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Never again will I confess "I can't" for "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).Never again will I confess lack, for "My God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Never again will I confess fear, for "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).Never again will I confess doubt and lack of faith, for "God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Romans 12:3).Never again will I confess weakness, for "The Lord is the strength of my life" (Psalm 27:1). "The people that know their God shall be strong and do exploits" (Daniel 11:32).Never again will I confess supremacy of Satan over my life, for "Greater is He that is within me than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).Never again will I confess defeat, for "God always causeth me to triumph in Christ Jesus" (2 Corinthians 2:14).Never again will I confess lack of wisdom, for "Christ Jesus is made unto me wisdom from God" (1 Corinthians 1:30).Never again will I confess sickness, for "With His stripes I am healed" (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus "Himself took my infirmities and bare my sickness" (Matthew 8:17).Never again will I confess worries and frustrations, for I am "Casting all my cares upon Him, who careth for me" (1 Peter 5:7). In Christ I am "care-free."Never again will I confess bondage, for "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17).Never again will I confess condemnation, for "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). I am in Christ; therefore, I am free from condemnation.Never again will I confess loneliness, Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5).Never again will I confess curses or bad luck, for "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us...that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:13-14). Never again will I confess discontent because "I have learned, in whatsoever state (circumstances) I am, therewith to be content" (Philippians 4:11). Never again will I confess unworthiness because "He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).The confession of our mouths will eventually bring forth the things we speak.

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Dream Manfully and Nobly And Thy Dreams Shall Be Prophets. -Edward Bulwer-Lytton How do people get to the point in their life where they aren't motivated to do anything? Why do people lose hope? As I go around the U.S. speaking, too often I come across people who seemed to have given up on their dream or aspirations. They've settled for what they've gotten and there's no more fight in them. I can see it in their eyes; they look defeated. I've put together here ONE scenario of what I think happens to some who lose that spirit of achieving their highest potential. I like to think of this diagnosis as an autopsy of inaction. This is what happens to people who don't take action in life and simply accept their fate. You didn't take time to write down your goals, because you didn't need to. You have them right in your head…no need to write them out. Everyone reminds you to write down your goals, but you insist it isn't necessary. Time goes on and you get this uneasy feeling that you are NOT progressing in life as fast as you'd like. But you can't be sure of this lack of progress because you have no goals by which to measure your progress. Since you can't measure your progress, you decide to look to a surrogate measurement by comparing what you have to what others have. You do this comparative analysis and you ultimately conclude that you don't have as much as another person your age or as much as the person you went to High School with. Now you get more depressed and become irritable. You become so irritable that people find it hard to talk to you because you're either grumpy all the time or you bite their heads off when they say anything that triggers some insecure feeling about not making progress in life. The result? You start losing friends. Now they won't tell you that they're not your friends any more, they just stop calling you or find excuses of why they can't get together with you. Now resentment kicks in and you affirm to yourself that you don't need friends any way. So you close in on yourself and now the television become your new, best friend. It's a wonderful companion because it helps you forget about your worries by numbing your mind. But then you start noticing that people on the television seem to have a better life than you do. Your discontent grows as you see how much other people have on the television and how much you don't as you survey your skimpy apartment. Even though television is NOT a reflection of reality, you get more depressed and unmotivated to do anything. You soon realize (or imagine to yourself) how far behind you are compared to others when it comes to material measures of success. Now you're totally depressed or deject and you don't want to do anything. When you get to this point, you've reached the "I Accept" point of your life: -I accept that I will never be happy. -I accept that I will never have the things others have. -I accept that I will never be able to achieve the dreams I once had. Once you've reached this point, you join the millions who live out their lives in quiet desperation every day. Although you have an almost mute yearning for more in life, you reconcile within yourself that maybe this is all there is to have in life. You tell yourself that you will never be more than what you've already become, The Living Dead. Although you have not been officially pronounced dead, your spirit and will have long since abandoned you. And one day, as the final moments of life close in on and you feel the reaper's breath upon the nape of your neck, what will you say? SHOULDA, WOULDA, COULDA... Got one more kiss, spent one more hour with my mom, daughter, or son, gave one more person a positive report. I shoulda made one more call to one more friend, got one more hug... When the end comes I'm sure that you won't be asking for money, a new car, a bigger house, etc. The things you'll long for the most in those final moments will be those things you could've had for free. Success is measured by the quality of your life, not by some comparative analysis of what you do or do not have. This is just another reminder... you must make a decision to LIVE and the sooner you make it the better. You must structure goals around that decision if you ever hope to see it come to pass. Remember, -Don't be discouraged to act because you feel you're too far behind. Nonsense! -Don't compare what you want to what others have. Mistake! -Don't let your dream suffocate under indecision. Tragic!

