Following the Dream

From early childhood we begin to imagine our lives, dream and hope and even pretend. We try different things, pretend different things, imagine ourselves being different things until we find something that fits, something that becomes our reality even if only for the moment it is a “wannabe” and it becomes our goal, the dream we hope will be. The only way, however, that the dream will become the reality is to hold onto that dream, believe it. Langston Hughes (African-American writer of poetry and thought) once said, “Hold onto dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that can not fly”. I am convinced this is a truth. If you can't imagine it, dream it, you will never strive to accomplish it. If you can't see yourself doing something, being something, you won't. This I truly believe. We all hope for full, interesting, productive and happy lives. We all desire something special for our lives, something that is uniquely us. We have this vision of what we hope to be and what we hope our life will be. To imagine, to hope, to dream is a good thing. “Go confidently in the direction of your dream. Live the dream you have imagined.” (Henry David Thoreau)

I don't know whether you choose to believe the Bible and what it says or not, but there is a statement in the book of Matthew that makes a whole lot of sense in living your life. Jesus said this…“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you…For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 the Bible) Think about it. If you never ask, no one knows what you want or need. If you don't seek, search for, you will never find the right direction or answer. If you never knock on the door of opportunity, it will never open. If you just sit around on your duff waiting for good and wonderful things to happen; waiting for a better time; waiting for someone to do it for you, I can pretty much guarantee you: It ain't going to happen. All the materials and advantages can be right there in front of you but if you don't use them, if you don't do the footwork, that is right where they will stay, just laying there, doing nothing, not accomplishing one good thing.

When I was a young girl I dreamed of becoming an Esther Williams, an Olympic swimmer, a champion. I dreamed of doing water ballet and being the new “Million Dollar Mermaid”, I thought I could be just like her. Well, I tried, maybe not hard enough, nor did I continue to chase that elusive dream. I did however become a very good swimmer and found an activity I really enjoy that is good for my health as well. That was a good thing and even though I didn't become the “Million Dollar Mermaid” of my girlish dreams, I did succeed in becoming a good swimmer and developing skills that have become an enjoyable part of my life. I imagined myself being that talented long enough to actually become fairly good at it but not a mermaid. That was the dream of a young girl.

“Your imagination is your preview of your life's coming attractions.” (Albert Einstein) Albert Einstein was a brilliant man and he gave much to the world we live in but as a child he had difficulties adjusting to the rules of formal education. He was one of what we call “the exceptional” today. He didn't fit in at school so his parents educated him at home for the first few years of his life until he had developed the social skills needed to learn in a school environment. Albert Einstein thrived on learning. He was curious about everything and wanted to know everything there was to know. He questioned everything seeking the ultimate truth, the answer he could believe in. He was one of the greatest original thinkers in the history of science. He never gave up but from time to time he had to adjust his thinking, step back, re-evaluate and move on.

For several years of his life he earned his living at “routine work”, he had a “rut” job but when he wasn't working to earn a living (We all have to eat and pay the bills) he kept following his dream, studying, learning, trying new ideas, testing them and proving them. He kept seeking that which he did not know. He kept on imagining and visualizing his dream, his hope, his ambition for his life. In 1905 he eventually published his theory of relativity in a paper titled TOWARDS THE ELECTRODYNAMICS OF MOVING BODIES. From that point on he became one of the most renowned research scientist the world has ever known. He didn't let stumbling blocks, adversities, steep hills or even a world war stop him. He didn't let the doubters get in his way. He kept following his dream, one step at a time. In 1921 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics and was given several honorary degrees from several universities around the world. When Hitler came into power in Germany, Einstein came to the United States. He settled in New Jersey and became an American citizen in 1940. He became a professor at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton.