2/4/15

“We’ve removed the ceiling above our dreams. There are no more impossible dreams.”

We embark on so many journeys towards dreams of our own creation and we often find that taking the first step appears to be the most daunting. Maybe it’s due to the fact that by working for success, we have to weigh the risk of failure. I can understand that mindset because there’s a tendency to focus on the complexities of what may be far down the road, and the failure to under-simplify those first few steps.

Let’s break it down to basics. The worst part of any journey rarely occurs in the first few steps we take unless we foolishly step off a cliff so we might as well get started. Little is discovered (or lost) at the beginning of our travels other than going in what we hope is the right direction towards the fulfillment of our dreams. Hope is at it’s strongest when our energy and faith has yet to be tested so we shouldn’t have it influenced with speculation about improbable or unlikely failures because we are nowhere near finding out what the future holds. Just do something and take those first steps forward!

Of course the greatest confusion occurs during the middle of your quest when the unexpected challenges obstruct your path. This is where the instinctive reaction is to modify the scale of the original dream so to avoid facing the more formidable challenges or worse, conform to others views of how your goals should be perceived. PLEASE DON’T DO THAT! This is just the natural consequence of all great aspirations that call for a test of your character, self-confidence, commitment, and dedication to the belief in the individual design of YOUR dreams. Don’t be distracted or dismayed because you can no longer see your port of origin and have yet to see overwhelming evidence of your destination and I’ll tell you why.

The moment you created a dream with the belief that it was obtainable, you gave it a life that will communicate with you when you go off course so listen along the way. When you’ve shared that dream with someone who unconditionally cares for you and believes that you can accomplish it, you gave a voice to that person who will help you through any moments of doubt or weakness. Sometimes it’s lost in the delivery or translation but we forget that the people we fight with the most, i.e., your parents, are the ones who are fighting for you with the greatest amount of devotion!

I’m often dismayed when people rely on the power of “prayer” or seek the intervention of “fate” to either overcome the obstacles in their way and/or magically fulfill their dreams without further effort. If for some explicable reason some aspects of that original vision come true, they should not be confused with “miracles” but rather accidents or sheer luck. My suspicion is that what was initially envisioned was modified or altered due to a measure of capitulation to that which was confronted and not overcome, or the influence of someone else’s demands. To me it’s difficult to differentiate between gifts versus achievement and although I’m appreciative of the former, I only take personal pride in the latter.

I’ve said before that if there is something that we want bad enough, then we need to serve as the “god” of our dreams because our Creator may have other more important issues that require His attention. If I pray, it’s generally for strength or clarity because some parts of every journey weigh on me more heavily than others with my sight temporarily dimmed. But here’s the thing I have told you boys in the past: I BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING THAT YOU ENVISION YOURSELF DOING UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE! That knowledge should be enough to fortify you through the most dire of circumstances and the confidence to know that I will carry you if necessary as long as my heart is still beating, because your lives have been a part of each of my heartbeats since your birth.

So here is my hope for you boys and actually for all those I care for – that each day of your life’s be a combination of living for a dream, and living the life of dreams fulfilled! Each dream begins with the vision of what you foresee for yourselves and starts with the hope it shall come true. It is maintained through the belief that despite any adversities, you have the strength, the support, and the capability of overcoming them. More importantly, you will remember that every one of your dreams belongs to you and that no one is entitled to take them away from you. Finally once you’ve reached the final destinations of your journeys, you will understand that all foreseeable possibilities will become probabilities and that from there, you will live a life of promise rather than limitations!

There are two quotes I want you to carry with you. First “I love those who yearn for the impossible” because I’ve learned that there’s no point in underestimating anyone, especially you guys. And finally, “without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” So plan your dreams well, and live well after you’ve achieved them!