I Tell People I'm Too Stupid To Know What's Impossible...I have ridiculously large dreams, and half the time they come true. -Debi Thomas This quote was too irresistible to pass up! To conclude that it is our own intellect that often makes us believe the things we really desire out of life are impossible is laughable (but true). Just think for a moment: How many times have you talked yourself right out of something that you REALLY wanted and ended up never even trying to attain it again? How many times have our logical minds played devil's advocate and convinced us that the goal was too far, too risky, or too high a cost? How many seeds of impossibility have you sown into your own life? Personally, I've sown too many to add up in one sitting. Every year, prior to this one, I found ways to delay my "becoming" by saying that I don't have the time -or- the energy -or- the help -or- the strength -or- the knowledge -or- the patience -or- the commitment -or- the support -or- the insanity to reach beyond my normal spear of living. It just seemed foolish to DREAM big when I was comfortably getting by doing what I've always done... keeping my head down and pressing forward. 1Cr 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; What does that mean? Any math major will tell you that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. When seeking a goal MOST career advisors will tell you to run after your goal with every fiber of your being and eventually you'll make it there. Like the rhino, get some tough skin, grit your teeth, endure some pain, and ram your being, head first, into anything that stands in the way of where you desire to be. And I'm convinced, that this approach just might work. I can't say that I've put that plan into action on countless occasions but I've tried it a few times (relationships, desire to be a professional athlete, bookcover designer, etc.). Seriously, I've thrown myself into some awkward positions and took some punches from life square on the chin. Quite frankly, that hurts... alot (I don't have a horn on my head like a rhino so just maybe that approach wasn't meant for me). . To attempt to will yourself to achieve beyond what your knowledge or emotions are prepared to handle is a stress I would not encourage anyone to endure. Instead I will tell you to listen to your spirit speak. It will lead down alternative routes. It will challenge your endurance and your patience by walking you through totally unexpected means of growth. It will grant knowledge from outside sources and emotional strength from various experiences which seem 100% unrelated. In short, when you are following your inner self you will go down paths that seem to take you away -instead of towards- your final destination. BUT, the end result will be remarkable. Foolish endeavors and weak undertakings can be the springboard for the most profound and powerful people. Who would have ever thought that Gene Simmons delivered the Long Island Star Journal in Queens, New York, for $37.50 a week. Or that Donald Trump didn't always command respect in the boardroom or on the real estate scene. Instead, he walked around to his father's properties and collected rent from tenants who were generally unhappy to see him. No one would guess a baseball star in the 1980s and 1990s, Cal Ripken Jr, spent much of his youth sweeping up and folding towels at dingy minor league ballparks. Or long before brokering agreements between bickering world leaders in her capacity as President Bill Clinton's Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright learned how to deal with people in uneasy situations by selling bras behind a department store counter in Denver. (Celebrity First Jobs By Tom Van Riper) How does this fit your life? Well it's like that movie the Karate Kid. How that little old man had Daniel waxing decks, painting fences, and buffing wood. Just when Daniel was ready to lose his temper and tell the old man that the time he spent working was wasted Mr. Miagi told him to do the movements of each task and each was a form of defense. It was a form of preparation that was boring and repetitive. Because of inadequate knowledge, Daniel didn't even know how it applied to where he wanted to go (his ultimate reality). But in one conversation, hours of work and effort all seamlessly fell into place and he knew that his working, toiling, and painting was not in vain! Thus, despise not humble beginnings. Yes, it may seem foolish. Yes, you may appear (to the on-looking eye) weak. However it is the totality of an individual's experience, will, and knowledge that empowers them to succeed and dream their dreams into reality. If you are led into a position by a choice and not by chance there is a good possibility that it has something to offer you in terms of your ultimate reality. All things are truly working together for your good. Much that you are aware of now is only because of what you've already experienced. Those previous experiences are what will help you find your REAL dream and then achieve it! Reevaluate your status quo. What have you hued out of being "you" that will prepare you for "you without limits?" Keep embracing your ridiculously large expectationss and following your inner self-inspired dreams (wherever they may lead you) and I'm convinced you'll make more progress in less time than if you started with a blank slate. Be thankful for your previous struggles as well as your previous successes.

