Remember the game ‘Simon Says’ we played as kids? We listened and responded to instructions that began with those words. Let’s imagine that Steve Harvey’s new book ‘Act Like a Success’ represents Simon’s voice. Then Harvey’s story shows how to keep your dream alive by any means necessary.

He makes clear that we show-up in life with a gift and related talents. In computer lingo, our gift is similar to a computer chip. It’s like our ‘intel inside.’ It’s our unique intellect or God-given success factor. That gift allows us to go from nothing to something or from zero to sixty in whatever area we focus our passion.

The book reminds us that the gift is freely given and cannot be bought, sold or stolen. It represents something we do almost effortlessly that can bring lasting value. When we put our gift to work like Oprah, Steve Jobs and Harvey, at home, in the marketplace or community, it leaves a ‘gift mark’ as our legacy.

It’s one thing to discover our gifts but we also have to develop our goals. This becomes the vehicle for getting from here to there in our dreams or career. Harvey talks about S.M.A.R.T. goals that take us out of our comfort zone but not cause us undue harm. It’s a way to stretch towards the horizon of our dreams.

Goals guide our growth personally and professionally. So if folks had a choice which would be preferred, a half-baked potato or a twice-baked one with all the fixings? Based on Harvey’s success we should consider the same thing. Would we prefer a half-baked life or a twice-baked one with all the blessings?

Life has a way of taking us down roads we didn’t see coming. Sometimes we have a choice of taking the road less travelled. Keeping the dream alive by any means necessary involves driving confidently towards our greatness. We have to let the onboard navigation get us there using the gift as our GPS for success.

The GPS in our cars works by having a chip in the device that sends/receives signals with the satellite. This way we can get to our destination because the device can handle east, west, north and south at the same time. When we use our gift as GPS for success it moves us in the direction of our greatness.

Our human greatness varies from person to person just as the houses on a block aren’t the same. They might have different colors or windows or sizes. In living up to our full potential or keeping our dream alive we’re not distracted if we remain committed to the gift and goals for getting to our ultimate destination.

Footnote: If life is a song worth singing then our God-given gift brings out the best ever in us.