Morning!
My brilliant colleague
Maureen Sharib posted an utterly brilliant article over at In The Direction of My Dreams. To wit:
….. When I was a little girl I remember asking my mother what she’d like to have for Christmas. She’d always say some version of the following: “I just want you kids (all five) to be good!”
It wasn’t until I was a mother myself for awhile that I understood her words.
A couple years back I was walking through a popular local high-end mall before Christmas with my twenty-two year old and oldest daughter, Andrea. The stores were festooned with holiday paraphernalia and their windows and aisles stuffed with merchandise that seemed to flow out into the corridors. As we passed the Coach store I could see her eyes fall on an eye-popping $300 what couldn’t have been larger than 6 x 8 number that wasn’t much thicker than an inch …..MORE….
Wow, she hits the point HEAD ON:
- I want to go in the direction of my dreams. I want to go unfettered; I want to be unimpeded in my pursuits. I want those around me to stop telling me why something won’t work and start telling me, “Okay let’s try.” I want support in my undertakings and encouragement; I want praise when I accomplish something. I want someone to dry my tears, to be patient with my ramblings, to reassure my doubt.
To go in the direction of my dreams.
What a brilliant idea…and yet, how many of us, especially those who have a couple of decades of life experience under our belts, allow ourselves to be frightened off from believing in future successes and challenges?
Who ARE we, indeed….to dare to buck the trends?
To step out of line?
To tell the world who is watching, to hell with you, I believe in myself! and I will SUCCEED no matter what!
Who are we….INDEED.
Everyone one of us has the spark of greatness within us. But all too often, we allow that to be dampened by doubts. Doubts from others, doubts from within…doubts that shatter our courage and cause us to shrink back into what the world expects.
To hell with that, says I! When you are seized with a new idea or new concept or something that is so out of this world, it’s never been done before…internalize the courage to be the first one to take a chance and DARE to succeed. Even if you don’t reach your goals, you’ll have the precious knowledge gained from the adventure…knowledge that will bolster your next attempt in the future.
I’ve been aware of this idea all thru my life, I will admit. I well-remember back when I was 25 – I was on a bus traveling towards a white water adventure run with my colleagues from AT&T. There were two gentlemen in their 40s sitting in back of me, and I heard one tell the other
“…yes, about 10 years ago, I had this great idea that I was sure would work….but my wife convinced me not to give up my current job. So I never really was able to get it off the ground. You know, I really regret that now….. “
I remember thinking, my gosh, how sad. When I’m in my 40s, I’ll never have to say that!
And you know what? I’m 43 now…and I don’t have to say that whatsoever. All of my dreams, I’ve tried – I’ve had utterly brilliant successes and humorously ridiculous failures but in every single case, I can say, I had the dream and I gave it my best.
Remember, Thomas Edison said (okay, he probably didn’t but it sure reads well!)
- Thomas Edison had already tried over 8,00 experiments in to invent the electric light bulb, none of which worked.
- Newspapers criticized him, cIaiming Edison a failure.
- His response: “I have not at all failed. I’ve just eliminated 8,000 possibilities on the road to inventing a light bulb. When I’ve eliminated the ways that won’t work, I’ll find the way that will.”
So. What are YOUR dreams? And are you taking the steps to make them come alive?
If not, ’tis a pity….. because if you won’t, who will do it for you?
’tis to think.
Enjoy,
Barbara
ps – here are some great motivational goodies: