WHAT YOU DARE TO DREAM

We all have dreams. We all have things we want to accomplish. We have big dreams and small dreams. Glorious dreams and simple ones.

Sometimes the most challenging dreams are the ones that to others seem the most simple.

And sometimes the simplest dreams are the ones that are most challenging.

It’s not about the dream.

It matters little what the dream is.

What matters is how we strive, how we work, and how we focus on attaining that dream.

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What is a dream?

A dream is goal. It’s something we want to accomplish.

It is something we work towards and for.

Dreams are not achieved by hoping. They are only achieved by doing.

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But, again, the dream does not necessarily have to be a big thing. It can be anything, if it is something we wish to accomplish.

The dream of being a better person can be as simple as taking the time to smile to a stranger. That alone is a step in the right direction.

The dream of feeling or looking better physically can be as simple as resisting the temptation to eat the donut or the candy bar that seems to be calling your name.

The dream of connecting with an old friend or family member can be as simple as picking up a telephone or writing an e-mail.

Smiling. Walking away from a sweet treat. Writing a note.

These are simple things to do.

But sometimes the simplest things are the most challenging.

Sometimes the smallest dreams are the ones most difficult to accomplish.

But, even if they are difficult, they are worth pursuing. We need to work to accomplish our dreams.

Dreams are not achieved by hoping. They are only achieved by doing.

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Often when we share our dreams, we get told by others that our dreams are silly or not worthy of our time and effort. We often get told that what we seek to do is impossible.

There will always be doubters. Never listen to them.

I have now written a host of books and been published numerous times. My books have won recognition and awards. I’m not a famous author (yet). I might never be. I’m not sure if I even want that. (Well, part of me certainly does.)

I am told that I write well.

But there was a time, and it wasn’t long ago, that I was told that I wrote like an amateur. I’ve been rejected by literary agents and publishers time and again. I was often told (in so many words) that my dream of being published was unrealistic.

They were wrong. They were wrong just like most of the doubters are. Never believe the doubters. Believe, instead, in yourself.

You can do it. You just need to work for it.

I just finished writing a book with a baseball legend. He didn’t know me before we started our work together. Just making that connection was a dream. And now we have a book. And good memories. Another dream realized.

And more to come…

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I married my high school sweetheart. That was a dream.

We’re still together and in love today. We raised three wonderful sons.

Those were dreams. Those were dreams we worked on every day and still do. That work was good work and happy work and great work.

And we still work at each day.

Sometimes we have to work to make our dreams continue to come true.

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I recently had to teach an important person in my life that hard work is not synonymous with “bad.” In that person’s mind, the words “hard” and “bad” were the same.

I’d say, “I just finished a hard run,” and he’d reply, “That’s bad.”

No… it was good. It was great.

Hard and difficult and challenging can all mean good. They are part of the process. You can’t achieve a dream without hard work.

Each step can be hard, each step can seem impossible, as we set out to reach our dreams.

But those steps are good steps and necessary steps. Each step is a step forward.

Each step bring us closer to our dream.

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I dreamed of being an athlete. I wanted to be a Yankee. That was a big dream. It didn’t come true.

I wasn’t good enough to play pro ball.

I wasn’t good enough to play college ball.

I wasn’t good enough the play high school varsity.

But, still, I dreamed of being an athlete.

I dreamed and dreamed. I also knew that the only ways dreams come true is to work at them. So I got to work.

In 2002, I ran my first marathon.

In 2022, I ran my 23rd.

I’ll be running another in May…

We are all works in progress.

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Maybe I did write like an amateur when those literary agents were rude to me. Maybe I still do. But I also know, amateur or not, that my words help to inspire others.

I might not have been a good athlete when I was a teenager, but I think I’m on my way now…

And I’m not done.

I write every day because it’s the only way to get better.

I exercise every day. It’s the only way to get better.

People tell me that I smile a lot. Still, I seek to smile more…

I do the difficult things. And the easy ones as well. Because I’m always dreaming. Always working. Always striving…

To achieve. And then achieve some more.

Not not all of our dreams will come true. Maybe most won’t. But none of them will if we don’t work for them.

Dream big.

Dream small.

Find your dreams and work towards them.

They are worth the effort… because you are worth the effort.