All Changes, Even The Most Longed For... have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. -Anatole France I have this strange feeling that there may be a few first time readers peaking at this post. That's ok. I hope you enjoy what you read so much so that you take the time to read some of the previous post which made this post possible. Where am I... It's extremely early morning and I'm sitting here writing the melodies that chime true in my mind. They echo so loudly that they drown out the many questions that surround my current position. For those of you who don't know, yesterday I requested to be released from a treasured position at my current place of employment, Charles Schwab & Co, to return to what appears to be a lower role. I've spent the last 6 months working on a tag assignment as a trainer. In this position I worked with our temp-permanent employees as well as our new hires. It was a glorious role in which I was granted the opportunity to work with some of the most interesting, understanding, hilarious, overachieving people I've even met. Free from the phone (which is rare at a call center) I interacted with this vast array of individuals everyday with the intent of helping them become the best. So much so, people begin to convince themselves that there were lofty aspirations set for me right here at Schwab. I would only smile and say, "No, no, I'm just me." "So why would I leave?" From the on looking eye I was living the life. You'd see me walk in with a pad of paper, a folder, or a bag over-my-shoulder smiling at all the right people in the Schwab hierarchy. I knew them, and for the first time, they knew me to. I sat at countless desks and bounced around the building seemingly checking my email and looking at MSN. Again, why would I leave? Well, you'd have to begin to grasp the core of this blog to understand. Being a helper in training is not my ultimate dream. Irregardless of how well I performed or how many people that envisioned me being in training for the rest of my Schwab time I inherently knew that this is only a secondary aspiration. I'm certain that if the opportunity presents itself at a more stable point in my personal development I just may return. But in my pursuit of truth I keep finding out things. Like, it is impossible to successfully do everything WELL at once. If it were, trust that I would have stayed. But writing these articles and revisiting this material has forced me to face some hard questions: · I need time to develop, study, and be mentored for my real dream. When would this time come if I didn't make it myself? · Further, how can I tell other people to take steps towards their dreams when I'm constantly forsaking my own? · How can I write line after line of inspirational and challenging material and not get challenged or inspired? · How can I let rivers of living water flow through me and not take a sip myself? I concluded I can't lead people to a new life of wholeness and redefined success until I am willing to walk that road myself. I had to come out of my comfort zone and take a risk. I had to renew my dream (see Dreams Are Renewable.... ). So, here I am. I intend to go back to school to finish my Master's Degree. Three and a half years in, I pulled out of classes just last fall and when the opportunity for training came in November I took it not knowing I would love it so much. The training assignment was meant to be for approximately a month but turned into 6+ (which is generally how life works). In that time the fullness I felt and the impact I thought I could have on training and new hires was so overwhelming that it seemed impossible to pull away from. I took on the excitement and the responsibility of working in training with the entirety of my being. But heed these words, the dream that others have for you will never be able to take the place of the dream that has been imparted from your inner-self. While my ego was fulfilled and the sky appeared to be the limit there was a tugging inside of me to get back to my true self. The problem was I didn't know how. As aforementioned in the post: Hold Fast To Dreams under the header of Knowledge I talked about how sometimes you can be good at something that is not necessarily your passion. And though I was passionate about training, it was mostly because it was a shadow of what I feel I'm meant to do. It held several similar traits of my true dream so I thought it may lead me there. To further complicate things I was newly married and doing my best to handle the responsibility of owning my first home. Just getting by sounded real good. Yet, without training, study, commitment, and SACRIFICE I knew I would never make it to my intended end. It would forever be a dream. I don't want to spend all of my years working for material things or even corporate standings while my spirit is only half full. I have to finish my book(s), I have to write music, I have to polish my poems, I have to draw, I want to learn to paint, I have to start my motivation speaking... I have to BECOME WHO I WAS DESTINED TO BE. You may not want to do any of these things but I'm pretty sure there is something you long to do and have tucked away because of your present distress. The immediacy of bills, children, spouses, and life's stress can pull you further and further away from living your best. If you have the knowledge already, take steps towards your inner self-inspired dream one step at a time (seeDreams Pass Into The Reality Of Action. ). If you don't have the knowledge, do like me and go back to school (smile). I had an actually dream about five years ago. In this dream I got a new job. I was extremely excited about the job and the fact that I started the next day. I took down the address and just wanted to explode with excitement. The next day came and I put on the best clothes I owned and begin my journey to find the corporate office. For some reason, I was on a bicycle (hey it's a dream). I searched and searched and finally stopped into a building to get directions. The gentlemen at the front desk politely told me that the bus that would take me right to my job loaded on the side of their building. As I walked out the door (leaving my bike in the bathroom) I heard the bus pulling off. Though I ran as fast as I could, even breaking a sweat, I couldn't get to the bus before it pulled off. To make a long story not so long, the point is without proper direction it is hard to find your way to your destination. I don't care how great you look, how much energy you expend, or even how much you try to compensate... it is a long hard road to get to wholeness if you don't know how to get there. And sometimes we need an outside source to confirm with our inner sources to solidify our path. So I'm taking sometime to get some knowledge in hopes of getting some confirmation of my path. Now, even with this drastic step, my intent is still to be mature (see In Dreams... ). Most of the things I've mentioned don't yield large pay checks for newbies. I actually love C. Schwab and intend to be here for a long time! But I'm positioning myself to give more energy and time to the song my heart sings. So I changed. I admit, training has become a part of me. Each of you reading probably in one way or another have heard one of my training success stories or been in one of them. I hope you know I LOVE training and tried to give it my best. So, for a season, training is taking a back seat to my "becoming." This change is not easy for me, easy for the training department, or even easy for my pride. But it is the change I felt I needed to make. Even if I don't have the means to go to school fulltime I still intend to read more, study more, and "be" more over the rest of this year so I can get closer to "me." If you are one of the people I worked with in training I personally want to thank you; Thank you for your listening ear, your careful placement of anger (at the client or the polices, not at me), and your willingness to be taught (not an easy trait). Knowing that my success was based on your success was never an issue because you all kept proving over and over again that you are great people and thus great employees! To all the people reading this that leave in a hurry to rush to evening classes I applaud you! You're my role models. I want to be like you when I grow up. To all the people who taught me how to teach by teaching me with patience and care, I appreciate you more than you know! To all of you mentioned, and anyone else unmentioned, I hope this brief testimony changes you. Keep pressing, keep pushing, and keep finding ways to get closer to what you long to do and eventually it will become a reality (instead of just a dream). I took my one step (see I Not Only Use All The Brains That I Have, ); the question now is "Will you take yours?"

I Not Only Use All The Brains That I Have, but all that I can borrow. -Woodrow Wilson As promised, here is my attempt to expound on the area of knowledge. I want to take the time in this session to talk about the significance of having knowledge and how knowledge can assist -or- distract you. Under the title: Hold Fast To Dreams I introduce this vaste topic but don't take the time to flesh it out. Here are the details. For lack of a better term, knowledge is a tool. A powerful tool, but a tool none the less. Knowledge cannot, in an of itself, cause you to be great, rich, or free. Knowledge, at best, will give one the insight to do, be, and act with more precision and stability thus, enabling some of the aforemention positive conclusions (freedom, riches, etc). Once you get to the point where every move becomes a calculated step you've grown into a rational being. Weighing your choices against personal experiences and the experiences of others is a good habit that helps one tap into the full power of reason. I admit that early on in my life I took the ability to reason for granted. I made a lot of impulse decisions. Now years of trying to undo some of the mistakes and errors I've made has revealed the value in reasoning BEFORE doing. Most men live according to sense rather than reason. They sense something and just feel compelled to follow their gut. It's as ancient as time itself. Knowledge and reason work against this phenomenon. the more you know, the less of a risk you are making when you branch out with the intent of dreaming. By studying a field, a life transition, or getting career training your eyes can become open to things it would be impossible to perceive alone. I said it before and I'll say it again, "you don't have to reinvent the wheel!" You don't have to break the mode to step into your dream. You can use techniques and skills that others have spent the entirety of their lives finding out. We all stand on the shoulders of giants already just to be who we currently are. Any additional heights we achieve are just baby-steps from what the many generations that have existed before us and along side us have already taken. Being knowledgeable is not the same as being smart/intelligent. There are tons of intelligent people who file for bancrupcy everyday of the week. Even more that can't figure out how to tend to their personal emotional needs while reaching for a purposeful life. And even more that haven't figured out how to do all of that (manage finances, personal emotions, and goals) while tending to the needs of their loved ones around them. It is a difficult task to step out of our bad "flow" and grow. It takes more than just common sense to achieve the type of wholeness that I'm in pursuit of. I promise you that it will take some help. I haven't met the parent yet that has totally given their child all of the tools that they need to conquer the world by 16. And even the ones that tried desperate ran the risk of having a child that didn't take the time to listen. The biggest difference that you'll find between smarts and knoweledgeable people is that the smart people have the capacity to learn if taught. They also have the ability to figure things out if given the time. The can grasp concepts and respond according. A noble trait but not a preventitive. JUST being smart alone as you attempt to dream your dreams to life puts you in a reactive position instead of a proactive one. You don't want to spent hours, days, or years learning from mistakes that others have already made a million times over. Why do so when you don't have to? This is where knowledge comes in handy. Even if you are the non-traditional learning, take the time to learn about a life transition or dream pursuit before you launch out into it. At the very least, read a book or two. You can even try getting a mentor in the area. Ask others that are on the same career path or join a society or professional organization that promotes your calling (poetry, journalism, painting, law, entreprenuership). This can allow you to get access to a ton of information in a short period of time. If it is a personal change you believe will unlock your dream, ask someone who has been through the same transition. "We overcome by... the power of our testamonies." Another set of eyes and a head full of experience will many times impart knowledge that books or classes can't buy! This is how you become proactive instead of just reactive about your future pursuits. This is how you steer clear of huge oversights that could delay or destroy your dream before it materializes. You need this rational method of approach. "Dreaming" with full knowledge of an area, field, or life transition is hard enough. To do with by sheer will and/or emotion is nearly impossible unless it is an empty dream. By the same token, don't get too much knowledge for your own good. The power of the outside experience and input is to strengthen your wherewithal. If one gets into statistics, possibility of failure, and unlikeliness of success this can spell doom. Don't let negative facts scare you into submission. For example, it is true that many small business fail every year especially ones that are minority owned. Yet, the number of successful business that are birthed every year continues to increase across a broad spectrum of industries. One can't allow fear and general knowledge to restrict and inhibit goal setting and dreaming. Look at this knowledge as a firm challenge! If you are sincerely willing to give your all to what ever your dream may be and you study to evade all of the potential potholes, then you've done your part for preparation. If the inner-you won't give up or bow down to the pressures of failure but instead continues to lead you out into these challenges you owe it to yourself to try. After you've counted the cost and put in the priliminary study then work like crazy with every fiber of your being and let the chips fall where they may. What will be, will be eventually. If you've studied all there is to know and you've listened to the core of who you are and you still fall short. Take a deep breath, smile, and remember that when you're maturely pursuing a dream... NO REGRETS!

