Sick & Tired of Not Living My Dreams

It’s funny how a little flu can smack you over the head with a dose of reality so strong that you sober  up to your life and decide to make a change.  I had just such an experience last week, several epiphinal thoughts wracked my unsuspecting brain and well, catalyzed me to take the reins anew of my life.   The chief offender:  the realization that I had parked on my road of life, nearly giving up, or at the very least certainly not passionately pursuing my dreams.

I have a tendency to get depressed sometimes when I’m sick.   When I am feeling under the weather, my personality lends itself to finding all that is wrong in the world.  I’m a doer by nature and so sometimes when I am forced to “rest” every task that is left undone, dish uncleaned, carpet unvacuumed and dream unrealized accumulates over my head in a dark cloud of despair and anger.  My poor boyfriend, who  loves me despite my extremes, patiently listened to me as I baroquely chastised myself and those around me for the flabbergasting state the world was in.

But once I was done ranting, the explosion of my emotions contracted again and revealed a clearer picture of what I really feel, what I really want and where I am heading on this road of life.

I knew I was in desperate need of help, help that could only come from those who have made it their life’s purpose to bring enlightenment to us average joes.  I immediately ordered some Les Brown motivational recordings from Audible.com.  For the last 3 days I have been listening to Les over and over.  I’m sick and tired of the excuses I’ve created that have kept me from living my dreams.  No longer will I buy into these fallacies.  I’m bringing in positive reinforcement into my life.

So many of us have a plethora of excuses on hand to help us lie to ourselves and  keep us from living up to our true potential.  Les says that for every one person who tells you “you can’t do it” it takes 17 times of someone telling  “you CAN do it” before you start to believe in yourself again.  Well friends, I’m taking action and I will be listening, reading and being open to the positive voices in my life to remind myself that indeed I CAN do it and WILL do it – live my dreams.

I’m just like anyone else, I’m a normal person, not born into wealth or what many would call advantages.  Hell, I’m a single mom with no college education, I’ve had to rely on the kindness of friends and family to get through some hard financial times of late.  But I don’t care because those things do NOT define me, what defines me is who I am  and how I choose to act.  I’m flawed and fickle;  sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m wrong.  I can be bullheaded and a pushover.  But within me lies greatness, the same greatness that lies within you.  This greatness comes from God and I believe he’s given each of us gifts and talents, dreams that poke away at our hearts, begging us to do what we were meant to come to this earth to do.  And dammmit, it’s time, I’m not going to live a life half lived and regret pursuing the dreams I know I’m meant to live and give.

One of the most powerful illustrations I’ve heard Les Brown share, and the one that motivates me and moves me to tears like no other is the story that follows.  I hope it will awaken a commitment in you to live your dreams too.

(Note: original video was removed by Youtube.)