The Old Soviet Union

When I was in my teens living in Sweden, I was fascinated with the Soviet Union. Communism was at the time the enemy of the Western world and seen as the perennial threat to our very existence. Perhaps it was the fear of the “evil empire,” as President Reagan coined it, or Sweden’s proximity to this giant of the Eastern Bloc that captivated me. But whatever it was, it had a profound effect on my imagination.

The Soviet Union was known to persecute and imprison its religious citizens, and I was appalled by the injustice. So my dream became to share the convictions that my parents had instilled in me. I would often lie in bed, visualizing myself speaking to tens of thousands of people in this communist nation. I would also look at famous speakers’ photos and see the enormous crowds gathering at their events.

Connecting the photos with my imagination and strong emotions, I would replay with my inner eye crowds, too large to count, listening to me speak in the Soviet bloc. At the time, I was terrified of public speaking. I would sit in the back of my classroom so that my teacher would not notice me. I was afraid that she might ask me a question, and I would have to speak in front of the class.

But at the onset of the 1990s, when communism began to crumble, I traveled to the Soviet Union. I will never forget when asked to speak to a huge crowd of tens of thousands. Standing in front of the crowd and observing how intently they listened to me, I declared without fear, “Lenin is dead, communism is dying in your nation, but faith is alive and well.” What I visualized many years before, now manifesting before me.

Adapted from David Youngren, Beyond Limits: 7 Steps To Create The Life of Your Dreams