Successful people have told me. “You need to have a dream in order to make a dream come true.”

In the Old Testament of the Bible Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

This was written several thousand years ago. 2020 is over. Nothing we do or say can change anything that happened this past year. We can change our future even in a COVID world. What is your dream or vision?

Our vision tells us where we are going. Where do you see yourself at the end of 2021?

Back in 1999, I asked the seniors of my boys high school soccer team a similar question.

“Gentlemen, what is your dream? Where do you see yourself at the end of this season?”

Our team had never won a championship or been to the State Tournament. There were no classes in high school soccer back then. The answer I expected was, “If we had a winning season and beat a couple of the AAA schools on our schedule.”

The answer I received was, “Coach, we want to play for the State Title.”

I was stunned.

I almost told the seniors this was unrealistic and suggest they aim a little lower. Instead I said, “Okay, we have a lot of work to do.”

The seniors vision of playing for the State Championship changed everything because they really believed it was possible. Who are we to tell anyone they can’t achieve their dream? They practiced harder and with more focus because that is what was required.

It was an emotional dream that excited the team. After every practice I would jump into the air and yell, “What’s the dream?” The boys would scream, “To play for the State Championship!” To achieve their dream, they would need to beat two teams in the playoffs we had never beaten. We never focused on the problem or obstacle.

We focused on what we could control.

A dream can be powerful. This dream changed many lives in the past 20 years. The 1999 team defeated both schools we had never beaten and achieved the dream of playing for the State Championship. Once the barrier of going to the state tournament was broken, every team that followed knew it was possible.

Since 1999 going to the State Tournament is normal. The dream now is to win the State Championship which has now happened 5 times. I told stories of the 1999 and other teams inspiring hundreds of audiences all over the country including foreign audiences through a translator.

People love stories, especially true stories.

Are you courageous enough to dream high and have a vision that inspires you in 2021? COVID will still be with us. Hopefully the new vaccines will help us to get back to a new normal. The CEO of Advantage Media (my publisher), Adam Witty, was concerned about his 73-year-old father and COVID. His father told him, “Son, your mother and I are going to take appropriate precautions, but we aren’t going to stop living. If my choice is to be locked in my house for six months or dead, I might rather be dead.”

In my opinion, 2021 is time to get back to living. We need to use common sense, follow appropriate guidelines and get vaccinated when the opportunity presents. We need to think not if we can but how we can.

We can do a lot including live meetings and family gatherings if we follow guidelines and take precautions. We can’t let our guard down.

Like driving a car, we can travel a million miles safely but the next miles we drive are the most important.

If 2021 is a great year for you, what will your life look like on December 31, 2021?

How will your relationships be? Will you and your spouse be deeper in love?

Will you have a great relationship with your children? Will you have more friends? What about your health?

Will you be fitter and have more energy? Will you run your first half-marathon? Will you be happier and healthier? What actions do YOU need to take to make this happen?

What will your personal finances look like? Will your net worth be greater?

What do you need to do in your job or in your business so you have a stronger financial position?

Successful business people tell me they have prospered under Democratic and Republican administrations.

Your success is determined by you and your team.

I encourage you to write down specific measurable goals in critical areas of your life like the examples above.

Focus on what you can control not the barriers. We need balance in our lives. We also need to know what is really important to us.

If we focus on our job, business or finances and neglect our relationships and health we may not be able to enjoy the wealth we accumulate.

At Shale Crescent USA we are working on our 2021 written vision and goals. We know bringing good jobs to this region is more important now than ever.

Our vision is to see businesses in the region expand and see other companies choose to come here to take advantage of our location on top of the energy and feedstock and in the middle of the largest economy in the world.

Companies located here can create shorter supply chains greatly reducing emissions and CO2 compared to products with long supply chains coming from halfway around the world.

Shale Crescent USA’s research gives companies hard data to justify expanding in this region. We expect to have live conferences in 2021 to generate new prospects. Several projects are expected to start construction in 2021.

Make a fresh start and choose to make 2021 a great year for you, your family and your business.

Dream high.

Be creative.

Believe.

Write down your vision and focus on what you can control. All things really are possible.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering who has over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. He is the author of four books and numerous published articles.