Realize Your Dreams: Step One

"...Too many people die and never live their dreams. And some don't even have dreams, or realize them if they do have them. I have big dreams, and I don't stop dreaming them until they happen."~Mattie Stepanek, from the Foreword of Reflections of a Peacemaker: A Portrait Through Heartsongs

Transforming Tragedy Into Inspiration

August 1, 1963 was just another day for many people. Sad, interesting, and inspiring things happened. For Barbara Streisand it was a landmark week. She was performing her first gig in Las Vegas, opening for Liberace at the Riviera Hotel.

The First Step Toward Success

Lately I've been reading about other people's life-altering crises, crises that have led to great successes, crises such as Lisa Fittipaldi's, which I mentioned in my previous post. Despite being legally blind, Lisa became a painter of colorful, realistic art.

Why Crises Aren't Always Bad

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ~Steve Jobs

I believe that dying takes many forms. Beyond death of the mortal body, it can be the death of a dream, the expiration of hope that a career, a relationship, or physical health will proceed as expected.

Unlocking the Mind's Strengths

The mind can be a wondrous or terrible thing. It can be wing or sumo wrestler. It can hold you up or pin you down.

Unlocking its strengths is like unlocking the power of the body. Unlocking its strengths requires the discipline of a body builder. Unlocking its strengths requires feeding it right and exercising it.

Passion's Rewards

The first time I heard F.X. Toole's story I thought: "If he could do that surely I can make my dreams come true."

Odds are that you've never heard of F.X. Toole. That's the pen name of Jerry Boyd,

 author of a short story collection called Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner. But you

My Wake-Up Call

Wake-Up Call  noun

1. : something (as a telephone call from a hotel employee to a guest) that serves to wake a sleeper
2. : something that serves to alert a person to a problem, danger, or need <a wake-up call to parents>