Oh, For a Muse of Fire!
11 years ago
25 June 2010
11 March 2010
Triple Digits... Finally!
It took awhile, but we finally crossed the 100-post mark. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by!
We're hoping that over time, if we build it, the peeps will come. That is, if we do our jobs correctly and follow through on our own goals, dreams and ambitions.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to send them along.
Have a great day or night out there, wherever you are. Make it count!
Best wishes,
The Dream Team
We're hoping that over time, if we build it, the peeps will come. That is, if we do our jobs correctly and follow through on our own goals, dreams and ambitions.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to send them along.
Have a great day or night out there, wherever you are. Make it count!
Best wishes,
The Dream Team
10 March 2010
Sade -- Soldier of Love
Here's to Sade for releasing an album of sensuous rhythms and passionate lyrics that matter. I'm playing this again and again to buck up against the nonsensical, oncoming headlines:
Dalai Lama Claims China Set to Wipe Out Buddhism
After reading about the unconscionable massacre which recently occured in Nigeria, I've been wondering whether we're getting anywhere as a species. Progress comes in fits and starts, if you can call it progress at all when such abhorent acts of primitive brutality can still exist. Maybe as individuals we move forward. But collectively, I'm not so sure.
As the Dark Ages showed us, advances made in previous ages can easily be wiped out. Periods of tolerance and rationality give way to interludes of hatred, ignorance and repression. No gains can be taken for granted. Education and ongoing discourse are paramount to keeping dignity, compassion, love, decency and goodness alive.
READ MORE ABOUT THE DALAI LAMA'S COMMENTS HERE
As the Dark Ages showed us, advances made in previous ages can easily be wiped out. Periods of tolerance and rationality give way to interludes of hatred, ignorance and repression. No gains can be taken for granted. Education and ongoing discourse are paramount to keeping dignity, compassion, love, decency and goodness alive.
READ MORE ABOUT THE DALAI LAMA'S COMMENTS HERE
09 March 2010
Thank You, Fellow Dreamers!
I can't tell you how inspiring it is to log in and see posts from Jewlsdeluxe and Kamots alongside my own. Even though Jewls was being a bit snarky, her point on rowdy Buddhists is well taken, and definitely in the spirit of this blog.
My fondest hope is that this becomes an ongoing dialogue about dream pursuit. It certainly is not meant to be a one-way conversation.
And thanks, Kamots, for the tip about Jessica. I well know about her, but was boycotting the whole deal since it seemed to me like a new fad had been launched, a crazy child's crusade to see who could be the youngest to do suchandsuch. What's next, infants setting off in a tub to float around the globe?
Once again, however, I'm always happy to be corrected in my ignorance. (Which happens more often than I would like.)
What a great group this is -- Dream Teamers indeed!
My fondest hope is that this becomes an ongoing dialogue about dream pursuit. It certainly is not meant to be a one-way conversation.
And thanks, Kamots, for the tip about Jessica. I well know about her, but was boycotting the whole deal since it seemed to me like a new fad had been launched, a crazy child's crusade to see who could be the youngest to do suchandsuch. What's next, infants setting off in a tub to float around the globe?
Once again, however, I'm always happy to be corrected in my ignorance. (Which happens more often than I would like.)
What a great group this is -- Dream Teamers indeed!
Chasing a dream all the way around the world
On October 18, 2009, 16-year-old Jessica Watson set sail from Sydney, Australia in her attempt to become the youngest person to ever sail unassisted nonstop around the world. She is presently almost directly south of Madagascar, heading for home across the Indian ocean on the last leg of her journey. I have followed her blog since shortly before she set out, and I recommend it as an encouraging, inspiring read. One of the most moving entries is that of December 30, 2009, when she faced her first test of challenging weather, and a dolphin showed up and stayed with her the entire time until the storm had passed. I highly recommend spending some time reading this young lady's blog about the pursuit of her dream; she is, literally, in the midst of the chase, and I would encourage you to follow her home.
08 March 2010
When Monks Behave Badly
I had to look this up, since I couldn't remember all of the details, but I did remember reading about this some time ago. Anyway, here's a link to a Times Online story about Buddhist monks jailed for their involvement in a riot in Tibet. To note, the story says the rioters were apparently Tibetans angered at Chinese rule.
Can't say I blame them.
Apparently, if you Google Buddhist, Monk, Riot and Violence, you'll get quite a few hits. Here's another one
The lede from this 1998 Independent story by Richard Lloyd Parry follows:
IT SOUNDS like a scene from a Bruce Lee film, or perhaps one of the wackier Monty Python episodes: rival gangs of martial arts monks beating up one another, throwing one another down the stairs and bombarding one another with potted plants, stones, petrol bombs and fire extinguishers. But this was the scene yesterday in Seoul, the South Korean capital, after 12 hours' fighting between members of the country's biggest Buddhist sect.
Can't say I blame them.
Apparently, if you Google Buddhist, Monk, Riot and Violence, you'll get quite a few hits. Here's another one
The lede from this 1998 Independent story by Richard Lloyd Parry follows:
IT SOUNDS like a scene from a Bruce Lee film, or perhaps one of the wackier Monty Python episodes: rival gangs of martial arts monks beating up one another, throwing one another down the stairs and bombarding one another with potted plants, stones, petrol bombs and fire extinguishers. But this was the scene yesterday in Seoul, the South Korean capital, after 12 hours' fighting between members of the country's biggest Buddhist sect.
Five Hundred Slaughtered in Nigerian Killing Fields
You may wonder why I would report such a thing on a blog about chasing your dreams. Well, the dark side of human nature has to be confronted in any discussion about our potential for doing good. We can't ignore the worst in us just because we aspire for the best.
I will link now to the Times Online story in which I first read the report. The details are chilling. It makes me feel that in some respects, human beings have made no progress at all.
The worst quote: "Survivors told The Times that entire families were killed, some to the chants of Allahu Akbar — God is Greatest."
We need to learn how to COEXIST!
READ THE HORRIFIC DETAILS HERE
As It Is in Heaven
This and the last post are unrelated, though the irony of the titles is not lost on me. I just wanted to point out a remarkable film you may enjoy that probably missed your radar.
If you have the chance or a Netflix queue (or a good friend who happens to send a copy your way), be sure and check out "As It Is in Heaven," a movie that will leave you thinking about it long after the final credits roll.
Though not a perfect film, it benefits from an inspiring theme that manages to override some excessive melodrama and klunky character development. It speaks about the lives we're living and how we might just be able to squeeze a little bit more out of what matters before we're gone.
If you have the chance or a Netflix queue (or a good friend who happens to send a copy your way), be sure and check out "As It Is in Heaven," a movie that will leave you thinking about it long after the final credits roll.
Though not a perfect film, it benefits from an inspiring theme that manages to override some excessive melodrama and klunky character development. It speaks about the lives we're living and how we might just be able to squeeze a little bit more out of what matters before we're gone.
The Oscars -- In Memorium
It's always the most moving part of the Oscar ceremonies for me, a reminder of how fast time flies whether you are or aren't having fun.
On a personal note, I can't believe I missed the news that Horton Foote and Bud Schulberg died last year. If you don't know who they are, that's Hollywood. Two of the greatest screenwriters who ever lived, and the vast majority of Americans don't have a clue. That's how it goes for those who aspire to write for the movies.
On a separate note, it's scary to think about how many young and talented entertainers were lost last year: Michael Jackson, Britney Murphy, Farah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Patrick Swayze...
We don't have a lot of time to mess around, people. So get busy doing the thing you were meant to do, the reason you were born into this life.
On a personal note, I can't believe I missed the news that Horton Foote and Bud Schulberg died last year. If you don't know who they are, that's Hollywood. Two of the greatest screenwriters who ever lived, and the vast majority of Americans don't have a clue. That's how it goes for those who aspire to write for the movies.
On a separate note, it's scary to think about how many young and talented entertainers were lost last year: Michael Jackson, Britney Murphy, Farah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Patrick Swayze...
We don't have a lot of time to mess around, people. So get busy doing the thing you were meant to do, the reason you were born into this life.
Rethinking the Educational Model
Suzi Amis Cameron, wife of legendary filmmaker James Cameron, has founded a school in the Los Angeles area which encourages children to launch their creativity by following their muse.
Here's the link to the story on the Los Angeles Times website (which could use a little creativity. The ads here are so cluttered and troubling I hate to send you there.)
FOLLOW YOUR MUSE HERE
The story is worth it. At least I hope so! The Los Angeles Time used to be a great newspaper. Sadly, 'tain't so anymore.
Enter YouTube!
Here's the link to the story on the Los Angeles Times website (which could use a little creativity. The ads here are so cluttered and troubling I hate to send you there.)
FOLLOW YOUR MUSE HERE
The story is worth it. At least I hope so! The Los Angeles Time used to be a great newspaper. Sadly, 'tain't so anymore.
Enter YouTube!
How Bad Can I Be and Still Get into Heaven?
According to the Associated Press and the Guardian UK, the Vatican is being rocked by another series of sex scandals, both of them hitting a lot closer to home. One involves a boys choir in Germany in which the Pope's own brother is under scrutiny, and the other, revelations about a Papal "gentleman-in-waiting" who, while under investigation for corruption, unwittingly shot a double bogey by soliciting a St. Peter's choister to procure him male lovers.
SOURCE 1
SOURCE 2
I mention this not to pass judgment, but rather to contrast it with Buddhism in which you never -- or at least I never -- hear a thing about scandal of any kind. Unless you count the Dalai Lama's confessed preference for flying business class...
