PUT YOUR DREAM TO THE TEST
John Maxwell
Chapter One Teaching
Animated Video Script
(Total Run Time: 19:45)
SCENE ONE: Run Time: 1:32
Animation: Two houses side by side with ladders leaning against them. The names, "Patrick's House" and "Neighbor's House" are painted over the eaves. Our main character, Patrick, enters the scene carrying a paint can and paint brush and begins to climb the ladder leaning against "Neighbor's House".
V.O.
Meet Patrick, an ambitious young man who is about to paint his dream house. Unfortunately, Patrick is climbing the wrong ladder.
Patrick steps up one rung on the ladder and looks over at the house next door. He scratches his head and slowly takes another step up the wrong ladder.
V.O.
Patrick knows he wants to paint his own dream house, but he's a little confused about which house is his dream house. Be careful, Patrick. Remember the words of the great Carl Jung, "we may spend our whole life climbing the ladder of success, only to find when we get to the top that our ladder is leaning against the wrong wall."
Patrick stops mid-step on the third rung. He scratches his head again and pulls himself up to the third rung.
V.O.
"If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster." Patrick glances over at the house marked "Patrick's House". Then he steps back down to the second rung.
(Clearly, the signs on the houses are visible only to the audience.)
Finally, Patrick climbs back down onto the ground and stares at the two houses, hesitating in doubt. He puts down the paint can and puts his hands on his hips while contemplating both houses.
SCENE TWO: Run time: 3:31
Animation: Two adult figures enter from stage left. They are probably Patrick's parents. They ponder the two houses along with Patrick.
V.O.
Many people will try to tell you which dream is yours.
The male adult indicates that he thinks the house marked "Neighbor's House" is the one Patrick should go to work on.
V.O.
Most of these people are well meaning and have always had your best interests at heart.
The female adult now joins in, agreeing that Patrick should paint the "Neighbor's House." Patrick approaches the ladder leaning against the "Neighbor's House" again.
V.O.
The entire culture surrounding us wants to help us find our purpose in life. School teachers, ministers, aunts, and uncles all have dreams for you. The thing about dreams, though, is that no one else can have your dream.
A thought balloon emerges above the female adult's head as she contemplates the "Neighbor's House". A red house surrounded by a flower garden takes shape in detail inside the balloon. The windows are adorned with tied back curtains and white window boxes. Smoke slowly begins to emerge from the chimney.
V.O.
Dreams are individual and personal. No two people have exactly the same dreams. Each person has their own dream, and they cannot make their dream, your dream.
Another thought balloon emerges above the head of the male adult. A white two-story house with tall columns surrounding a front porch, a typical southern mansion, takes shape. Glancing toward the sky, he begins to smile and nod his head in affirmation.
V.O.
We do not dream in the abstract. Dreams are pictures we paint with our minds depicting how we imagine happiness in the future.
A thought balloon begins to emerge over Patrick's head while he ponders the house marked "Patrick's House". His dream house is incomplete, however. It's under construction, still without a roof or any exterior detail. He places his thumb and forefinger under his chin and begins to think while glancing up toward his thought balloon.
V.O.
Our dreams are pictures created by bits and pieces our senses gather from our environment. When we see, hear, or touch something that gives us pleasure, we retain the impression and utilize it to form our mental dream pictures.
Patrick's dream house begins to take shape inside his thought bubble. Each added detail clearly pleases him. His house is emerging as an A frame hunting cabin complete with a fieldstone fireplace and gun racks along the walls.
V.O.
The culture we grow up in tries to teach us who we are and what we should want. We listen respectfully and develop some beliefs. But this conditioning never affects our dreams. Our dreams grow from within.
SCENE THREE: Run Time: 0:30
Animation: Patrick dressed in a complete academic gown receiving a diploma from an auspicious looking dean. Another Professor sitting in the audience has a big smile on his face as he beams proudly at Patrick.
V.O.
As students we are influenced by teachers. They believe they know where we would best fit into society and so try to influence us in that direction.
SCENE FOUR: Run Time: 0:30
Animation: Patrick in his father's office being introduced to his father's colleagues.
V.O.
