Graduation is a time of dreams, of bright hopes for the future.

Let me add some encouragment.

First, dream big dreams. I believe God has a destiny for each person on this planet. It is intended for achievement, adventure and fulfillment.

It lies silently in the imagination until the individual decides to act to make it happen. There is a moment of inspiration and then a plunge into action.

Amy Grant picked up a guitar and never put it down. Peyton Manning started throwing a football and never stopped. Tiger Woods started hitting golf balls as a toddler and still drives them today.

Each one had a dream and acted to make it happen.

Second, expect agony in reaching the dream. The bigger the dream, the more the agony.

Dreams don’t come cheap. They take hard work. Persistent work. Relentless work.

Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps spent years swimming endless laps in pools to reach his dream of winning eight gold medals. Lance Armstrong pedaled thousands of miles on bicycles to win the Tour de France.

A coach once said, “To reach a dream, put ten thousand hours into it.”

Great dreams take years to achieve. Expect blisters, aches and pains. Bandages become a way of life.

Third, never quit. Dreams have to be conquered to be reached.

Discouragement, fatigue and sometimes despair escort every dream. Only the hardheaded reach the top.

Expect to be laughed at by friends, rejected by associates, and resisted by competitors as you move toward your dream. But do not quit.

America is a place of dreams. It’s the greatest country on the face of the earth. Here you can dream it and literally do it.

Do not waste this special privilege of living in this land. Go for your dreams.