Dreams Pass Into The Reality Of Action... From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living. -Anais Nin I must pause and say that I'm enjoying this writing. It is changing me. Though many of the broad concepts that underline these post are prewritten by me, some of the details (metaphors, expounding segments) are coming as I'm sitting at the P.C. inputting them. So if I have any spelling or gramatical errors that you've noticed please forgive me in advance (then email me so I can correct them for the next group of readers). I got my first few doses of feedback from readers and it only heightened my desire to clarify the truths that I'm attempting to unveil. I've made some hard decisions over the pass few days and I hope you have to. Knowing that every new decision I make is a risk rooted in the courage of being free further empowers me and strengthens my pursuit. While holding a conversation with my wife one day I decided that I can't stay here, I gotta go higher. I gotta get pass the level of glory in which I've resided and grasp a hold of the next installment. I HAVE TO DREAM my dreams into reality. Which leads me to the quote. As I am writing these passages one of my previous dorment dreams is being realized. I always wanted to write books and have the reader(s) tell me that it was meaningful for their growth as a human-being. I also wanted to challenge people, on an interpersonal level, with a critical eye towards the status-quo. A nearly exact quote of my objective when I started this blog was spoken to me by a friend and it was confirmation that my energy and labor is not in vain (no, of course not). As this dream continues to pass into the reality of action I can feel it picking up steam. I can sense that someday it will take on a life of it's own. The challenge will then change from getting people to take notice of this spot and the validity of these writings -to- keeping pace with the expectations of new insight and truth on a regular basis. The action to start (yes this is just a blog and not a hard bound book) is encouragement towards the completion of this process. Every dream MUST start somewhere with some step. If it is left as a collections of thoughts in your head then they run the risk of eventually fading and thus, being lost. So... Write down your dream. Be as vivid and explicit as you possibly can. Tend to the smallest of details for your desired (inner-self inspired) end. Next, you'll have to map a first step. Most motivation speakers or planning books will tell you that you have to map a whole journey from beginning to end. But I guess the people who say this never took the time to question this type of planning. Any one who has tried to apply this technique knows that it's nearly impossible to do. Why? Because the future is not some place we are going but one we create. The paths are not found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination. Yes another quote. It means that while you're making your steps towards your ultimate final goal YOU will change and get greater clarity and insight. Your experiences and labor will influence your path to your vision. I never would have thought that taking the time to start writing out what I'm saying in the form of a "blog" (which didn't even exist when I first started writing a lot of this material) would be a good catalyst for me to grow. It just proves that I'm starting to learn myself. Personally, feedback has become one of the best forms of inspiration that I've found in the writing process. The more feedback, the better. Reading and hearing the thoughts of others helps me see the gaps in the knowledge I'm attempting to provide. It shows me where to expand, where to shorten, and even sometimes what to totally avoid. Without this tool I'd have a totally different experience of this process. With it, I'm better positioned to do what I do. Thus, it is something that I wouldn't have planned into this release process 3 years ago but now it is the most exciting aid I've had! Learn how to plan on the fly using aids that best help you... one step to three steps at a time. This way you don't get overwhelmed with the thought that there are a million things that need to be done all at once. Also, make sure your adjustments fit you as a person. Some people get discouraged by random, possible negative, feedback. They need an isolated environment to work in so they can build their confidence before they take their work public. Either way, you have to know yourself to know what inspires or distracts you. Once you figure out what keeps you inspired towards your goal relish it and post it in places where you can see it. Trust me it will make the goal feel a lot more attainable. Finally, dreaming then doing helps refine the dream so it can be realized with more potency. It also helps you stay inspired through the process. Any writer will tell you that using your self as an example is taboo. But hey, I don't mind giving my personal testamonies. I think James Cone said it best when he said: Testimony is an integral part [our] tradition. It is the occasion where the believer stands before the community of faith in order to give account of the hope that is in him or her. My hope for my book is found in the lines that you read when you scroll through these articles. Just like the number of articles grows slowly but consistantly, so does my hope. Thanks for helping me keep my hope alive. Trust, that more is still to come!!!

