAGE GIRLS IN TO BECOMING BEAUTIFUL, CONFIDENT YOUNG WOMEN! But, that would be going just a tad bit off topic. I competed for just two years because by my second year I had reached my goal of making it in to the Top Ten out of 35 of the state's most incredible girls, and as icing on the cake, I won overall interview (pageant tidbit: interviews in the teen program are about 8 minutes long and you stand in front of about 7 judges while they ask you questions ranging from "Do you believe a higher sales tax on fatty foods would help lower the rising obesity rate in Oklahoma?" to "Alright Ashley, you're having a dinner party, what three people do you invite?")! This was a huge accomplishment for me! So feeling whole, I decided track was what was up next in my life and that's where I am now; but again, I still have my vision of Miss America. As to when that vision will become a reality, only God knows. Furthering my modeling career is always something I'm passionate about and very eager to get started with. But, it's all in God's hands, and there is no such thing as a greater peace than trusting in Sweet Jesus.

Here are some pics that help add a little more color to my words:

After receiving my 4th place medal my junior year at our State Meet

Announcement of Top Ten

One of my very first photoshoots

 But without action, I'm only dreaming. Without running and training everyday, I'm only dreaming. Without practicing my talent, doing mock interviews, and taking care of myself, I'm only dreaming. Without strutting through my living room and striking a few poses as if I'm at the end of a runway, I'm only dreaming. Without praying to God, asking Him to reveal His plan for my life, surrendering my everything to Him, I'm only dreaming.

So I'm here to tell you, dear friend, take action now! Turn your vision into a reality; don't come back wishing you had done more than just dream! We're at our primes. We can literally choose where we go from here. It's up to us! No one is here to prompt us in to what THEY believe will best for us. Only you know what's best for you. And that can sometimes be a hard pill to swallow, really. After all these years of "Mom Knows Best", it's finally our time to choose. It's both terrifying and wonderful all at the same time; but, anything is possible with a little gut and a lot of Jesus.

xo,
Ashley