Though I could never again be Buddhist in the way I once thought I might, I have been drawn back into Buddha's thought of late, ostensibly because of a project I have been working on. The experience has been a shock to me, if not a revelation, for underscoring the importance of self-discipline and self-mastery over the acceptance of dogma of any kind.
So often, Christianity leaves us with the feeling that sinning is bad but feels great -- that what we need to do is morally bend toward the right thing, when what we really would prefer is the wrong thing... if we could only be sure to get away with it.
A lot of Americans diet that way too: eating celery leads to a better figure, but as soon as I'm down the weight I want, it's back to pizza, ice cream and beer!
Just imagine Jack LaLane pigging out on Ding Dongs and the Dalai Lama starting a fist-fight over who boards the next flight first. Doesn't sound likely to happen, does it? Why are these examples so different from the graft and sexual scandals that plague the modern church?
Perhaps it's that ol' Devil at work again, but maybe it's also something else. Maybe the way we see sin and goodness are all wrong... and a new orientation is called for.
A fitness fanatic will tell you that there is no state of denial involved in preferring a crisp salad to all-you-can-eat at the local dining trough. Or in choosing to sweat and grind through today's grueling workout rather than sit on the couch and watch another round of American Idle.
That's pretty similar, I'm guessing, to why a Buddhist prefers peace to violence or tolerance to hatred or moderation to indulgence. Through meditation and self-inquiry, Buddhists have learned that you really don't want the moral equivalent of a Krispy Kreme when you can choose a ripe apple instead; that what really tastes great is cold, clear water and not some corn-syrup laden "energy" drink.
Because Western religion has become largely passive to meet the demands of a busy modern culture, we can now get away with easy outs like dropping tithes in a basket and shaking hands on our way out of Sunday service to troll Facebook, Twitter or engage in Worlds of Warcraft.
Heck, lets go out huntin' and shootin' and killin' in the name of the Lord. It's all good. I've been reborn. I did my time. It happened once. I'm forgiven, don't you know. Look at me, I'm like Tiger! Screw 'em all and say your sorry. But win the golf game, that's what really matters. That's what the sponsors want to see...
It's crazy, out of whack and out of control. It's like lipo-suction for sinning; lemme eat up all the ribs and pies and hoover out the fat so I'll still fit in those skinny jeans. No pain, all gain -- that's the American way!
Apparently though it's not just the American way. It's the Western way. Or at least a dogmatic, top-heavy, all-pervasive Western way that needs to get turned on its ear.
Just like Body for Life and P90X teach an active, disciplined approach to fitness and diet, Buddhism prescribes meditation and contemplation to clear and clarify our moral outlooks. While it doesn't teach us what to see, it teaches us how to see... the equivalent of learning how to fish and not just buy a filet o' fish at the House of McLovin'.
We need to start treating morality like fitness if we plan on enjoying lives of substance and purpose and value and quality. It's not at all about how "bad" can we be and still get into heaven! Right behavior is its own reward.
Right here, right now. And probably in heaven as well.
SOURCE 1
SOURCE 2
I mention this not to pass judgment, but rather to contrast it with Buddhism in which you never -- or at least I never -- hear a thing about scandal of any kind. Unless you count the Dalai Lama's confessed preference for flying business class...
Though I could never again be Buddhist in the way I once thought I might, I have been drawn back into Buddha's thought of late, ostensibly because of a project I have been working on. The experience has been a shock to me, if not a revelation, for underscoring the importance of self-discipline and self-mastery over the acceptance of dogma of any kind.
So often, Christianity leaves us with the feeling that sinning is bad but feels great -- that what we need to do is morally bend toward the right thing, when what we really would prefer is the wrong thing... if we could only be sure to get away with it.
A lot of Americans diet that way too: eating celery leads to a better figure, but as soon as I'm down the weight I want, it's back to pizza, ice cream and beer!
Just imagine Jack LaLane pigging out on Ding Dongs and the Dalai Lama starting a fist-fight over who boards the next flight first. Doesn't sound likely to happen, does it? Why are these examples so different from the graft and sexual scandals that plague the modern church?
Perhaps it's that ol' Devil at work again, but maybe it's also something else. Maybe the way we see sin and goodness are all wrong... and a new orientation is called for.
A fitness fanatic will tell you that there is no state of denial involved in preferring a crisp salad to all-you-can-eat at the local dining trough. Or in choosing to sweat and grind through today's grueling workout rather than sit on the couch and watch another round of American Idle.
That's pretty similar, I'm guessing, to why a Buddhist prefers peace to violence or tolerance to hatred or moderation to indulgence. Through meditation and self-inquiry, Buddhists have learned that you really don't want the moral equivalent of a Krispy Kreme when you can choose a ripe apple instead; that what really tastes great is cold, clear water and not some corn-syrup laden "energy" drink.
Because Western religion has become largely passive to meet the demands of a busy modern culture, we can now get away with easy outs like dropping tithes in a basket and shaking hands on our way out of Sunday service to troll Facebook, Twitter or engage in Worlds of Warcraft.
Heck, lets go out huntin' and shootin' and killin' in the name of the Lord. It's all good. I've been reborn. I did my time. It happened once. I'm forgiven, don't you know. Look at me, I'm like Tiger! Screw 'em all and say your sorry. But win the golf game, that's what really matters. That's what the sponsors want to see...
It's crazy, out of whack and out of control. It's like lipo-suction for sinning; lemme eat up all the ribs and pies and hoover out the fat so I'll still fit in those skinny jeans. No pain, all gain -- that's the American way!
Apparently though it's not just the American way. It's the Western way. Or at least a dogmatic, top-heavy, all-pervasive Western way that needs to get turned on its ear.
Just like Body for Life and P90X teach an active, disciplined approach to fitness and diet, Buddhism prescribes meditation and contemplation to clear and clarify our moral outlooks. While it doesn't teach us what to see, it teaches us how to see... the equivalent of learning how to fish and not just buy a filet o' fish at the House of McLovin'.
We need to start treating morality like fitness if we plan on enjoying lives of substance and purpose and value and quality. It's not at all about how "bad" can we be and still get into heaven! Right behavior is its own reward.
Right here, right now. And probably in heaven as well.
07 March 2010
Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
For those who of you who think you have too many obstacles to overcome in achieving your dreams, try watching (or reading) the Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. While heartbreaking, it is also profoundly inspiring... and deeply moving.
To have this much vibrancy -- some even call it arrogance -- in the face of imminent death is awesome to behold. He will fire you up to challenge your base assumptions about what can and can't be done.
R.I.P. Mr. Pausch. Your example will never be forgotten!
To have this much vibrancy -- some even call it arrogance -- in the face of imminent death is awesome to behold. He will fire you up to challenge your base assumptions about what can and can't be done.
R.I.P. Mr. Pausch. Your example will never be forgotten!
05 March 2010
Are Americans Too Positive?
I've been thinking a lot lately about the power of positive thinking... but also about nuance and complexity, and how these two often tend to get lost in our "rush" to be happy. I'm as guilty of this as anyone. I aspire to exuberance, which is why Tigger is my patron saint -- at least as far as the expression of joy is concerned. However, I would never argue that perpetual sunniness is desireable, or even tolerable. That would be like 365 days of the same balmly weather (which might be nice if you're a retiree, but I'm not in the golf-is-life lifestyle yet). Seasonal cycles and emotional variation seem more in harmony with nature and the human spirit. But where do we draw the line?
A recent online book review reminds me of this again. "The Tyranny of Positive Thinking" takes a look at Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America.") Both seem to argue that Americans take the cheery idea too far, adopting attitudes that are not in line with objective data. We paste smiley faces over hard truths, ignoring information that disagrees with our self-motivational outlooks.
An extract:
Could it be that “thinking positively” is contributing to our blindness and inaction around energy issues, environmental degradation and economic devastation? I’ve hammered this point home in a number of posts, the most widely read being “Do You Have a Panglossian Disorder?.” Now, a trenchant social observer provides a clear outline of how that may well be so, elaborating on the ‘dangers of positive thinking.’
While I agree that American culture has become oversimplified and superficial, I also believe that there's always something to be depressed about if you put your mind to it. Oil is ending, the permafrost is melting, Africans are starving, the debt is rising, and every day I'm getting a little older. How could a person possibly be happy when confronted with the realities of existence?
In doing research for my latest project, I am reading books on Buddhist ethics, including the thoughts of the Dalai Lama. They provide a stark contrast to my own restless Orthodoxy and tiggerish/bipolar tendencies, helping to ground and center my being and bring it balance. I'm always amazed at how content Buddhists are on the page and in person. They do not go out of their way to evade facts, and yet the facts never seem to get them down.
I'll post more thoughts on the subject as the days unfold. It just so happens that this train of thought runs parallel to the philosophical basis for our planned trip to Tahati: the premise that physical paradise ought to have an impact on our perceptions of happiness. Will our moods reflect the environment? Or will we merely take our own joys and sorrows with us?
You can read more about the Tyranny of Happiness HERE.
And of course, feel free to comment if the mood strikes you...
A recent online book review reminds me of this again. "The Tyranny of Positive Thinking" takes a look at Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America.") Both seem to argue that Americans take the cheery idea too far, adopting attitudes that are not in line with objective data. We paste smiley faces over hard truths, ignoring information that disagrees with our self-motivational outlooks.
An extract:
Could it be that “thinking positively” is contributing to our blindness and inaction around energy issues, environmental degradation and economic devastation? I’ve hammered this point home in a number of posts, the most widely read being “Do You Have a Panglossian Disorder?.” Now, a trenchant social observer provides a clear outline of how that may well be so, elaborating on the ‘dangers of positive thinking.’
