When Rachel was little she was always drawing. She would try to draw almost everything she saw. Even playing outside when the other kids would be making up games or riding their bikes, Rachel would be drawing with chalk or drawing in the dirt with a stick. When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would say she wanted to be an artist. She started to notice adults would make a bit of an odd smile and hesitantly say things like, “Oh, that’s nice.” One evening she showed her mother a picture she had been drawing all day and announced she was going to be an artist when she grew up. Her mother became annoyed and told her, “Artists never amount to anything. Do something useful with your life and become a doctor.” Rachel was uncertain about this. The next time she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up she answered, “A doctor” just as a test. The response was overwhelming. Every time she said she wanted to be a doctor adults would smile and tell her how smart she was and how becoming a doctor was an excellent career choice.
Sixty years later, after retiring from a career in medicine, Rachel was going through boxes in her attic. She found an old sketch book and fondly remembered how much she had loved to draw. As she flipped through the pages she also realized she had been pretty good at it. Deciding there was no time like the present; Rachel enrolled in art classes at the local community college and began a new career as an artist.
Someone else’s dream may not sound sensible to us. It might seem crazy or useless, but their dream is important to them. Rachel’s mother and the other adults around her discouraged Rachel from following her passion. Encourage others to follow their dreams and encourage yourself to do the same. You may have to work a “day job” to keep the lights on, but you can still make progress towards your personal goals. Do not allow others to hold you back or convince you your dream is unworthy.
Make a list of five (5) wishes for yourself. These could be things you want to do, get, fix, make, build, have, see, experience. Anything you really, truly want. It might be something simple which has been nagging you for years like wanting to finally finish the half-pieced quilt in your closet. It could be to conquer your fear of flying and travel to a different country. Maybe you want to run a half-marathon or learn to speak another language. When writing this book, I wrote my own list of five wishes. I wrote my list mid-May. By the end of October I had accomplished three of my wishes and had plans in place for how I was going to accomplish the other two. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you are focused and have the right tools and the right attitude. Write your five wishes and save them with your other lists. Tomorrow we bring them all together.