Realize

Back to our old friend Mr. Webster today.  For realize he shares two alternatives:

• To become fully aware
• To cause something to happen

These two, in my mind, are directly tied together:

• The “become aware” side deals with the transition from ignorance to knowledge.  It’s that moment when you truly comprehend the situation you are faced with — “he realized the magnitude of the challenge in front of him”.
• The “cause something happen” side deals with the action steps that take place afterward —  “her actions allowed her to realize her dream”.

Realizing is about recognizing the situation you are faced with and having the resolve to take the necessary actions to get to the desired end state.  It’s rarely easy, but almost always worth the effort..