While I agree that American culture has become oversimplified and superficial, I also believe that there's always something to be depressed about if you put your mind to it. Oil is ending, the permafrost is melting, Africans are starving, the debt is rising, and every day I'm getting a little older. How could a person possibly be happy when confronted with the realities of existence?
In doing research for my latest project, I am reading books on Buddhist ethics, including the thoughts of the Dalai Lama. They provide a stark contrast to my own restless Orthodoxy and tiggerish/bipolar tendencies, helping to ground and center my being and bring it balance. I'm always amazed at how content Buddhists are on the page and in person. They do not go out of their way to evade facts, and yet the facts never seem to get them down.
I'll post more thoughts on the subject as the days unfold. It just so happens that this train of thought runs parallel to the philosophical basis for our planned trip to Tahati: the premise that physical paradise ought to have an impact on our perceptions of happiness. Will our moods reflect the environment? Or will we merely take our own joys and sorrows with us?
You can read more about the Tyranny of Happiness HERE.
And of course, feel free to comment if the mood strikes you...
Good Work Is the Key to Good Fortune
That damned Neil Peart.
I'm keeping to a Neuro-Linguistic strategy by modeling my behavior on the people I admire, but watching Neil's extensive video on drumming called "A Work in Progress" has given me pause.
Here's a sample for your consideration:
The question it leads me to ask myself is this: what aspect of my own life have I mastered the way he has?
A favorite Rush lyric of mine is: "Good work is the key to good fortune." Along that line, I have invested far too much of my life energy in mastering the art of screenwriting, with only middling resuts so far. All that work hasn't led to anything perceptible yet, causing me to wonder whether this investment in technique has been for naught.
But the thing about chasing dreams is... it's not just about the having. The getting matters as much or more. I think that's the real reason why people who win the lottery are never happy. The money they've acquired is found money -- they expended no real effort to obtain it. While it sounds like paradise ("What, are you crazy? Send a little of that cash my way!") experience has proven again and again that people become reckless or dissolute in the face of random good luck. Good work that leads to good fortune... that's another story.
Joseph Campbell once said that a lot of people climb the ladder of success only to discover that it's standing against the wrong wall. Because we assign material equivalents to the degree of success we achieve at our jobs and not mastery or joy in our art/skill, that dollar reductionism leads to radical disjunctures on the perceived values in our society. The dash for cash takes up all our time and water-cooler conversations, while our freetime is gobbled up by mind-numbing distractions and passive entertainment. And then we claim we have no time to learn to ski or to fly or to parachute jump. Or to learn French or to cook or to travel the world.
And then you shadow a guy like Neil who avidly cooks, rides around the world on his bicycle or motorcycle, rock climbs, composes lyrics, and oh -- happens to be the best drummer in the whole world. Imagine: he can say without too much argument that he is the best at what he does on the planet. How many people would love to say that... about anything?
Henry David Thoreau once promoted a career advice as follows: "Make your living by loving." I believe he would readily acknowledge that Neil Peart examplifies the true spirit of this motto.
It is irrelevant in the end whether you like Rush's music or not. The critical point here is that he mastered a skillset and turned it into a career which allows him the freedom to pursue his other interests. Combined, they add up to an active life of passionate dreamchasing. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what this website is all about.
Take a look around and you'll see what I mean. We glorify fame and the riches that come with it. But few of us focus our attention where it really matters: on the grunt work of skill mastery that allows us to create the good work that, if all else holds true, leads to the good fortune we all desire.
I'm keeping to a Neuro-Linguistic strategy by modeling my behavior on the people I admire, but watching Neil's extensive video on drumming called "A Work in Progress" has given me pause.
Here's a sample for your consideration:
The question it leads me to ask myself is this: what aspect of my own life have I mastered the way he has?
A favorite Rush lyric of mine is: "Good work is the key to good fortune." Along that line, I have invested far too much of my life energy in mastering the art of screenwriting, with only middling resuts so far. All that work hasn't led to anything perceptible yet, causing me to wonder whether this investment in technique has been for naught.
But the thing about chasing dreams is... it's not just about the having. The getting matters as much or more. I think that's the real reason why people who win the lottery are never happy. The money they've acquired is found money -- they expended no real effort to obtain it. While it sounds like paradise ("What, are you crazy? Send a little of that cash my way!") experience has proven again and again that people become reckless or dissolute in the face of random good luck. Good work that leads to good fortune... that's another story.
Joseph Campbell once said that a lot of people climb the ladder of success only to discover that it's standing against the wrong wall. Because we assign material equivalents to the degree of success we achieve at our jobs and not mastery or joy in our art/skill, that dollar reductionism leads to radical disjunctures on the perceived values in our society. The dash for cash takes up all our time and water-cooler conversations, while our freetime is gobbled up by mind-numbing distractions and passive entertainment. And then we claim we have no time to learn to ski or to fly or to parachute jump. Or to learn French or to cook or to travel the world.
And then you shadow a guy like Neil who avidly cooks, rides around the world on his bicycle or motorcycle, rock climbs, composes lyrics, and oh -- happens to be the best drummer in the whole world. Imagine: he can say without too much argument that he is the best at what he does on the planet. How many people would love to say that... about anything?
Henry David Thoreau once promoted a career advice as follows: "Make your living by loving." I believe he would readily acknowledge that Neil Peart examplifies the true spirit of this motto.
It is irrelevant in the end whether you like Rush's music or not. The critical point here is that he mastered a skillset and turned it into a career which allows him the freedom to pursue his other interests. Combined, they add up to an active life of passionate dreamchasing. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what this website is all about.
Take a look around and you'll see what I mean. We glorify fame and the riches that come with it. But few of us focus our attention where it really matters: on the grunt work of skill mastery that allows us to create the good work that, if all else holds true, leads to the good fortune we all desire.
04 March 2010
Why Am I Here?
Not the really big "Why am I here?" question, but rather why am I here on this blog? There are many possible answers: a place to be heard, a creative outlet, doing it for a friend, and a host of other reasons why people probably blog. Mine is none of these. Mine is simple and rather selfish, but here and now I commit, to whomever might read these posts, that above all I will be honest, starting with what motivates my participation here.
I have a dream. A few of them actually. But I'm NOT chasing them. I'm not chasing them and I don't really understand why. So while I am in fact contributing in some way to the social discourse on chasing dreams, I'm really here as a means to explore and understand my own shortcomings, ultimately searching for what I'm missing that's keeping me from the chase. As far as I know, at this point this blog is just a conversation between myself and Bryan, but even if that's all it ever is, that's enough for me. My hope is that others will join, will offer feedback or support or criticism or analysis, but if the only comments that ever appear are from Bryan alone, it's enough for me.
I'm not quite ready to profess exactly what my dreams are at this point, but I'll offer where my thinking has roamed about my failure to chase them. First, my dreams are not trivial to me. If they were shallow, selfish dreams, then I suppose I wouldn't care. But, to me at least---you will have to judge for yourself once I eventually write about them---these dreams are not shallow nor selfish, and involve things that go to the core of my values. So it would certainly seem I'm not complacent because my dreams have little or no value to me.
Maybe I'm just lazy. This was a particularly difficult thing to consider, but consider it I have and deeply. My own conclusion is that I do in fact have a lazy streak. For much of my life and in many things, I've succeeded not on effort but on ability, settling for results achieved not by persistent hard work but rather what I was naturally capable of. Please do not think I am bragging here, I am not. I humbly recognize those capabilities as gifts, they were bestowed upon me, I did not earn them. The point is that a certain level of natural ability has allowed me the luxury of laziness in many things where I still managed to be successful by most anyone's definition. When I realized this it was hard to accept. There were areas of my life where I wasn't truly giving it my best, where I was being a minimalist because I could. But here's the thing: not with anything important to me. The important things I have focused on, have given the effort to, and can truly look back and say with honesty that I gave them my best. So while I've been lazy with certain things because nothing minimal effort was required to achieve acceptable results, something that shames me and that I strive to change, for things that have been important to me, I have given incredible efforts and hard work, and was never satisfied with merely what was acceptable. I strove to achieve the best result possible. When it comes to my dreams, they are things of utmost importance, born from my very core, sacred and set apart. The pattern of laziness I see in my life does not then apply. The chasing of these dreams should be some of the things I'm willing to give more effort to than anything else in the world. This raises the question, of course, that perhaps my dreams are not as important to me as I believe them to be, but no introspection is even required to put that thought to immediate rest. There is perhaps nothing more important to me at this point, so I have to believe that, though ashamed of the lazy streak I appear to have in some cases, here it does not apply.
So, concluding that my dreams are not shallow or selfish, and are in fact of utmost importance to me, and that I've never been lazy in pursuing the things that have really mattered to me, I have to look elsewhere. One stark possibility is complacency. While my job may not be ideal, neither is it unbearable, and financially most people would consider me successful. I have worked hard to allow myself and my family to live comfortably, but perhaps that's precisely the problem: I'm too comfortable. I believe it's important that I earned my position in life rather than having had it given to me, but even having earned it, I've come to believe comfort is a dangerous enemy to a chaser of dreams. In researching this idea, I came across the following quotes:
The question I have thus arrived at is this: Is a comfortable life my modern day lotus flower? And if it is, how do I break free of such a shameful state? Just recognizing it doesn't appear sufficient. I need a plan of action, but despite all I know, all I believe, all I hold important, one has not materialized. I almost feel like a drug addict in need of an intervention. The addict reasons that he is not an addict by virtue of his belief that he can quit at any time, when in reality few addicts can break free on their own. Am I addicted, believing that I can start chasing my dream at any time, but am in reality beholden to the safety of comfort? Pondering these questions is where I find myself lately, wondering what, if anything, can break the hold...
