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.
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