I wrote this post a few years ago on my Passion in Action blog. So in honor of Valentine's Day I decided to dust it off and repost it here. Enjoy!

One of my favorite sports in high school was flirting. Yes, you read correctly - flirting. I say this, because it was all a big game that everybody played. Fortunately, it was fun, mostly harmless, puppy love child's play.

While that kind of behavior was ok back then, once I got older I realized it was time to put away childish things. What was innocent flirting in high school took on a whole different tone and meaning once I became an adult. Flirting now had greater expectations and consequences attached to it. I had to be much more careful and flirt "at my own risk."

How does this relate to your dreams? Some people are content to only flirt with their dreams because they are unwilling to make the  physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual investments that are necessary to pursue and accomplish big dreams.

What does flirting with a dream look like?

• Talk about dreams and aspirations randomly but not all the time
  
• All talk but no action or follow through
  
• Action is inconsistent or half-hearted
  
• Start down a path, but when things become harder than expected they turn their attention to something else
  
• Always looking for the easy way out
  
• Easily distracted and always chasing the next big thing
  
• Not willing to take risks
  
• Only do the easy stuff related to accomplishing their dreams (which is very little)
  
• Not willing to sacrifice anything significant to see their dreams come true
  
• Actions don't always line up with words, i.e. they make false promises to self and others
  
• Don't take dreams seriously; life's just a big game
  
• Little sense of commitment or accountability
  
• Always making excuses or blaming others when things don't work out
  

Does any of this sound familiar to you as it relates to flirt-only, surface-level relationships? How about as it relates to pursuing and accomplishing one's dreams? This type of behavior is similar to relationships when people flirt with one another for long periods of time without eventually making a commitment, because they are unwilling to devote themselves to a meaningful, significant, and accountable partnership.

Some of the reasons why people do this in relationships are the same as why they do it with their dreams:

• Significant relationships require transparency, vulnerability, and interdependency.
• Some think it's safer not to take any risks.
• Some flirt with several options because they just want to test things out.
• Serious relationships require all of your body, mind, will, and emotions.

'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

This well-known quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson applies to relationships and dreams. "Perpetual Flirters" don't realize they will never be able to experience the joy and depth of love if they never take a risk of being with someone that could cause them a depth of pain. Likewise, you will never be able to experience the depth of joy and fulfillment from accomplishing your dreams if you never embrace the risk of experiencing deep disappointment and discouragement that may happen if you don't accomplish your dreams.

Stop flirting with your dreams! Take the plunge. Jump in head over heels. Pursue it with all your heart and don't hold anything back. Commit to staying the course, especially when it gets hard - because it inevitably will. It will be well worth the risk no matter what happens!