This week we’ve been celebrating my daughter Olivia’s eighth birthday; but I’ve also been celebrating the fact that eight years and one day ago, my dream came true and I became a mom.

I wanted to be a mother more than anything in the world, and I was willing to move mountains to make it happen. The mental and emotional strength I had to build to get through the years of heart break, frustration and fear I endured while trying to get pregnant was life-altering. I experienced what real commitment felt like, and learned that dealing with set-backs and devastation are an inevitable part of the journey to achieving any goal that your soul yearns for.

When I think about my current goals and dreams, I always ask myself if I have the same commitment, the same clarity and the same burning desire that I had back then. Is it a non-negotiable dream for me? I can count on two hands the goals that I have committed to with such clarity and passion that I was willing to change myself, to deal with fear, to get back up again and again and to feed my faith simply because I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When Olivia was four years old, she said something that completely blew me away, and I’ll never forget it. (See video above). She told me that she picked my wife and I as her parents before she was born, and this sweet declaration changed the way I viewed not only motherhood, but how I related to setting and achieving (or not achieving) my goals and dreams.

What if our dreams pick us?

What if those big dreams we have are looking for someone to bring them into reality and it is not just a one-sided commitment?

What if all the set-backs and failures, heart-breaks and frustrations are all part of the plan to help birth the person you need to be to bring that dream into reality at the right time?

What if what we seek is really seeking us?

How different would this day be?