I have a dream. A few of them actually. But I'm NOT chasing them. I'm not chasing them and I don't really understand why. So while I am in fact contributing in some way to the social discourse on chasing dreams, I'm really here as a means to explore and understand my own shortcomings, ultimately searching for what I'm missing that's keeping me from the chase. As far as I know, at this point this blog is just a conversation between myself and Bryan, but even if that's all it ever is, that's enough for me. My hope is that others will join, will offer feedback or support or criticism or analysis, but if the only comments that ever appear are from Bryan alone, it's enough for me.
I'm not quite ready to profess exactly what my dreams are at this point, but I'll offer where my thinking has roamed about my failure to chase them. First, my dreams are not trivial to me. If they were shallow, selfish dreams, then I suppose I wouldn't care. But, to me at least---you will have to judge for yourself once I eventually write about them---these dreams are not shallow nor selfish, and involve things that go to the core of my values. So it would certainly seem I'm not complacent because my dreams have little or no value to me.
Maybe I'm just lazy. This was a particularly difficult thing to consider, but consider it I have and deeply. My own conclusion is that I do in fact have a lazy streak. For much of my life and in many things, I've succeeded not on effort but on ability, settling for results achieved not by persistent hard work but rather what I was naturally capable of. Please do not think I am bragging here, I am not. I humbly recognize those capabilities as gifts, they were bestowed upon me, I did not earn them. The point is that a certain level of natural ability has allowed me the luxury of laziness in many things where I still managed to be successful by most anyone's definition. When I realized this it was hard to accept. There were areas of my life where I wasn't truly giving it my best, where I was being a minimalist because I could. But here's the thing: not with anything important to me. The important things I have focused on, have given the effort to, and can truly look back and say with honesty that I gave them my best. So while I've been lazy with certain things because nothing minimal effort was required to achieve acceptable results, something that shames me and that I strive to change, for things that have been important to me, I have given incredible efforts and hard work, and was never satisfied with merely what was acceptable. I strove to achieve the best result possible. When it comes to my dreams, they are things of utmost importance, born from my very core, sacred and set apart. The pattern of laziness I see in my life does not then apply. The chasing of these dreams should be some of the things I'm willing to give more effort to than anything else in the world. This raises the question, of course, that perhaps my dreams are not as important to me as I believe them to be, but no introspection is even required to put that thought to immediate rest. There is perhaps nothing more important to me at this point, so I have to believe that, though ashamed of the lazy streak I appear to have in some cases, here it does not apply.
So, concluding that my dreams are not shallow or selfish, and are in fact of utmost importance to me, and that I've never been lazy in pursuing the things that have really mattered to me, I have to look elsewhere. One stark possibility is complacency. While my job may not be ideal, neither is it unbearable, and financially most people would consider me successful. I have worked hard to allow myself and my family to live comfortably, but perhaps that's precisely the problem: I'm too comfortable. I believe it's important that I earned my position in life rather than having had it given to me, but even having earned it, I've come to believe comfort is a dangerous enemy to a chaser of dreams. In researching this idea, I came across the following quotes:
Don't get too comfortable with who you are at any given time, you may miss the opportunity to become who you want to be. --Jon Bon JoviI respect these men, and I respect their insights. Both paint comfort as an enemy of desire and achievement, Bon Jovi on a personal level, Kennedy apparently on a social level.
There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction. --John F. Kennedy
The question I have thus arrived at is this: Is a comfortable life my modern day lotus flower? And if it is, how do I break free of such a shameful state? Just recognizing it doesn't appear sufficient. I need a plan of action, but despite all I know, all I believe, all I hold important, one has not materialized. I almost feel like a drug addict in need of an intervention. The addict reasons that he is not an addict by virtue of his belief that he can quit at any time, when in reality few addicts can break free on their own. Am I addicted, believing that I can start chasing my dream at any time, but am in reality beholden to the safety of comfort? Pondering these questions is where I find myself lately, wondering what, if anything, can break the hold...
01 March 2010
From the "Money Isn't Everything" File
Here's a story from Money/CNN about a real Dreamchaser. Send it to someone who believes that money is the be all and end all of true happiness.
Please click on the link to read the full story.
LINK
An 80% pay cut - but it was worth it
(Money Magazine) -- Then: Sold advertising
Now: Teaches scuba to people with disabilities
Watching his legally blind daughter ski for the first time back in 1989, Jim Elliott was inspired. "She glowed with confidence," he recalls. It motivated the proud dad -- then an ad exec for the Tribune Co. -- to consider a career change.
An experienced diver, Elliott began thinking about founding a nonprofit that would use scuba to build self-esteem in disabled children.
Please click on the link to read the full story.
LINK
An 80% pay cut - but it was worth it
(Money Magazine) -- Then: Sold advertising
Now: Teaches scuba to people with disabilities
Watching his legally blind daughter ski for the first time back in 1989, Jim Elliott was inspired. "She glowed with confidence," he recalls. It motivated the proud dad -- then an ad exec for the Tribune Co. -- to consider a career change.
An experienced diver, Elliott began thinking about founding a nonprofit that would use scuba to build self-esteem in disabled children.
28 February 2010
Someday, Little Children
Whenever I ask myself how I ended up with my endless idealism, I replay this gem from my childhood. Our generation was saturated by this kind of thing... Free to Be You and Me, The Electric Co. -- as kids I thought we would grow up in a peaceful world with unlimited growth. I still believe in that dream... it's just become a lot more personal and a heckuva lot harder to achieve!
Steve Jobs: Dreamchaser Emeritus
Kamots turned me on to the TED talks... inspiration from some of the greatest achievers in the world.
While I don't consider myself a Mac guy, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Steve Jobs and the crucial role he has played in reinventing our relationships with technology.
But it's not fundamentally about technology at all -- which is what you'll discover by clicking here.
(See, Ron? You've already upped the stakes!)
While I don't consider myself a Mac guy, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Steve Jobs and the crucial role he has played in reinventing our relationships with technology.
But it's not fundamentally about technology at all -- which is what you'll discover by clicking here.
(See, Ron? You've already upped the stakes!)
Kamots
Bryan asked me today if I would join him here on this blog, and when he explained its purpose, my answer was a resounding yes. I haven't personally kept a blog for over five years now, and I've never participated in a group blog, but this one speaks to my heart, and if it does nothing more than facilitate the shared ramblings of two dreamers half a continent apart, then it's already a successful endeavor.
Before I contribute a post of any consequence, I want to explain Kamots. I use the name for my avatar or display name in most online social circles, and am frequently asked about its meaning. A rare few already know, but for those who don't, and because when I read a blog I personally like knowing a bit about who's behind the words I'm reading, I will use this first post to preemptively address the question that I know from experience will arise: Who or what is a Kamots?
The short answer is that Kamots was a wolf who spent several years as the alpha male of what is known as the Sawtooth Pack. Go to the Wolf Education Research Center if you want to know more.
Before I contribute a post of any consequence, I want to explain Kamots. I use the name for my avatar or display name in most online social circles, and am frequently asked about its meaning. A rare few already know, but for those who don't, and because when I read a blog I personally like knowing a bit about who's behind the words I'm reading, I will use this first post to preemptively address the question that I know from experience will arise: Who or what is a Kamots?
The short answer is that Kamots was a wolf who spent several years as the alpha male of what is known as the Sawtooth Pack. Go to the Wolf Education Research Center if you want to know more.
The long answer is that as long as I can remember, I have loved wolves. They are beautiful, fierce, loyal, loving creatures. They have taught me more about life than most people. Wolves are misunderstood by most of humanity, and most of the time I feel the same. They possess an inner strength that I strive for, strong and independent, yet relying on each other to face the challenges of life. The family bond in the wolf pack is one of the strongest found in nature. They don't always agree, they will challenge one another to the point of drawing blood, but no matter what the role they choose or are assigned, they never, never forsake their pack. Such devotion is rare among animals, and the fickleness of human bonds pales by comparison. I choose the name for my avatars and display names to honor a creature that lives and loves and plays and dies with an intensity of spirit that inspires me to life.
So, who am I really? Obviously I am not a wolf. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, then I must have been one in a very recent past life, but for this lifetime at least, I'm passing my time in the body of a human male. I am a software engineer by trade, but my heart lies with writing, with the power of imagination and myth to change the world. It seems an odd combination, analytical versus artistic, two different sides of the brain, two vastly different aspects of personality, but I find that they can mesh like the sides of a coin to form a whole. I spent a good deal of my early life enamored with things that go beep, but I've learned that in the end, the mark I leave on this world and the mark it leaves on me have nothing to do with the things that beep and flash, and everything to do with the ones that laugh and cry. Lying upon death's door I will not find myself wishing I'd had time to level up just once more, I'll wish I'd hugged my children more, that I'd visited my grandpa before he died, that I'd broken the decade-long silence with my sister. The size of my house and the speed of my computer will count for nothing, but the lives intermingled with my own will count for everything. So, yes, I might be a left-brained analytical geek by nature, but I have learned that all we really have is each other, and writing is my means of reaching out.Sadly, I find that being openly philosophical and thinking deeply turns most people off. I think deeply because I know my time is limited, so why should I let it go to waste? I value the gift of my life and the only impact I can have are the choices I make. Should those choices then be made lightly? Maybe sometimes, yes, but most of the time they're worth considering for a while. So I consider my choices in life as if it were the only life I had---oh wait, it is!---but the philosophy of life that I embrace is actually not to take it all too seriously. I believe the people who are able to make the most of life are the people who never forget what it's like to be a child. As children we find the world an incredible place, full of wonder, waiting to be explored, filled with the hope of what it might offer to us. Somewhere along the way to becoming an adult, most people seem to lose that. Most, but not all. It's the people who didn't that I'm looking for. The people who still chase dreams . . .
