It is a quarter to midnight and I am enjoying a sugar rush. You can blame it upon the tax I charged my children for taking them Trick or Treating this evening.
We went South of the Boulevard and wandered through the wild and woolly hills of Sherman Oaks. The neighborhood bands together to block off the streets so that for a few hours the only thing on wheels in the street are strollers, skateboard, bikes or other accessories to Halloween costumes.
I love it because for a moment in time my children get to see something that feels like an old slice of Americana. I love it because for a moment of time dreams morph into a pseudo reality that I can use for a teaching moment.
Dreams Require Action
There is magic in the night and I look at these children of mine and tell them that dreams can come true but there is a price to be paid. Dreams require action. They require work and a willingness to take risks. This is not the first time that they have heard these things from me. I tell them that one of my dreams is for them to live their dreams and not dream their lives.
I want them to understand that you cannot rely upon luck or fate to make your way in this world. You can’t hope your way to living that life you dream of. You have to put some effort into making it happen. You have to be willing to work and to do so with your eyes open so that you recognize opportunity when it comes.
And that is a big part of why I set up a separate blog for Nanowrimo. I want to be a role model and have something that I can show them as being part of my effort to put the time in.
The new joint is called Words Left Unspoken. Right now it is nothing more than a bare skeleton that I am going to try and flesh out. Â I think that I am going to be able to keep this place going and that one as well, but I won’t know for certain until I try.
What I do know for certain is I have stories to tell and I want to do more than see them inside my head. Today a new adventure begins. Now is my opportunity to show these kids that dad knows that dreams require action.
Go, Jack, Go! Very excited for you and have 100% confidence you will suceed. (A tip that helped me: Replace “trying” with “working on” as a little psychological trick. Try can mean fail, working on means in process.)
Hi Julie,
Thank you. I’ll keep working on it. 🙂
How I know I’m committed to a dream is when I’m in action. No action = no commitment. For me it’s that black and white. Doesn’t mean the dream isn’t inspiring or beautiful, just that I’m not committed…right now.
The action you took – starting the new blog – speaks commitment loud and clear. Excited to see how you create that new space!
Hi Sandi,
This is something that I have been dragging my feet on for far too long. I’d rather try and fail than fail to try…
Thank you for the support, it is always appreciated.
Oh great, did you have to build another website? Of course, you are experienced now, huh?
Guess I better go check it out; only time will tell where it goes, right?
Hi Bill,
I had to push harder than before and this is my way of doing it. Now I really need to make something happen. The goal is to write a new post there every day.