No 34 Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, August 22nd, 2014
Believe and Achieve!
When you set your goals, and then plan to realize and live your dreams, you may find that life will test you….a lot! Speaking of testing, my daily readings have taken me to the story of Job.
He was a good and righteous man, who had his wealth, family, and health all stripped away from him. The reading that burns in my heart is this “The thing I greatly feared has come upon me.” I always think, if Job was not afraid of losing his great wealth and fortune, would he have been tested so?
Fear:
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
— Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) American First Lady and Political Activist
A comfort zone can be a dangerous thing. It will kill personal growth and stunt courage and innovation. Comfort will keep us on our couches, in front of a TV while we have a tablet in our laps and an iPhone in one hand and a remote in the other. The books we want to read are collecting dust and the book we are trying to write sits idle, the pages of our journal growing yellow with age.
Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.
— W. Clement Stone
Coming out of our comfort zone will take some work. First, we must BELIEVE in something and then have the plan to ACHIEVE that dream. This requires “coming out” and telling others that we have a goal and we are starting our journey to making the dream come true. Then, there is the plan of attack. How are we going to take the first step, achieve the first success, recover from failures, and keep on going even during the rough times.
Are you a dream maker, or a dream killer? When someone pours out their heart to you, do you squash their dream, or do you say “That is fantastic…you’re going to MAKE IT!” I want to be a dream maker and help others to fulfill their dreams and show them how to take the steps toward success in life.
I like a man who attempts the impossible.
— J.P. Morgan
Have you been in the dark tunnel in your life? Have you personally seen the darkest before the dawn? Has your life taken you through the dark night of the soul? I can say yes to all the above. I think that I thought I would never go through this tunnel and hello, here I am again. The difference is that I know that I’m going to make it in life and that I will live to see the light as I emerge from the tunnel.
People tend to think of happiness as a stroke of luck, something that
will descend like fine weather if you’re fortunate. But happiness is
the result of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it,
insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking
for it. You have to participate relentlessly.
— Elizabeth Gilbert
Why do we put ourselves through these trials? This is why; we know that we will be stronger for our efforts, and that our realized dreams will have value and worth to us because we sacrificed for what we have achieved. So, take a deep breath, Believe and then get to work and Achieve. Guess what, I know you can do it and I know that you will make it? See you in the light!
Thank You,
David Earl Woodbury
Next Week: Being the Best!