Hold Fast To Dreams... for if Dreams go, Life is a barren field frozen with snow. -Langston Hughes What is a dream? How do you craft one? Many of us can confidently imagine a different existence than the one we currently have. That is elementary. It is as simple as letting your mind drift for a moment or two to another reality. Most of the people I interact with regular let me know that it has become second nature to mentally drift into other potential careers; some are paths they have left, others are paths they have yet to start. The question of "what if" is one that the unfulfilled soul enjoys trying to answer. So dreaming, in this regard, is simple. Just by acting on one of these waves a person can begin to move out of the mundane (if for nothing more than a few seconds). Yet, it takes more than a few seconds or hours or days for a real dreams to come to past. So, you ask, "how do you sustain a dream? What steps must be taken for a dream to not grow cold and die and icy death?" This can only be discovered as one begins to express what composes a "healthy dream" and what parts of a human being that works to establish (or destroy) a dream. Dreaming [is] an act of the whole personality. Will, knowledge, and emotion all participate. It is an act of self surrender, of obedience, and of assent (to agree to something especially after thoughtful consideration). Each of these elements MUST be present. Emotional surrender without assent and obedience would by pass the personal center. It would be a compulsion and not a decision. Intellectual assent without emotional participation distorts existence into a non-personal, cognitive act. Obedience of the will without assent and emotion leads into a depersonalizing slavery. To dream a REAL dream all these features must unite and transcend each of these special functions of the mind. Dreaming is the most personal act of a person. Yet, the problem is that each of these aforementioned areas (will, knowledge, and assent) is inclined to a kind of imperialism over the others. By this I mean that they try to become independent and/or to control the others. I am carefully guiding our progress as not to leads you (or myself) into a state of emotional ecstasy (emotionalism), or mere moral obedience (complete subjection to the knowledge of yourself juxtaposed against your knowledge of life), or even cognitive subjection to an internal authority (a redefined, but unchecked will). Paul Tillich: Ultimate Reality,1955 THAT WAS DEEP... so what does it mean? In dreaming we must establish a balance between these three areas of our lives. I'll be honest, will is generally not a dreamer's problem. It doesn't take long for a person to realize that there is something in their life that they want to do for the rest of their life -and- there are a whole lot of other things that they don't EVER want to do again. That's the easy part. To set your path toward making that happens get complicated because of those other two areas: knowledge, and emotion. KNOWLEDGE A lack of knowledge is a hard issue to overcome. So many of us don't want to study. We don't want to be taught or apprenticed either so we end up trying to recreate the wheel. Most of the paths that we can imagine from entrepreneurship, to early retirement, to interior designer, to full time preacher, to even full time mom -have been done before. If you are to see your dream realized without the heartache and headache of ignorance then you'll have to humble yourself and get some schooling/mentoring. For all those that have degrees in what you love and work in positions that pay well but, are the total opposite of what you desire to do, I'll get back to you. But for now smile and feel good that you have taken a really good step towards "becoming" (as long as you haven't forgotten everything that you learned aka frozen). On the other hand, knowledge can work for you and against you. You may be one of those that already has a degree, licenses, or skilled trade but some place in the midst of attaining it or even post graduation/application time it became evident that this path wasn't for you. Yet, since you had invested the time and the job opportunity was there, you took the money. You couldn't ignore the fact that the immediate rewards seemed a lot more logical than changing lanes quickly and trying to find something else you wanted to do. Now you've built your life around this knowledge you hold and your financial picture doesn't look like it has the room for you to risk moving. Yet in still, your heart dreams of another life which appears galaxies away. You don't even know what you WOULD be doing you just know that your current position isn't "it." Your knowledge and success has cornered you and you feel tied to a life not yet passed. If this is your position, we'll get to you to. EMOTIONS An even larger number of people struggle with their emotions. They just can't seem to manage them and this inevitable becomes their shackle. The bind that holds them down in the mire while their willing spirit begs to escape. They ride the wave of "how I feel today" and never press through their current distress to build up any momentum to get anywhere. They start and stop, and start... and stop... all through the course of their life. They can't seem to grab a hold of anything for longer than a few days even though it seems a million different things grab a hold of them every moment. If this is you, you already know what I'm talking about. If it is not, then you probably think I'm writing foolishness. Analytical thinkers never really understand people who are led by their emotions (compulsive) but there are more people who live out of feeling then there are people who live out of knowledge. Why do you think people quit their jobs without having another one to transition to? Why do you think people find projects/careers they love but quit them and settle for something else once they realize that it will take more hard work to stay in them? How do you think personal problems: bills, parental opinions, peer pressure, doubt, and significant others steer countless individuals away from their dreams everyday? I can tell you. By pushing emotional buttons that cause the potential dreamer to quench what their inner self is whispering. The loud bellows of stress, confusion, and "this is too hard, I don't have time" drown out the hope of tomorrow found in the possible realization of the dream. So what happens when we are led by our emotions? We suppress our will. It gets covered up with a million other worries, fears, responsibilites, and complaints. It only comes to us in moments between lying down and sleeping, while shaving or showering, or driving in the car between songs. And when it surfaces we just wince at it and push it a little further down so we can keep "getting by" dealing with our present distress. The sad part of this existance is that though your physical being is maintaining, your spirit is suffering daily. These feelings have drained the dream out of you. CONCLUSION With much unsaid on these topics, we can still conclude that these are the skeletons in our closets that await any true transitions. These are the monsters under our beds that scare us and keep us from attaining the true satisfaction in life. Until we can get the knowledge we need and the emotional stability we need then we are doomed to a cyclical experience of either doing what we've always done -or- starting and stopping over and over again on the avenue that appears to lead to rebirth. I've learned that the most powerful moments that any soul ever experiences is when their knowledge, will, and emotions are all interlocked like a braid. The widdling of one is much harder if the other two are there as support (instead of as a source of competition). The three together are a powerful force that can withstand the challenges of peers, parents, debt, and life. They will generate the needed flame to ensure that your dreams are not lost and your life is not left barren and frozen into a dreadful repetition.

