September 2006: Dreams Fascination

Lately I have been fascinated by people’s dreams.  Not the sleeping kind, but the ones we have while we are awake that dare us to become something great.  It is my opinion that our greatest desires define our minds, bodies, and souls. 

These dreams and desires, however, can be intimidating and chasing them is much easier said than done.  Most of us allow ourselves to be stripped away from our dreams that seem out of reach as we become consumed by what’s safe, predictable, and conventional.  I want to tell you about someone I know that is a dreamer.  In sharing his story, I hope to inspire you to reach for your dreams.

My friend Jordan is a musician and songwriter.  For as long as I’ve known him, he has had dreams.  One of those dreams is to record music as a living.  As you know, this is a very common dream amongst musicians.  But, of all of the talented musicians I have ever known, Jordan is the only one courageous enough to take this dream and put into action. 

One of the things about dreams is they are not achieved without obstacles, and this has been the case for Jordan.  After college, when the rest of us were signing up for safe “9-5s,” he sacrificed much by moving down to Southern California to chase his dream.  When no record company signed him on, he created his own record company.  When his first CD became a success amongst a select following but didn’t hit the “big time,” he became determined to write a 2^nd CD.  After nearly 3 years of devoted hard work, this new CD was just released last week. Jordan’s musical accomplishments embody everything dreams are about: desire, bravery, hope, and faith.

Jordan’s dream is very much alive, and he is still chasing it.  To me, whether he catches it is not really the point.  It’s the courage, ambition, and confidence that he and other dreamers possess that make witnessing them so inspirational.  As the Chinese proverb says, “it is the journey that is the reward.” 

Did you once have a dream you didn’t pursue?  Was it unconventional?  Did people say you couldn’t do it?  Was it too scary to try?  I urge you to forget all of that.  It’s never too late to follow a dream.  Challenge yourself to chase your dreams.  Whether you succeed or fail is immaterial.  The committed journey you experience will help transform you into who you were destined to become.