The Dream Team Expands!
I have taken some time off to reassess my goals and directions for this blog. I feel I'm in a quandary, not wanting to blow a bunch of hot air into the universe, telling people to believe in their dreams when I am failing at pursuing my own.
This is a huge year of transition for me. I know that whatever happens, things will NOT stay the same. Either I will fail at my big ambitions or I will succeed, but half measures will no longer suffice. From now on, it's live by my values or die by them. But I will not enter the afterworld only to end up in Dante's realm set aside for the Neutrals -- those who couldn't make up their mind one way or another... who went through life fearing to fail and thus to never take a stand.
Happily, I realize I'm not the only one facing tough choices. We all want happy and fulfilled lives... lives that are in congruence with out deepest values.
To my great joy, I rediscovered that my best friend shares these core beliefs, as you will get to see for yourself since he's now a valued member to the Dream Team. Once he gets around to accepting my invitation, he'll be posting to the blog about similar ideas (except he's a whole lot smarter than me).
None of us knows for sure what tomorrow will bring. But what we do know is what our values are and if the lives we are living are consistent with them. As Dreamchasers, we understand that congruent lives are satisfied lives... you can figure out the inverse for yourself.
So welcome aboard, Ron, and thanks for classing the joint up! It's great having you aboard. I look forward to watching our first public collaboration unfold, and hope it's the beginning of many, many more to come.
You know what you've got to do, right? When that moment of inspiration comes, I want you to rear back and BRING IT! Hopefully we'll be running stride for stride, even if in different directions. I know you're going to challenge me to reach levels beyond my wildest imagination.
Let's get this party started!
This is a huge year of transition for me. I know that whatever happens, things will NOT stay the same. Either I will fail at my big ambitions or I will succeed, but half measures will no longer suffice. From now on, it's live by my values or die by them. But I will not enter the afterworld only to end up in Dante's realm set aside for the Neutrals -- those who couldn't make up their mind one way or another... who went through life fearing to fail and thus to never take a stand.
Happily, I realize I'm not the only one facing tough choices. We all want happy and fulfilled lives... lives that are in congruence with out deepest values.
To my great joy, I rediscovered that my best friend shares these core beliefs, as you will get to see for yourself since he's now a valued member to the Dream Team. Once he gets around to accepting my invitation, he'll be posting to the blog about similar ideas (except he's a whole lot smarter than me).
None of us knows for sure what tomorrow will bring. But what we do know is what our values are and if the lives we are living are consistent with them. As Dreamchasers, we understand that congruent lives are satisfied lives... you can figure out the inverse for yourself.
So welcome aboard, Ron, and thanks for classing the joint up! It's great having you aboard. I look forward to watching our first public collaboration unfold, and hope it's the beginning of many, many more to come.
You know what you've got to do, right? When that moment of inspiration comes, I want you to rear back and BRING IT! Hopefully we'll be running stride for stride, even if in different directions. I know you're going to challenge me to reach levels beyond my wildest imagination.
Let's get this party started!
23 February 2010
22 February 2010
Kelly Slater Does Tahiti
If you're anywhere near an Imax theater, you may want to check out this new 3D surf experience. If nothing else, it will bring Tahiti up close like you've never seen it before (yet). Or, if you have seen it, ah -- the memories.
Perusing Dream Pursuit
Great article in which the Olympics cause a writer to question what it would take to focus exclusively on one goal like elite athletes do.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
The 2010 Winter Olympics are almost over, and as the competitions wind down I'm feeling some mixed emotions. As an Olympic-watching junky, I will have a lot more time for work and will soon be able to get to bed at a decent hour. But I will miss the thrills and spills and the inspiring stories of redemption and triumph.
The Olympics, whether winter or summer, are all about having a dream and making a commitment to pursue a goal, despite all challenges. Most of the athletes at the winter games won't medal. Their dream is to simply be there; to represent their country and to do their best.
As I sit comfortably on my couch watching the games, enjoying my beverages and salty snacks, I try to imagine the dedication of these athletes, the commitment that has brought them to compete at this level. I feel like a total slacker.
I watch and I wonder: "What is my dream?" What do I want to accomplish that I would be willing to work that hard that long for? For what am I willing to sacrifice everything else in order to achieve? Honestly, I am hard pressed to come up with anything. That's not to say I don't have dreams, goals and things I hope to accomplish in my lifetime. But I've not yet come up with something that I would be willing to pursue with so much dedication and passion that it would exclude all else.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
The 2010 Winter Olympics are almost over, and as the competitions wind down I'm feeling some mixed emotions. As an Olympic-watching junky, I will have a lot more time for work and will soon be able to get to bed at a decent hour. But I will miss the thrills and spills and the inspiring stories of redemption and triumph.
The Olympics, whether winter or summer, are all about having a dream and making a commitment to pursue a goal, despite all challenges. Most of the athletes at the winter games won't medal. Their dream is to simply be there; to represent their country and to do their best.
As I sit comfortably on my couch watching the games, enjoying my beverages and salty snacks, I try to imagine the dedication of these athletes, the commitment that has brought them to compete at this level. I feel like a total slacker.
I watch and I wonder: "What is my dream?" What do I want to accomplish that I would be willing to work that hard that long for? For what am I willing to sacrifice everything else in order to achieve? Honestly, I am hard pressed to come up with anything. That's not to say I don't have dreams, goals and things I hope to accomplish in my lifetime. But I've not yet come up with something that I would be willing to pursue with so much dedication and passion that it would exclude all else.
18 February 2010
Adventure Is Out There
Who are my heroes? When do I get jealous? Reading or watching travel adventure stories drives me nuts. I don't want to be watching.... I want to be out there!
But I know I need that kick, that inspiration to get me off my ass sometimes. And when I do, there's no finer motivational tool than taking in the sheer glee of Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman on their motorcycle journeys. Rat bastards!
But I know I need that kick, that inspiration to get me off my ass sometimes. And when I do, there's no finer motivational tool than taking in the sheer glee of Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman on their motorcycle journeys. Rat bastards!
Role Models
Sure, it's a funny movie if you happened to catch it. But aside from being the societal prescriptive for what ails our youth, role models can be a powerful guide for the change we desire at any age.
Don't know where you're going? Ask yourself whom you admire -- or envy. If instead of wasting energy wishing you were them you would adapt the positive behaviors that got them where they are, you now have a roadmap to the life you want.
Role models blaze trails that you can follow if you'll put down the TV remote and the National Enquirer and get busy doing what they do -- instead of just wishing you were them.
This isn't some crackpot notion I just came up with. NLP strategists have been teaching this method for personal change for years and years. Junior executives have modeled the clothes they wear, the language they use, even their dietary choices based on the preferences of the CEOs they yearn tobecome replace someday.
If you don't know who your role models are, ask yourself when you feel jealousy that's beyond your conscious control. "Man, I want a life like that." Well why not go out and get it? Your role model can show you the way.
We are all each other's teachers. You just have to pick out the ones you want to become. We're not in 3rd grade anymore. We get to pick our own Mrs. Trout and Mr. Thomas.
So who's your role model? And what did you do today to bring your life a little closer into alignment with theirs?
Don't know where you're going? Ask yourself whom you admire -- or envy. If instead of wasting energy wishing you were them you would adapt the positive behaviors that got them where they are, you now have a roadmap to the life you want.
Role models blaze trails that you can follow if you'll put down the TV remote and the National Enquirer and get busy doing what they do -- instead of just wishing you were them.
This isn't some crackpot notion I just came up with. NLP strategists have been teaching this method for personal change for years and years. Junior executives have modeled the clothes they wear, the language they use, even their dietary choices based on the preferences of the CEOs they yearn to
If you don't know who your role models are, ask yourself when you feel jealousy that's beyond your conscious control. "Man, I want a life like that." Well why not go out and get it? Your role model can show you the way.
We are all each other's teachers. You just have to pick out the ones you want to become. We're not in 3rd grade anymore. We get to pick our own Mrs. Trout and Mr. Thomas.
So who's your role model? And what did you do today to bring your life a little closer into alignment with theirs?
16 February 2010
Vision Over Visibility
For better or worse, we live in a monetary, material, concrete world. Cash and carry, no C.O.D.s, thank you. And so most of us plug away, doing the best we can to survive -- some of us even thrive. But the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
It's hard to be a visionary if you don't have a vision. But there are so very few true visionaries because what we can see and feel and taste and touch has presedence in our lives, and usually for very good reasons. Mortgage payments, bills, insurance, working toward retirement, these are strong motivations that keep us stuck in what can feel like an endless treadmill.
A vision? For all but a very few, that's a recipe for disaster. Sure, geniuses see life in completely different ways... but what usually ends up happening to them? Martyrs, paupers, crazies, heretics, losers most. And then the other ones who create the art that we hang in museums, the novels we read in college, the innovators who start companies like Microsoft and Google, poets, prophets, investors, rebels. All of them share a touch of the Mad Hatter, a belief in what they think and believe, even when it contradicts the herd.
Play it safe or go for broke? Trust your instincts, or what has worked more often than not in the past? See what's out there or stay at home where it's snug, safe and familiar?
We all get to make these decisions for ourselves. The sad part is, nobody tells us the stakes involved until it's too late.
Schools could provide the missing link, cultivating our individual talents, nurturing our latent abilities, encouraging us to become what we are capable of instead of what fits into the already established, neatly fitting grid.