Often your father will see you following him in his profession. This might be his dream but it's probably not yours.
SCENE FIVE: Run Time: 0:20
Animation: Patrick playing piano at a recital with his teacher and his mother looking on with great pride and satisfaction.
V.O.
Even your parents won't agree on what your dream is because they each only have their own dreams.
SCENE SIX: Run Time: 1:00
Animation: Patrick on the pitcher's mound in a big league ballpark. Patrick's uncle, rooting for Patrick, is jumping up and down waving his arms in front of the dugout. The scoreboard reveals that Patrick's team is ahead (2 TO 1)in the bottom of the ninth inning with the count of (3 and 2) on the last batter.
V.O.
Other people's dreams may even, at times, seem attractive. But if they didn't emerge from the inner mind of your own collective impressions, they will not be your dreams, and you will never achieve them.
SCENE SEVEN: Run Time: 0:45
Animation: Patrick is standing in front of a full length mirror looking at himself in a General's army jacket that is three sizes too big. The breast is resplendent with combat medals and there are four gold stars on each shoulder.
V.O.
Somehow, other people's dreams do not fit. The inner conviction it takes to become a General in the army is simply not there. You just can't seem to maintain the consistent drive it takes to make it to the top in the U.S. Army.
SCENE EIGHT: Run Time: 0:50
Animation: Patrick, bent over trudging up a steep hill pulling a cart loaded with a mountain of gift boxes marked, DREAMS.
V.O.
Other people's dreams are too heavy. You will not be enlivened by other people's dreams. You will wear yourself out trying to reach goals that other people have set for you. When you're doing something you love you have boundless energy. If you're unhappy when you're working but happy when you're playing, you are not living your dream. You are living someone else's dream or fulfilling someone else's definition of your duty.
SCENE NINE: Run Time: 1:00
Animation: Patrick examining himself in a hand-held mirror. He looks closely at his eyes, hands, and feet. He checks his posture and his profile, his smile and his scowl.
V.O.
You are not who your father thinks you are. You are not who your mother thinks you are. You are not who your pastor thinks you are. You are not even who you wish you were. You are now, and always, only who you actually are. If you do not accept the self you discover, you will never accept the dream that naturally emerges from your inner consciousness.
SCENE TEN: Run Time: 1:05
Animation: Patrick lying in a meadow with a dreamy look on his face chewing on a flower stem as whistling notes float up to the sky.
V.O.
Dreaming does not mean making believe. You can't just lie around daydreaming. Knowing your dreams is to know your mind. It means taking responsibility for your own destiny by taking a fearless look at who you really are. It means standing up for what you really love and enjoy, regardless of whether other people approve or understand. It means risking to be yourself in a world that would rather you conform.
SCENE ELEVEN: Run Time: 0:50
Animation: A fairy godmother is touching a group of little children with a wand and granting them dreams they are imagining in their heads. A forlorn Patrick stands slumped in the corner as the fairy godmother ignores him.
V.O.
Most people believe that dreams don't come true. This belief causes two things: One, it assures that you will not take responsibility for making your dreams come true. Two, your dreams will not come true. If enough people take this attitude, few dreams do come true and this belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
SCENE TWELVE: Run Time: 0:45
Animation: Patrick on the top of Mount Everest holding a big trophy.
V.O.
Most people believe that only big dreams are worth having. For this reason, they do not affirm their little dreams because they do not feel they are worthy dreams. They will only climb a hill if it's Mount Everest. They are embarrassed to feel good simply climbing the little hill outside their back door. Take responsibility for enjoying any dream that emerges from your inner consciousness. That is the definition of happiness.
SCENE THIRTEEN: Run Time: 0:20
Animation: Patrick picks up his book bag, lunch, and coat, and rushes out the door to catch the school bus visible through the front door as he emerges.
V.O.
The requirements of everyday life always come before trying to live your dream.
SCENE FOURTEEN: Run Time: 1:00
Animation: Patrick, sweating profusely, pushes an old fashioned lawn mower through thick grass.
Cut to: Patrick, with a pencil behind his ear, scratching his head while intensely studying a pile of books open on the desk in front of him.