In Dreams... begins responsibility. -William Butler Yeats Now that we've taken the time to express the necessity of having a dream as well as questioning the author of our dream we are sincerely ready to begin "Dreaming." I do advise you however to make sure that you're centered and focused at the conclusion of these first two steps. The first duty of dreaming is to listen. It may take upwards of two weeks of soul searching to come to definitive conclusions as to who your true self is and how to approach releasing that person from the bondage of your current daily grind. There is Good News and Not-So-Good News The Good News: If everything is perfect you are getting ready to invest the time to move out of your comfort zone and take a risk that may change the rest of your life (as well as the lives of everyone around you). You're mapping out your future. You are beginning a realignment of your day to day living that could propel you into a place that you've never imagined. How do I know it's beyond your imagination, because we never know exactly what we will be until we become it. The mental spark that has burst forth in your mind is a sign that the real you is still alive. You haven't killed your essence (yet). Though potentially bound and possible weak, the true you has a pulse and wants to live. Not that impressed or committed yet? No worries. If any of this literature has touched you, moved you, or inspired you to think about "you" in a new and different way I'm glad (not satisfied, but glad). For no other reason then it proves you are still willing to question your current position. Some of us get so involved and so self-righteous until we forget there are other perspectives out there in the atmosphere that we can learn and grow from. Kudos to you! So it doesn't matter if you are sitting here on pins and needles waiting for the next installment of motivation or if you are casually reading to pass the time, I'm sure that this will eventual heighten your senses to the ultimate reality that underlines our world as we know it. The Not-So Good News (the blunt truth): I hope no one has already drifted off this newly paved path and started to think that "Dreaming" is a carefree exercise. Actually I've found the exact opposite is true. It takes more effort, dedication, ingenuity, and patience to pursue a dream in a mature fashion than it does to live a mundane cyclical existence (just ask M.L.K.). It is hard (not impossible) to change directions in life. Especially if you're used to the mundane and just now deciding "to be." Why? Because you'll be forced to critically review yourself and even change some of the things you've always done. We've all heard the overused simile, "it's like swimming up stream." Nearly everything within your life will try to convince you to keep doing what you've been doing and just get by. Or, keep chasing your society-created dream instead of inviting that inner voice to help you redefine your dream in hopes of greater final reward and peace of mind. What am I saying? You can't do what you've always done and expect to get a different result. You'll only get what you've always gotten. To break your old compliancy habits and reverse your default programming (the teachings of society and parents) you'll need a strong will and a lot of personal accountability. You'll have to be responsible for your dream and how it affects you and those around it. Trust me, no one will want to be. I'll be honest; I can't promise that this pursuit will be filled with glee. It may generate pain, frustration, sleepless nights and even new enemies. It is indeed a risk. So let us sit down and reason together. I present a promise of enriched life and meaning... a connection with a deeper truth and purer manner of life. A hope of TRUE satisfaction and intangible rewards. A wholeness in which every area of your life is tended to instead of just your wallet and public persona. A relief from distorted self-imaging. So ask yourself, "What am I willing to risk, sacrifice, or forfeit to receive this?" To have tried to do something and failed is vastly better than to have tried to do nothing and succeeded. This choice is totally up to you. But I know for this to be effective it will cost you something. Count your cost, weigh your options and make a firm decision. Finally, living a life that makes a mature pursuit of a dream does require patience. Hence, the word mature. You can't walk into work today and quit your job because you're "pursuing your dream" when you have bills piled up, old college loans waiting, and family that is dependant on your current income. You have to gradually transfer out of the life you've created by nurturing your dream until it is close enough to realization to depend on it to actualize. Being a responsible dreamer is being a person who has their sight set on higher goals and strategically works to attain them.

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