At some point or other, most of us will want to discover what we were born for, what it is we might have been doing all along. No matter where you are on the journey of life, there will be people who tell you there's no point in trying, that you'll only end up in disaster. That the common way is the best way because most of the risks have been sqeezed out.
But if that vision remains locked away in your deepest soul, you will need to bring it out at some point while you still can. It may be crazy; you may be a Noah out in his yard building an ark while the neighbors write you off as a looney. The real question is: can you sleep at night if you don't get out there and start hammering? Are you willing to face God after having doubted Him and the special mission He gave you while you were on this earth?
Then again, what do I know? I'm just a guy who is fed up with placing my dreams on hold, in doubting the strong sense of mission that I feel inside.
I have tried the safe routes and failed at every one. Is it really such a risk now to do what I probably should have been working on all along?
Maybe this will all go smash. But I'm putting myself out there and saying, okay, then, fine. All the naysayers will be proven correct if that's the case. I will have lost the bet. All my deepest wishes for my life will have come to naught.
And yet, how different is that than if I never ventured them at all? If they stayed locked in my heart where nobody could ever know about them? Sure, I would have all these perfect fantasies stored away for a future "someday." But that's like a child putting away his unopened Christmas presents so he can take them out 40 years later and sell them on ebay. (And I know some of you are saying, smart kid!)
We all get to make those choices -- and I'm rolling up my sleeves and making mine. My dreams will stay stored away no longer. Failure is less a risk than dying with so much unlived life locked safely inside my heart.
It's hard to be a visionary if you don't have a vision. But there are so very few true visionaries because what we can see and feel and taste and touch has presedence in our lives, and usually for very good reasons. Mortgage payments, bills, insurance, working toward retirement, these are strong motivations that keep us stuck in what can feel like an endless treadmill.
A vision? For all but a very few, that's a recipe for disaster. Sure, geniuses see life in completely different ways... but what usually ends up happening to them? Martyrs, paupers, crazies, heretics, losers most. And then the other ones who create the art that we hang in museums, the novels we read in college, the innovators who start companies like Microsoft and Google, poets, prophets, investors, rebels. All of them share a touch of the Mad Hatter, a belief in what they think and believe, even when it contradicts the herd.
Play it safe or go for broke? Trust your instincts, or what has worked more often than not in the past? See what's out there or stay at home where it's snug, safe and familiar?
We all get to make these decisions for ourselves. The sad part is, nobody tells us the stakes involved until it's too late.
Schools could provide the missing link, cultivating our individual talents, nurturing our latent abilities, encouraging us to become what we are capable of instead of what fits into the already established, neatly fitting grid.
At some point or other, most of us will want to discover what we were born for, what it is we might have been doing all along. No matter where you are on the journey of life, there will be people who tell you there's no point in trying, that you'll only end up in disaster. That the common way is the best way because most of the risks have been sqeezed out.
But if that vision remains locked away in your deepest soul, you will need to bring it out at some point while you still can. It may be crazy; you may be a Noah out in his yard building an ark while the neighbors write you off as a looney. The real question is: can you sleep at night if you don't get out there and start hammering? Are you willing to face God after having doubted Him and the special mission He gave you while you were on this earth?
Then again, what do I know? I'm just a guy who is fed up with placing my dreams on hold, in doubting the strong sense of mission that I feel inside.
I have tried the safe routes and failed at every one. Is it really such a risk now to do what I probably should have been working on all along?
Maybe this will all go smash. But I'm putting myself out there and saying, okay, then, fine. All the naysayers will be proven correct if that's the case. I will have lost the bet. All my deepest wishes for my life will have come to naught.
And yet, how different is that than if I never ventured them at all? If they stayed locked in my heart where nobody could ever know about them? Sure, I would have all these perfect fantasies stored away for a future "someday." But that's like a child putting away his unopened Christmas presents so he can take them out 40 years later and sell them on ebay. (And I know some of you are saying, smart kid!)
We all get to make those choices -- and I'm rolling up my sleeves and making mine. My dreams will stay stored away no longer. Failure is less a risk than dying with so much unlived life locked safely inside my heart.
10 February 2010
Are You a Dreamchaser?
Are you motivated toward adventure or away from risk and danger? (Note: There's nothing wrong with either answer.) Often our choices will vary depending upon the circumstance.
If I'm surfing, I want to swim out toward the big waves. But if sharks have been reported nearby, I may stay on shore until the coast is clear.
I may be attracted to adventurous activities like skydiving or secretly wish to obtain a pilot's license (and hope the two never come up simultaneously). And yet I may sense a restless fear holding me back. (Parachute jumping is an expensive indulgence we can't afford. I hear about small aircraft crashing on the local news all the time.)
Neuro-lingsuistic programming teaches that each of us has a predominant compass that we tend to navigate by. Being aware of your tendencies and those of the ones you love can be a useful tool for figuring out compatability in anything from vacation plans to career ambitions and raising kids.
One of you may be more concerned about playing it safe, saving for rainy days and sicknesses and a college fund. Meanwhile, the other one wants to spend summer in France, to learn to scuba dive, the costs be damned. It's easy to see why human society needs both types in order for it to function properly.
Which is why the division of labor is such a godsend. I'm glad somebody likes repairing cars and is good at it, because outside of changing my own oil and some preventative maintenance, I'm virtually clueless.
I can think of a million jobs I'd never want in to try in as many years: mortician, tax attorney, ER doctor, slaughterhouse worker, politician... the list goes on and on. Again, that's not because any of these are "bad" jobs; we all depend upon each other's skills for our nation to thrive. I just hope that the people doing those careers enjoy them because I might survive at any of them if I had to, but I doubt I could thrive.
My brother works in the California prison system and I don't know how he does it. He's a gang specialist and gets called at a moment's notice around the US whenever there's a riot. He's tough, an ex-football player. And still, I worry about him every day. Yet when you ask him about it, he shrugs it off as no big deal. He likes his job. So there you go.
I love to teach, but don't love the educational system. And yet I meet people all the time who wonder how anybody could enjoy dealing with kids -- especially high school kids -- on a daily basis.
For my part, I ask myself how anybody can lead a pack of seven year olds for a whole day and not go utterly crazy. But then again, elementrary teachers almost always adore what they do and wouldn't want to deal with the same kids as they get older.
So by asking whether or not you're a dreamchaser, the question is not judgmental in any way. Rather, it's simply bidding you to search inside about what motivates you -- how strongly you are motivated to achieving your heart's desire before time runs out.
Where it matters most is if you're out of alignment. That is, if you're really a dreamchaser down deep, but you've been living your life as a scared rabbit, hiding away those big, ambitious projects for a someday that seems like it will never come. Tick tock, the days fly by... and those yearnings remain locked away in a closet, waiting for you to bring them out and fulfill them.
My meditation teacher used to say that we have to learn how to die like the Buddhist monks who meditate in a graveyard to remind themselves that time is short. "Do not die with regrets," he would say. "Make peace with your friends, with your family, with yourself. Do it now, before it's too late."
Potential energy which remains unspent -- that's the real tragedy in death. It's why we mourn so much for a kid who gets cut down by stray bullets or suicide or god only knows what else, but feel life has given someone a fair chance who fades away in their 80s. Acknowledging, of course, that all death is ultimately sad to the loved ones left behind.
What's on your list of things to do before you die? When did you plan on attacking that list? Will it be a "bucket list" for you? Are you waiting to win the lottery or be diagnosed with a terminal disease before you start?
Why not start today? Right now? With your very next breath? Do you believe that's possible?
Are you a Dreamchaser?
If I'm surfing, I want to swim out toward the big waves. But if sharks have been reported nearby, I may stay on shore until the coast is clear.
I may be attracted to adventurous activities like skydiving or secretly wish to obtain a pilot's license (and hope the two never come up simultaneously). And yet I may sense a restless fear holding me back. (Parachute jumping is an expensive indulgence we can't afford. I hear about small aircraft crashing on the local news all the time.)
Neuro-lingsuistic programming teaches that each of us has a predominant compass that we tend to navigate by. Being aware of your tendencies and those of the ones you love can be a useful tool for figuring out compatability in anything from vacation plans to career ambitions and raising kids.
One of you may be more concerned about playing it safe, saving for rainy days and sicknesses and a college fund. Meanwhile, the other one wants to spend summer in France, to learn to scuba dive, the costs be damned. It's easy to see why human society needs both types in order for it to function properly.
Which is why the division of labor is such a godsend. I'm glad somebody likes repairing cars and is good at it, because outside of changing my own oil and some preventative maintenance, I'm virtually clueless.
I can think of a million jobs I'd never want in to try in as many years: mortician, tax attorney, ER doctor, slaughterhouse worker, politician... the list goes on and on. Again, that's not because any of these are "bad" jobs; we all depend upon each other's skills for our nation to thrive. I just hope that the people doing those careers enjoy them because I might survive at any of them if I had to, but I doubt I could thrive.
My brother works in the California prison system and I don't know how he does it. He's a gang specialist and gets called at a moment's notice around the US whenever there's a riot. He's tough, an ex-football player. And still, I worry about him every day. Yet when you ask him about it, he shrugs it off as no big deal. He likes his job. So there you go.
I love to teach, but don't love the educational system. And yet I meet people all the time who wonder how anybody could enjoy dealing with kids -- especially high school kids -- on a daily basis.
For my part, I ask myself how anybody can lead a pack of seven year olds for a whole day and not go utterly crazy. But then again, elementrary teachers almost always adore what they do and wouldn't want to deal with the same kids as they get older.
So by asking whether or not you're a dreamchaser, the question is not judgmental in any way. Rather, it's simply bidding you to search inside about what motivates you -- how strongly you are motivated to achieving your heart's desire before time runs out.
