 So tell me: What did you dream about last night? Did you dream? I’m sure you did; we all dream. However, most of us don’t remember our dreams. Forgetting last night’s dream is truly a forgettable event. However, forgetting your Life’s Dream? Well, that’s another story altogether. So, in an effort to rekindle your dreamy thoughts, in today’s Dare I offer two short poems to reawaken, revitalize, and restore your superior sense of what can be. Yes: If you can dream it, the possibilities are here (and there) to achieve it. But like the daylight, daily tasks, and daily drama following each night’s sleep, our dreams are often replaced by the hustle and bustle of the “real world.” Today’s post is a reMINDer that your Life’s Dream is as much a part of the “real world” as are your shoes; your socks; your breakfast; your lunch; your email; this blog, and anything else that works its way into that mind of yours. In fact, I would argue that YOUR Life’s Dream is actually a bigger part of YOUR reality than all the other stuff combined. Combined? Yes. And here’s why: Your Life’s Dream is a thought, an idea, and a creation that has been established by the creator that is you. All of that other stuff is the result of someone else’s Life Dreams. And for “them,” and their respective Life’s Dream… life has become a dream come true. Indeed, we are all “living the dream.” The only question is, “Whose dream is it?” This amazing thing called the television is the result of someone’s dream. The movies and sitcoms on TV are the result of someone else’s dream. The simple but amazing concept of a mobile (cell) phone originated in someone’s head some time ago. Your cell phone, your clothes, and the town in which you live… They are all the result of someone’s dream. Interestingly enough, your cell phone, your clothes, and the town in which you live are also the result of YOUR specific dreams. Yes, despite the fact that all those things were created by other people, the one fact that integrates all of them is the fact that each of those things are connected to and by only one specific person: you. You own the dream that has come to be your life. Do you love the dream? If so, keep dreaming, my friend. On the other hand, if you DON’T like the dream you are currently living… Then change the script. How? Simply acquire the faith, fearlessness, and fundamental belief that your (new) dream can come to true. If you seek to acquire the faith, fearlessness, and fundamental belief that your dream CAN come true, there is a significant likelihood that your dream WILL come true. Seeking to acquire the faith of which I speak is a very simple task. But “simple” and “easy” are vastly different descriptors. After all, it’s rarely easy to stare failure in the face, learn from it, and then move on. And yet, Thomas Edison “failed” hundreds of times before succeeding with his invention called the commercial light bulb. Regarding failure, Edison is quoted as saying: "After we had conducted thousands of experiments on a certain project without solving the problem, one of my associates, after we had conducted the crowning experiment and it had proved a failure, expressed discouragement and disgust over our having failed to find out anything. I cheerily assured him that we had learned something. For we had learned for a certainty that the thing couldn't be done that way, and that we would have to try some other way." Edison’s dream came true, but not without significant faith, work, and faith in his work. In one of my all-time favorite speeches, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., proclaimed:
Dr. King’s dream is an ideal just shy of perfection. And though perfection is something that can never be fully realized, Dr. King’s dream has certainly brought us much closer to forming a “more perfect union.” And then there’s this thing called fearlessness… Ah, to be fearless. Me? After being bitten by a couple of dogs (and having the scars to prove it), and seeing a few people attacked by “friendly” dogs, I tend to be somewhat apprehensive and anxious around dogs. Am I fearful of dogs? Well… not FULL of fear, no. But I have my firm reservations. So, what does one do to overcome fear? The popular answer to this question is “get more courage.” However, courage is not the answer to combating fear. The answer may surprise you. The answer is simple. The answer might not be easy… But it’s already in you. The answer is to simply “increase your faith.” If and when you increase your faith, fear becomes an unrelated aspect of your dreams. And when fear is removed from the pursuit of your dream, there is automatically more room, more time, and more energy to invest in transforming your dreams to goals… and then those goals into plans… and then those plans into actions… And the next thing ya’ know… YOUR actions facilitate “a dream come true.” But it all starts with YOUR dream… and YOUR fundamental belief that YOUR dream can come to fruition. And if it can, it will…. But you, my friend, must first wake up from the daily drudgery of living someone else’s dream. One last point: - Fear is created AND destroyed in the same place: your mind. Below are two AWEsome poems that, when fully understood, embraced, and established within the creator that is you… will ignite your dream machine and launch a renewed vigor toward YOUR life’s dream. The poems speak for themselves, but I will add one small comment: It’s all about YOU. But tell me: What’s your role in your soul, your goal, and for whom the bell tolls?  POEM #1: "The Winds of Fate" Ella Wheeler Wilcox ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ One ship drives east and another drives west with the selfsame winds that blow. 'Tis the set of the sails, and not the gales, that tell us the way to go. Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate as we voyage along through life... 'Tis the set of a soul that decides its goal, ...and not the calm or the strife.  POEM #2: “Follow Your Dreams” Bruce Wilmer ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ If while pursuing distant dreams, your bright hopes turn to gray. Don't wait for reassuring words or hands to lead the way. For seldom will you find a soul with dreams the same as yours. Not often will another help you pass through untried doors. If inner forces urge you to take a course unknown, Be ready to go all the way... yes, all the way alone. That's not to say you shouldn't draw lessons from the best; Just don't depend on lauding words to spur you on your quest. Find confidence within your heart, and let it be your guide. Strive ever harder toward your dreams, and they won't be denied. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Today, I dare you: ~ Follow YOUR Dreams ~ Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®  John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist. He believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need. And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me). Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}. An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work! An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, "The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life," a teen-focused guide, "Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens," and the Christian-based book, "God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life." He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and “authorize” people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets. His trademarked phrase is a winner:  |
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