I was cleaning out some junk baskets today and came across a book of writing prompts; questions to ponder and then write about. I found some great questions and one is especially relevant after a conversation with a friend’s daughter yesterday. The question reads: You are asked to talk to a classroom of elementary students so what do you choose to discuss with them? My answer is: The importance of having dreams you make happen in your life. I remember thinking about what I wanted to be or do when I grew up and my answer came easily and quickly. I wanted to be a florist or an English teacher and live on a houseboat in Hawaii. Now, most of my work life didn’t resemble this life but my retirement life does resemble it…a bit. I spend time flower and vegetable gardening, I am writing, I live on a lake in weather that, after a few cocktails on my screened porch, feels a bit like Hawaii for a few months a year. Plus, I get to extend my time in good weather through our winter travel forays. Our young selves know more than we give them credit for so next time you hear a youngster talk about his/her dreams, celebrate their ideas and encourage their young minds to dream big.
Twenty plus years ago, I remember sitting in a conference session listening to a woman talk about manifesting dreams. She asked if there was anyone in the audience that had a dream they didn’t know how they could realize. I, or the gremlin inside me, jumped up and announced to the audience that I wanted to get a PhD. I immediately looked around and asked myself who just said that? Before I had a chance to sit down and quickly slip out of the room, the speaker asked me to say more about this dream and why I didn’t think it could be done. Yikes! Well, first off, I was working full time and couldn’t quit my job as I didn’t have anyone else to pay the bills. Secondly, I was building a new organization and already had my hands full. Well, not just the speaker but the audience as well knocked down every barrier I came up with and I, eventually, marched out of the room with an action plan. Cheapest counseling I ever got and some four years later I was the proud recipient of a PhD. The moral of the story is to be careful what you wish for and, once you stand up and announce it to the world, you are likely to make it happen!
This brings me to yesterday’s visit with a friend’s daughter who, on what better place than her childhood front porch, announced her dream to further her education and plan to pursue a teaching degree. She could easily come up with a long list of legitimate reasons why this will be difficult to achieve; family, job/s, money, time, etc. Little does she know, she just shared her dream with an audience of one who has realized many difficult dreams throughout her life who is going to knock down every barrier she comes up with over the next several years.’ I’ve just got one thing to say as you move forward my young friend: “Feel the fear and do it anyway!” Oh, and the first thing for you to ponder is what a GREAT example this will set for your kids; gives me goosebumps just thinking about it! I’m so excited for you I can hardly stand it! 2019