Where it matters most is if you're out of alignment. That is, if you're really a dreamchaser down deep, but you've been living your life as a scared rabbit, hiding away those big, ambitious projects for a someday that seems like it will never come. Tick tock, the days fly by... and those yearnings remain locked away in a closet, waiting for you to bring them out and fulfill them.
My meditation teacher used to say that we have to learn how to die like the Buddhist monks who meditate in a graveyard to remind themselves that time is short. "Do not die with regrets," he would say. "Make peace with your friends, with your family, with yourself. Do it now, before it's too late."
Potential energy which remains unspent -- that's the real tragedy in death. It's why we mourn so much for a kid who gets cut down by stray bullets or suicide or god only knows what else, but feel life has given someone a fair chance who fades away in their 80s. Acknowledging, of course, that all death is ultimately sad to the loved ones left behind.
What's on your list of things to do before you die? When did you plan on attacking that list? Will it be a "bucket list" for you? Are you waiting to win the lottery or be diagnosed with a terminal disease before you start?
Why not start today? Right now? With your very next breath? Do you believe that's possible?
Are you a Dreamchaser?
09 February 2010
The American Dream
When most of us think of the American Dream, I suspect that we imagine having made it big doing what we love. The image of Drew Brees holding his child under a shower of confetti after the Super Bowl comes to my mind... It would be hard to come up with a better fairy tale ending.
But so many of us forget that the American Dream is about the quest as much as the attainment, that the doing what we love has far more impact on whether we're happy than the money, fame and status that we confuse it with.
It never fails that when a rock star or celebrity commits suicide, the rest of us wonder how it could have happened. Like T.O., the flamboyant wide receiver for the
Reality TV would argue it is. But everyday people who have found true happiness would not.
I believe that we won't achieve world peace until everyone is doing what they're meant to be doing, when their careers are extensions of who they are and what they love.
And yes, I believe with all my heart that each and every one of us is meant to do something special, something unique, something God put us here to achieve.
Call that outlandish, call that a theological fallacy, but I accept that as a base assumption. And I'll even go as far as to say that I've never found the following statement not to be true: when people align their abilities with their ambitions -- when they are fulfilling their passionate purpose -- they are always, always, always happy in life.
Do what you love and the money will follow. We hear it all the time, but do we truly believe it?
The Protestant work ethic says: hard work is our lot in life, whether we like it or not. We serve God best through sacrifice. If we like what we're doing too much, it isn't really work at all. And neither is it sacrifice. And therefore it can't possibly be good for you.
A dreamchaser believes that God meant us to be happy and fulfilled. That we serve the Lord best when we're showing our gratitude by exploring and expanding the gifts we've been given.
Good parents want their children to become all they were born to be. To use their talents and find true joy.
What mom or dad wants a child to suffer? And which doesn't shout for joy when their son or daughter hits a home run or brings home an A in school?
The real secret is discovering what we were meant to do in life... the talent or ability we were born to develop and share with the world.
I'll have more to say about how education needs to be changed later.
For now, I want you to ask yourself: how am I unique from all other people who have ever been born on this earth? When do I feel truly happy and at peace with myself? What would I do anyway, even if I had 100 million dollars? How would I spend my time? How would I want to give back to the world?
The American Dream lives in the hearts and souls of each and every one of us. It's not something waiting for us at the end of a rainbow, after we've won the lottery.
It burns brightly every time we engage in the activity we were meant to do.
07 February 2010
The Countdown Begins
T minus 15 months... and counting.
That's how far out Robert and I now are from our stated launch date to Tahiti in May 2011 -- and so much needs to get done! I can't even begin to detail the laundry list of tasks both big and small that must be taken care of to ensure we set sail.
If I dwell on the multitude of reasons why the venture ought not happen, it won't... and there wouldn't be much reason for writing this. Call us fools (it happens a lot, we're used to it), but our plan is to procede "as if" everything necessary will happen in the alloted timeframe, no matter how niggling or challenging the obstacle may seem to us. Call it a wing or a prayer. We're not ignoring the challenges, just playing 'em one game at a time so the whole season ahead doesn't overwhelm us.
Part of my job during the coming days, weeks and months is to document the process as it unfolds. Of course, should we fail in our purpose at any point along the way, this will all seem like a futile gesture leading to naught (besides heaps and heaps of public embarrassment).
But I'd rather risk that than stay safe and secure in harbor. I've tried that method for too long now and can conclude with absolute certainty that it doesn't work -- it is a failed philosophy and must be discarded at once.
So far, only I, Bryan, have posted entries on this blog, but I'm hoping that Robert will soon join in. He's the brains of this undertaking and the inspiration. He's also a retired rocket scientist, and the butt of neverending brainy jokes that must get wearisome, as you'll soon find out. When people say, "Yeah, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist," we in the family just smile. We happen to have one of those creatures around and can speak from firsthand experience whereof that particular cliche comes.
Part of the attraction of our pairing for this trip is how similar yet dissimilar we are. He's got all the science cred, plus a great appreciation for the art and culture that he was too busy making a career to have time for. Whereas I'm the guy your mother warned you about, the one who insisted on studying German and the Great Books while he should have considered what he planned to do with all that fancy but impractical book learnin'.
If you've ever read Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance (here I go), that's what most of our conversations tend to be like. It's kind of a snoozefest for those not inclined to discussing matters of the head and heart -- many an acquaintance simply rolls their eyes whenever we bring subjects like these up -- but it joins us in a rather tight bond, purely by way of subtraction. Without each other, who the hell would listen to us?
While it won't surprise us if you feel likewise, we're also hoping that a fairly substantial community of thoughtful people exists out there in the blogosphere who are tired of, as Neil Peart says, "so much style without substance, so much stuff without style."
I'll be quoting Neil a lot -- he and Henry David Thoreau and Paul Theroux -- for they are my travel heroes. I personally -- and we collectively -- respect those who set off on epic quests for the sake of conquering them, but neither of us is inclined that way in the slightest. In fact, it would drive us both crazy if either of us were. Inner reflection is a non-negotiable in our world.
The inside and the outside need correlation, is another way of looking at it. Otherwise, life boils down to so much stuff. We are tremendous collectors, we humans, as a species. Sometimes it appears that the only purpose of doing anything is so that we can show off our bobbles and pretty trinkets in front of others. And to woo women, I suppose. But that's not what this is about here -- at least in the theory behind the launching of this project.
Another favorite Peart line for me is this: "the way out is the way in..." which to me means that our outer lived experience doesn't add up to much unless it's connected to a Socratic questioning and awareness. The unexamined life isn't worth living. So what this won't be is a collection of mooseheads on the wall.
The Sierra Club motto reads: Take only photographs, leave only footprints. And, to the best of our abilities, we shall adopt it as ours.
That's how far out Robert and I now are from our stated launch date to Tahiti in May 2011 -- and so much needs to get done! I can't even begin to detail the laundry list of tasks both big and small that must be taken care of to ensure we set sail.
If I dwell on the multitude of reasons why the venture ought not happen, it won't... and there wouldn't be much reason for writing this. Call us fools (it happens a lot, we're used to it), but our plan is to procede "as if" everything necessary will happen in the alloted timeframe, no matter how niggling or challenging the obstacle may seem to us. Call it a wing or a prayer. We're not ignoring the challenges, just playing 'em one game at a time so the whole season ahead doesn't overwhelm us.
Part of my job during the coming days, weeks and months is to document the process as it unfolds. Of course, should we fail in our purpose at any point along the way, this will all seem like a futile gesture leading to naught (besides heaps and heaps of public embarrassment).
But I'd rather risk that than stay safe and secure in harbor. I've tried that method for too long now and can conclude with absolute certainty that it doesn't work -- it is a failed philosophy and must be discarded at once.
So far, only I, Bryan, have posted entries on this blog, but I'm hoping that Robert will soon join in. He's the brains of this undertaking and the inspiration. He's also a retired rocket scientist, and the butt of neverending brainy jokes that must get wearisome, as you'll soon find out. When people say, "Yeah, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist," we in the family just smile. We happen to have one of those creatures around and can speak from firsthand experience whereof that particular cliche comes.
Part of the attraction of our pairing for this trip is how similar yet dissimilar we are. He's got all the science cred, plus a great appreciation for the art and culture that he was too busy making a career to have time for. Whereas I'm the guy your mother warned you about, the one who insisted on studying German and the Great Books while he should have considered what he planned to do with all that fancy but impractical book learnin'.
If you've ever read Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance (here I go), that's what most of our conversations tend to be like. It's kind of a snoozefest for those not inclined to discussing matters of the head and heart -- many an acquaintance simply rolls their eyes whenever we bring subjects like these up -- but it joins us in a rather tight bond, purely by way of subtraction. Without each other, who the hell would listen to us?
While it won't surprise us if you feel likewise, we're also hoping that a fairly substantial community of thoughtful people exists out there in the blogosphere who are tired of, as Neil Peart says, "so much style without substance, so much stuff without style."
I'll be quoting Neil a lot -- he and Henry David Thoreau and Paul Theroux -- for they are my travel heroes. I personally -- and we collectively -- respect those who set off on epic quests for the sake of conquering them, but neither of us is inclined that way in the slightest. In fact, it would drive us both crazy if either of us were. Inner reflection is a non-negotiable in our world.
The inside and the outside need correlation, is another way of looking at it. Otherwise, life boils down to so much stuff. We are tremendous collectors, we humans, as a species. Sometimes it appears that the only purpose of doing anything is so that we can show off our bobbles and pretty trinkets in front of others. And to woo women, I suppose. But that's not what this is about here -- at least in the theory behind the launching of this project.
