The famous words of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" often ring through my head. No, not "The Time Warp", but the words never better sung "Don't Dream It BE IT".

Throughout my life I've only wanted one thing, "To be different", not rich, not beautiful, not normal, not average, but DIFFERENT, and have used that as my measuring stick of success. (Maybe that explains why I like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", but I'll save that thought for my next therapy session.)

Nonetheless, at an early age I read "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it CAN achieve", written by famous author W. Clement Stone, and this is where I learned the value of "dreaming", because I knew that if I could believe in my dreams I could achieve my goals.

The problem however was that my friends and relatives didn't always think that my dreams, goals, and ideas were good ones? The reason I found was a simple one – It's not their job to believe in my dreams, that's my job, because they are MY aspirations. It is their job to shine the light of doubt on everything we dream, to show us the flaws in our logic, to throw road blocks in our way, if only to test our resolve. Through this process our dream becomes more powerful or it fades away.

Criticism is a good thing, not a bad thing. While our natural reaction is to take it personally, if someone has a good reason that my dream won't work, it may take a day or two to digest the criticism, but in the end I have either stronger desire to accomplish something and have solved some problems or accept the fact that they saved me from a lot of wasted time and grief.

So now when I decide to take my idea further, I will then step the process up a notch by subjecting it to an expert's opinion through reading books and research, speaking to an expert or consultant in the related field, or analyzing how others are doing similar things. I seek criticism that doesn't just tear down my idea, but instead helps me refine it into something even better.

Resources become important in such endeavors and shining the light of cold reality builds confidence and helps to insure greater success. We have all seen people with more money than brains, who think they have a great idea and march right down the path to destruction without getting the expert help they should have sought. We also see the person who refuses to give up, but also refuses to get the help they need to successfully take the idea from the dream stage to a sound successful reality.

The point to writing about all this is to help us all to understand that sometimes it is our job to dream and sometimes it is our job to doubt, and that it takes both to make a successful business relationship. Also that finding those resources are critical to refining your dream and that is what we do a lot here at Resources & Development is help the Dreamer refine that dream into a sound workable business and sometimes in that process we are asked to dream along with our clients.

So I say to you, "Don't Dream It BE IT!" and if Resources & Development can help you in refining that dream and bring it to life, then give us a call.

Skip Williams, the author of "The Reluctant Spa Director and the Mission Dream", is a recognized speaker and author in the spa arena, recently voted "Spa Person of the Year", with over thirteen (13) years of experience in the Management, Financial Development & Operational fields, in the Spa and Hospitality Industry as Spa Director, Controller and Business project Consultant. He brings his previous years of analytical business experience in a broad variety of manufacturing, retail and service businesses to studying Resort Spas, Day Spas, Medical Spas, Wellness Centers, and Salons: their profitability, how they operate, and what makes them successful. Skip is also Vice President of Resources and Development.