“I believe that dreams—day dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing—are likely to lead to the betterment of the world.”
L. Frank Baum
Some of you have had a dream in your heart for quite some time. The saddest thing you can do is keep that dream locked away; it’s bad for you and it’s bad for the world.
Rronnie Ware was an end-of-life care nurse for years before she wrote her best-selling book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. Here is the top regret of dying people:
I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
What is that dream inside of you saying?
For many years, my wife told me, “One day, you’re going to write a book.” If it wasn’t for her belief in me, I’m not sure I would’ve mustered the courage to do it, but God am I happy I did.
It took months of waking up at 4 am, doing research, and pounding away on the keyboard, but I’d finally written THE EVOLUTION OF A LEADER.
For the book launch, we had guest speakers and chef-prepared appetizers. More than 150 people showed up to celebrate with me. Here’s a highlight of the event.
A funny little thing happened that was totally unplanned. People began traveling with the book as a summer read and sharing pictures on Facebook. At one point I tried to track all the locations the book had traveled on a map I created.
Here are a few of my favorites.
The book ended up in our Nation’s Capitol. Above is a picture of Congressman Kevin Brady and Christian Collins posing in the tunnel leading to the U.S. congressional building.
I need to pause here and explain the hard work that goes into chasing a dream. Sometimes it takes years to write a book or get a business or non-profit off the ground, but I’m telling you, starting is the hardest part, and fortune favors the bold.
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. Begin it now.” Goethe
