This is day one - if you choose it

​I spent a lot of time this weekend watching the men's and women's final four games. It's hard to imagine more athleticism and talent gathered in one building. And when watching, it's easy for me to begin believing I am watching young women and young men do things I could never do.

I wonder, though, if I was actually watching them do what I have not often enough done.

In many post-game interviews I heard young people say they were experiencing a dream come true. I don't think I agree with that. I'm not sure I am any longer a fan of the phrase 'dream come true'.

Because these young people weren't living in a dream come true. Most of them were catching something they'd spent much of their lives chasing.

You can dream.

Or you can chase.

You can wait on one day to arrive, or you can treat today like it is day one in my journey to getting there.

I think dreaming can lead to wasted time. There are a lot of ways of imagining your one day arriving. But chasing - chasing demands investment, not imagination.

Chasing demands that I recognize one day might never come. I can imagine it every day, but no amount of imagination in the world will bring one day to life.

But day one; it is here.

Right now.

If I don't take it, and own it, and make it my own. If I don't invest it, if I don't make it my partner in my chase, then ONE DAY becomes the dream that never comes true, and the DAY ONE I wasted becomes the nightmare reason why.

It's important to ask ourselves when we are watching people live what looks like dreams come true; is that really a dream come true?

Or am I watching someone catch what they've spent a lot of their life chasing.

Am I watching someone who was always too busy living out day one to spend a lot of time imagining one day, and in turn, found themselves living out one of the most beautiful one days of their lives.