Today started off with my morning ritual: prayer, meditation and then exercise which got the ground running for a great start of a busy day.  Afterwards while launching my calendar, as the e-mails began filling my inbox, I caught this title – “Stop dreaming…start living” and I thought to myself, that really should read, “Don’t Stop Dreaming…Start Living.” The initial subject line was from one of the adventure tour companies I used recently for a hiking and biking tour across the back country of China.

It suddenly hit me, as many people face hard times with the current economic challenges and the media’s constant bombardment of a grim future, some of those dreams that were once illuminating inside most have dwindled down to a flicker. This actually led me to an encouraging realization:  If we listen and do what everyone else is doing then we are no better off. We are like cattle moving along to someone else’s beat.  However it is when we choose to dance to the beat of our own drum will we discover a life of realized dreams and total fulfillment.

As I look back, some of my greatest life advancements came into being because conditions looked grim or because of the failure of uncontrollable circumstances around me.  For instance, when the 911 events hit America, people advised me that it was too soon to travel overseas.  Well I didn’t listen and went two weeks later which was my first journey traveling overseas – that was 18 countries ago and still counting. Another example was when I was in a comfortable office position at my corporate job and I left to be in an experimental computer support position within the same organization (this was before the Internet hit big).  Once again, people said it was just a fad and that my newly created position was going to fail.  I later went on to become the company’s Vice President / Chief Information Officer and oversaw all the technology initiatives.

In 2008 I needed to sell a real estate property and, once again, people said it was not going to sell and that it was a bad market.  Needless to say, it sold in 24 hrs and closed in 12 days with a profit. You see, I am no one special; I simply choose to live a God-purpose life. I choose to live the life God designed for me, in spite of what “people” say.  No matter the challenges or circumstances, somehow I know things are going to work out for my good (Romans 8:28). Be encouraged my friend, no matter where you are in the journey of your life – “Don’t you dare stop dreaming…start living.”