Cut to: Patrick praying with the congregation in church.
Cut to: Patrick in a football uniform running down the field in a game.
V.O.
There are chores, school work, sports, family engagements, church affairs, and community services that take up all your time. There never seems to be enough time to pursue your inner most dreams.
SCENE FIFTEEN: Run Time: 0:40
Animation: Patrick stands with a drooping head while his father and mother tell him to stop being a dreamer and get down to work.
V.O.
"You may succeed if nobody else believes in you, but you will never succeed if you don't believe in yourself." Your dreams are pictures in the back of your consciousness. Bring them conscious, often, and color them in with as much detail as you can imagine. Believe that they are the truth about how you will find happiness in this world.
SCENE SIXTEEN: Run Time: 0:45
Animation: Patrick stands in front of a crowd with a megaphone held in front of his mouth. He is pointing here and there with his free hand as he clearly gives orders to those assembled before him.
V.O.
Lead your life. Don't just accept it. Take action often to advance yourself toward the dream you picture in your mind. Make choices that benefit you. Always keep your dream conscious and direct your actions toward realizing your picture of success and happiness.
SCENE SEVENTEEN: Run Time: 1:00
Animation: Patrick sits at a soda fountain licking a tasty looking ice cream cone. Then he stretches out on the stools and continues to enjoy his treat. He is satisfied and at peace.
V.O.
Don't fall prey to believing that work is supposed to be bad or hard and play is supposed to be good or easy. If you do what you love to do, work becomes play. Happy people live their dreams. They love what they do. Avoid taking a job because it's the practical thing to do. Never stop trying to find out what work suits you, feels good on you, and energizes you. When you're more enthusiastic at the end of a work day then you were at the beginning, you are doing the right thing for you. You are living your dream.
SCENE EIGHTEEN: Run Time: 0:45
Animation: Patrick stands back to back with another animated figure measuring who is the tallest.
V.O.
Never compare yourself to anyone else. Every person is a unique individual with a different background, different skills, different likes and dislikes,
and different circumstances. Only measure yourself against your dream. How close am I to being who I really want to be? What should I do to get myself from here to there? Do I look like the man or woman in my dream picture? If not, what changes or additions do I need to accomplish?
SCENE NINETEEN: Run Time: 0:40
Animation: With a look of confusion on his face, Patrick, wearing a baseball cap and a catcher's mitt, looks down on himself from heaven. He sees himself dressed in judge's robes, sitting on the bench in a court with a trial unfolding in front of him.
V.O.
"If success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your soul, it is not success at all." Success is when your outward expression matches your innermost dream.
SCENE TWENTY: Run Time: 0:35
Animation: Patrick, slumped down in his desk, sits daydreaming in a classroom filled with fellow students while a teacher teaches a class at the front of the room. The thought balloon above Patrick's head is full of question marks.
V.O.
What if I had no limitations, Patrick is thinking. What if I had only five years to live? What if I had unlimited resources? What if I knew I couldn't fail? What would I do?
SCENE TWENTY-ONE: Run Time: 0:20
Animation: Patrick, still slumped in his desk, continues daydreaming. He has shifted his head to his other hand and fiddles with a pencil. The thought balloon is still full of question marks.
V.O.
Well, what are my gifts, Patrick is now contemplating? What are five things I like about myself? What people make me feel special?
SCENE TWENTY-TWO: Run Time: 1:00
Animation: Patrick, dressed in an elegant suit and tie, walks down a busy sidewalk, tipping his fedora at all the beautiful women as they pass by. The thought balloon above his head is a perfect but miniature replica of Patrick in the same suit he is wearing, doffing his cap at invisible ladies.
V.O.
Patrick has answered all the questions he pondered. He colored in all his dreams and has mustered the courage to accept responsibility for making his dreams his reality. His dream comes from inside his consciousness not from his external environment. He doesn't work because he has to, he works because he wants to. He is energized living his dream because it is his dream, not anyone else's. Patrick is now Patrick. He is not his mother's Patrick. He is not his father's Patrick. He is not his teacher's Patrick. He is Patrick's Patrick.
FADE OUT