I dreamed a dream (part deux)

In the past I have posted (and again) about finding your passion/skill/gift/place, and going for it. I think our dreams are very connected to our gifts and abilities. Somehow (call it God if you will) we have a unique set of skills and interests. Somehow we not only can figure out that we have them, but can be driven (or at least encouraged) to go beyond what we already know we are. That's what dreams are—a nudging towards something as yet out of our reach, but likely connected to something we already have.
Like Susan Boyle, you may realize you can sing, but somewhere inside is a desire to be as successful as Elaine Paige who is “The First Lady of British Musical Theatre. Star of Evita, Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Chess, and many other shows.” Somehow, I think she just might give Ms. Paige a run for her money.
If you are going to dream, dream big. But don't keep trading one big dream for another before you actually give it your best shot. Some people have a new get-rich-quick-scheme-that-won't-work every week, and you fully expect every one of them to fail. That isn't due to the quality of the scheme, but the quality of the schemer. Not every 12 year old hockey player gets to play in the NHL, but the kid who gives up before he is 14 is guaranteed to only wish he had tried a bit harder.

So, dream.
Dream big.
Dream deeply.
Go to sleep at night thinking about singing in the national talent contest.
Wake up in the morning with a song in your heart.
But don't just think about it.
Practice.
Take lessons.
Practice some more.
Sing in the shower.
Sing for your family (they really have to love you, whether you are good or not).
Practice still more.
Sing through the stage fright.
Sing louder than the nay-sayers.
If you actually get to start living your dream, you won't mind all of the time and effort it took to get there.
If you don't make it, at least you will know that you tried your hardest.

If you don't make it, maybe the dream has died, and you need to move on.
But don't be surprised if the dream comes back, and you get a second chance.
Remember Joseph.
His dream of being a leader died in the pit and again in Egypt, but it all came back.

The notion of dreaming has inspired many songs and speeches. Here are some final quotes to motivate you to dream, and dream, and still keep dreaming.

From The Sound of Music:
“Climb ev'ry mountain
Ford ev'ry stream
Follow ev'ry rainbow
'Till you find your dream
A dream that will need
All the love you can give
Everyday of your life
For as long as you live.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

The Impossible Dream
“To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into hell
For a heavenly cause
And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.”