Pursuing the Dream

I have been off the blogosphere and I miss all of you. I am glad to be back and want to share with you what I have been up to. I finally finished the book that I had been writing about my mother called In Memory Of a Saint: Lessons from My Mother that I Didn't Pay Attention to Until She Died. As you know, I have written many posts about her and as a result, I wanted to capture her spirit in a book.

The journey has been marvelous as I have been able to put into practice what I preach which is to strive for your goal and to go for your dreams no matter what. I also had the opportunity to take part this summer in Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success Training and was able to be among others dreamers.

Today, I hope all of you are pursuing your dreams with passion!

Childhood Dreams into Inspiring Reality

This morning as I watched the Today Show the video below wowed me that it is never too soon to start on your dreams. Ten-year-old Amiya Alexander had a dream to start a business. The amazing part of this story is that her mother encouraged her to follow her vision. This young entrepreneur has patented her bus, created an interesting business model, and at a young age learned the most important lesson of all to turn your ideas into action. We should all be motivated to go for it!

¿Are You Somebody?

Recently, I taught a class and afterwards a student asked me, if I had resource name to back up a statement I made. I said, “Yes, that resource is me.” He then asked me if I could quote somebody who was famous, a celebrity, or well known. I reiterated, “yes, me.”

He was so shocked that I confidently stood beside my name and my statement. I said yes, I am somebody. You can choose to heed my words or not, the choice is yours. I am my credible source because the story is mine.

He was so startled that I said that I was somebody; he did not have a comeback. I thought to myself that so often we look for validation on who we are from other people.

Boldly and confidently, declare to the world

you know who you are.

You are somebody!

"I am larger, better than I thought. I did not know I held so much goodness."-Walt Whitman

¿Dream Job?

Recently clearing out an old file, I ran across a description on what I was looking for in an ideal job from my youth. Idealistic, Naïve, or Impractical…? You be the judge.

I dream a world of togetherness, a job that is not work. It is cliché to say that making a difference is what I want to do with my life. The job I want should not just be a job, or a career, but a vocation.

I know that I am destined to be a revolutionary leader. A revolutionary leader holds the vision of an organization in their head, making it possible for others to share the same dream. Respect, encouragement, and motivation are my biggest leadership assets. I enjoy supervising others with the point of view that you cannot micromanage someone and help them to grow. We all make mistakes. The best teachable moment occurs when you give someone the opportunity to spread their wings while providing safety nets.

I want to work in a collective organization where being a part is part of the whole. This is an environment where colleagues come together to inspire each other daily. I know that when work stops being stimulating or fun, we should stop the madness and no longer go into a toxic place. The workspace should have an atmosphere that encourages laughter and tears, for both offers worlds of support. Some days working is hard but sharing the fun and the pain gives you the courage to continue for another day.

I am an extraordinary leader who looks behind and people are not only following me but they are developing into leaders themselves. My dream job is out here. I know this to be true because we are building a new society of visionary leaders who get inspired just the way I do.

I must say that reading this made me smile for my idealism, and for the jobs, I loved along my vocational journey and saddened me for opportunities missed. It occurred to me that in today’s challenging world, most people are scared to articulate what their dream job is. Should we be running so scared from our dreams and ideals that we drift aimlessly into thoughts of I will do it someday, maybe tomorrow, or worse yet, the chance opportunity is gone. The question then becomes, if not now when?

¿What is your dream job?

Thank You

Recently, I called someone I had done business with to tell them thank you. I wanted to let them know that they had done a great a job and that I had really appreciated their efforts. The response was one of utter delight and surprise. She was quite taken back and kept telling ME thank you.

So often, we call a company to voice our dissatisfaction with their product or their customer service. Yet, when something goes well we are often silent. The old adage says, “Have something good happen tell one or two people, when something goes wrong tell ten to twenty people.” Worse than that, we embellish the story beyond belief. Why is that? Shouldn’t we shout from the rooftops when things go well and tell as many people as possible?

A simple and heartfelt thank you cost you nothing. It is free and the payoff is great. Today, I urge you to appreciate someone.

Thank You…Two simple words that go a long way.

Field Of Dreams

This weekend I had the pleasure of watching one of my all time favorite films Field of Dreams. This movie struck such a cord with me on its main theme, how the world perceives people who strive for dreams that others find unattainable. More often than not, people who are dreamers, inventers, philosophers, artists and the like are called, crazy, in denial, and generally unstable because they march to beat of their own drum.

James Earl Jones’ character in the movie, comments on a passion so intense to that it can barely be articulated into words. The truth is often our dreams sound unintelligible to others. However, as long as you can keep your eye on the prize— the dream in your heart and don’t let go, you are more than half way to accomplishing your dreams and deepest desires.

I realize so many of us give up, because of the naysayers in our lives, “dream stealers.” The people who tell us that we are unrealistic, that it will never work, or even worse...wait…. until time, money or resources are better.

I love the movie's tagline

“If you believe the impossible, the incredible
can come true”

Keep Dreaming!!!

Say No to Complaining

I recently had the pleasure of reading “The No Complaining Rule” by Jon Gordon. What a fun story. It is great tale of how complaining and negativity in the workplace not only ruins our attitude at work but spills over to our personal lives.

Yes once again, this blog post is reeking of a Pollyanna moment but hey. I loved the premise of this book. I thought about how all of us can apply these simple concepts in our topsy-turvy world. In the No Complaining Rule, Gordon gives us five things we can do right now instead of complaining.

1) Practice Gratitude

2) Praise Others

3) Focus on Success

4) Let Go

5) Pray and Meditate.

If you do nothing else today but follow rule #1) and have an attitude of gratitude, your world will be a much brighter place. As the books says, Positive or Negative the choice is yours.

Hint! Choose Positive!