Another favorite Peart line for me is this: "the way out is the way in..." which to me means that our outer lived experience doesn't add up to much unless it's connected to a Socratic questioning and awareness. The unexamined life isn't worth living. So what this won't be is a collection of mooseheads on the wall.
The Sierra Club motto reads: Take only photographs, leave only footprints. And, to the best of our abilities, we shall adopt it as ours.
Mission Control
Have you created a mission statement? It's absolutely the first step in achieving the life you've always dreamed of. What is a mission statement and how do you come up with one? That's a very good question!
Most people drift along in life, living where they grew up, doing the job they "fell" into because an opportunity -- or necessity -- arose and sucked them in. Maybe it's now ten, twenty years later and whatdoyouknow, the force of gravity hasn't let up. You still find yourself in that same position, perhaps with a raise or two, but generally stuck in the same rut. You feel life calling you to bigger and better things... you just don't know how to get yourself on the right track.
Having a mission statement is one of the ways you do it. It's like having a thesis statement in writing: it alerts you and everyone who knows you what you're all about, what your guiding principles are in life. It provides the structural support, the rails, the undergirding to keep you in line and on track whatever direction you take, assuring that where you're headed is the direction you want to be traveling.
A true mission statement is derived from your core principles -- it's not something dashed out because you're told to or because it sounds snazzy. It comes from your deepest and most closely-guarded values -- the things you cherish in your heart and believe in with all of your soul.
If you are wondering why you aren't a millionaire yet (or at least living some crazy lifestyle that sounds too good to be true), it could be that the philosophy you are living out isn't in line yet with what your true principles are. You need a mission allignment.
Unless you're Warren Buffett, you probably didn't dream of being a millionaire when you were a child: you dreamed of being a firefighter, a princess, a doctor, a rock god, a superstar athlete. It was only later, when your material wants grew too big for your income, or your career frustrations started to drive you crazy that you saw money as the means to liberation. But what you may have forgotten is that Warren Buffet and Bono got rich not doing things they hate, but by doing what they love most in the world.
Warren Buffett is the greatest investor because he adores it, not because he wanted a Gulfstream jet and needed the means to afford one. If anybody could comfortably retire by now with every toy ever known to mankind, it would be him. Yet he keeps going, adding 0s at the end of his income statement and laughing, because they ceased to be the measurement of success for him a long time ago, if indeed they ever were.
Sure, it matters whether we can pay off school loans, make our mortgage and put food on the table for our kids, but that doesn't necessarily mean by sacrificing what gives us a sense of fulfillment in our personal life, as if these goals were mutually exclusive. That's a form of martyrdom -- and perhaps a necessary one where you live -- but it's not the only model out there to live by.
We can do all those things and not sacrifice what we were born for. That's like saying we have to give up music and art classes and stick only with math because it's good for us. The motto that says no pain, no gain has gotta go!
But maybe, just maybe, we've got the paradigm all wrong. Maybe you start to afford life when you begin to do the things you love. Can that be possible? If it is, I sure want to find out.
And so, the mission statement. I find it fitting that this get posted on Super Bowl Sunday, the biggest holiday in the world dedicated so watching teams of men living out their dreams, while we root them on.
But what's your dream? What will you be doing that I and others like me will be rooting you on some day?
Here's my mission statement: I believe it is possible to sustain oneself financially by doing what you love and care about most in the world. For me, that's motivating myself and others to go out there and get busy with their core passion! Everything I've ever known or cared about most in life has related to this. Leo Buscaglia said: you can't give away what you don't own yourself. So I'm gettin' busy walking the walk, instead of talking the talk!
While I'm crazy about writing, and travel, and puppies, and rain, and, yes, football... and teaching... the quality they all share is that they come from the heart. Their statements of my deepest beliefs: that life matters, that time is limited, that a world of adventure is calling and you better go out there and chase your dreams while you still can.
Doing that for a living... and helping others do it too -- that's my mission in life. That's what I want every moment of every waking day dedicated to achieving.
This blog, and all that will be associated with it, that's where you get to share, to hopefully be inspired to set out after your own dreams, so we can root each other on towards becoming the best human beings that we are capable of being.
Dream on!
Most people drift along in life, living where they grew up, doing the job they "fell" into because an opportunity -- or necessity -- arose and sucked them in. Maybe it's now ten, twenty years later and whatdoyouknow, the force of gravity hasn't let up. You still find yourself in that same position, perhaps with a raise or two, but generally stuck in the same rut. You feel life calling you to bigger and better things... you just don't know how to get yourself on the right track.
Having a mission statement is one of the ways you do it. It's like having a thesis statement in writing: it alerts you and everyone who knows you what you're all about, what your guiding principles are in life. It provides the structural support, the rails, the undergirding to keep you in line and on track whatever direction you take, assuring that where you're headed is the direction you want to be traveling.
A true mission statement is derived from your core principles -- it's not something dashed out because you're told to or because it sounds snazzy. It comes from your deepest and most closely-guarded values -- the things you cherish in your heart and believe in with all of your soul.
If you are wondering why you aren't a millionaire yet (or at least living some crazy lifestyle that sounds too good to be true), it could be that the philosophy you are living out isn't in line yet with what your true principles are. You need a mission allignment.
Unless you're Warren Buffett, you probably didn't dream of being a millionaire when you were a child: you dreamed of being a firefighter, a princess, a doctor, a rock god, a superstar athlete. It was only later, when your material wants grew too big for your income, or your career frustrations started to drive you crazy that you saw money as the means to liberation. But what you may have forgotten is that Warren Buffet and Bono got rich not doing things they hate, but by doing what they love most in the world.
Warren Buffett is the greatest investor because he adores it, not because he wanted a Gulfstream jet and needed the means to afford one. If anybody could comfortably retire by now with every toy ever known to mankind, it would be him. Yet he keeps going, adding 0s at the end of his income statement and laughing, because they ceased to be the measurement of success for him a long time ago, if indeed they ever were.
Sure, it matters whether we can pay off school loans, make our mortgage and put food on the table for our kids, but that doesn't necessarily mean by sacrificing what gives us a sense of fulfillment in our personal life, as if these goals were mutually exclusive. That's a form of martyrdom -- and perhaps a necessary one where you live -- but it's not the only model out there to live by.
We can do all those things and not sacrifice what we were born for. That's like saying we have to give up music and art classes and stick only with math because it's good for us. The motto that says no pain, no gain has gotta go!
But maybe, just maybe, we've got the paradigm all wrong. Maybe you start to afford life when you begin to do the things you love. Can that be possible? If it is, I sure want to find out.
And so, the mission statement. I find it fitting that this get posted on Super Bowl Sunday, the biggest holiday in the world dedicated so watching teams of men living out their dreams, while we root them on.
But what's your dream? What will you be doing that I and others like me will be rooting you on some day?
Here's my mission statement: I believe it is possible to sustain oneself financially by doing what you love and care about most in the world. For me, that's motivating myself and others to go out there and get busy with their core passion! Everything I've ever known or cared about most in life has related to this. Leo Buscaglia said: you can't give away what you don't own yourself. So I'm gettin' busy walking the walk, instead of talking the talk!
While I'm crazy about writing, and travel, and puppies, and rain, and, yes, football... and teaching... the quality they all share is that they come from the heart. Their statements of my deepest beliefs: that life matters, that time is limited, that a world of adventure is calling and you better go out there and chase your dreams while you still can.
Doing that for a living... and helping others do it too -- that's my mission in life. That's what I want every moment of every waking day dedicated to achieving.
This blog, and all that will be associated with it, that's where you get to share, to hopefully be inspired to set out after your own dreams, so we can root each other on towards becoming the best human beings that we are capable of being.
Dream on!
06 February 2010
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to Dreamchasers! You've found a blog dedicated to the passionate pursuit of individual dreams. If you can dream it, you can achieve it!
In the following days, weeks and months, we'll be adding content relating to our first stated mission: to sail to Tahiti in the year 2011.
This, we hope, will be the first of many such endeavors stemming from our heartfelt dedication to the pursuit of fulfilling goals that are dream-driven and passion-inspired.
Looking forward, we hope this becomes the springboard to a whole lifetime of such adventures and an inspiration to others. We plan to share our ups and downs, our high points and low points, and invite you to come along and join in!
As Bono would say, the goal is soul -- a life lived rooftop to the basement -- to the best of our abilities and with absolutely NO REGRETS!
Please feel free to lend your voices, share your own deepest yearnings, fondest wishes, snarky feedback, commentary, loopy asides [that means you, Julie], recommended books and music, questions, criticisms, etc etc.
One day at a time, lets chase our dreams and set sail for the horizon!
It's gonna be somethin' special.
- Bryan and Robert
In the following days, weeks and months, we'll be adding content relating to our first stated mission: to sail to Tahiti in the year 2011.
This, we hope, will be the first of many such endeavors stemming from our heartfelt dedication to the pursuit of fulfilling goals that are dream-driven and passion-inspired.
Looking forward, we hope this becomes the springboard to a whole lifetime of such adventures and an inspiration to others. We plan to share our ups and downs, our high points and low points, and invite you to come along and join in!
As Bono would say, the goal is soul -- a life lived rooftop to the basement -- to the best of our abilities and with absolutely NO REGRETS!
Please feel free to lend your voices, share your own deepest yearnings, fondest wishes, snarky feedback, commentary, loopy asides [that means you, Julie], recommended books and music, questions, criticisms, etc etc.
One day at a time, lets chase our dreams and set sail for the horizon!
It's gonna be somethin' special.
- Bryan and Robert
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