You have dreams, don’t you? Perhaps, as mine once were, they have been obscured by time, hidden in the dark recesses of your mind, or slumbering undisturbed in your heart. Have you forgotten them entirely? Or occasionally, do they cross your mind, peek out from their hiding places, making a timid leap in your bosom, only to be hushed silent by you again and again.

There is something about the spirit of man that denies total unconsciousness. There is something about the spirit of man that defies stagnation. Fight as we may, “You can’t do that!” “You’d never achieve that!” “You’re too old now!” “You’re not good enough, bright enough, talented enough!” yet, we cannot hush the gentle whispers that come in more quiet moments. They vigilantly reappear like old friends, don’t they?

You’ve felt that surge of hope at times. Someone taking time to believe in you, to remind you of your incredible worth. And, for a moment–a priceless moment in time–you believed, too. You smiled. You closed your eyes. You imagined. You hoped. Your dreams came alive again and the world was your oyster! And then you opened your eyes and your smile faded, your vision vanished, your hope disappeared.

Isn’t it time to get off the merry-go-round? This is your life! This is your moment! Every day is your “present” to unwrap and receive. It belongs only to you, and you may do with it as you please. Do you want to be happy? Here is the secret: Smile and be happy. It is that simple. There is nothing you have to do! You can only receive from life that which you give to life! So, be happy! Smile. Be successful! Give of your abundance. Live your dreams! Dream bigger! Plan your work and work your plan. So what if you fall short! If you aim for the moon and miss, you still land among the stars! Be a star!

I decided to do just that in my own life. I took the risk and believed I was worth it. I got out there and I’m still out there. I am having the time of my life. No more, “I wish I’d done this” or “I wish I’d done that.” I’m doing it. I’m being it. I untied the life-line–that which I erroneously held as my “needs” and cast off and set sail.

Dark, threatening skies loomed at times, close calls against rocky shoals, surging swells and thunderous storms came and went. That is true still, but (and what comes after but is the most important part of any statement) also there are billowing sails full of wind to travel onward, puffy white clouds to enchant and inspire, warm gentle winds to caress and encourage, clear blue water to heal and refresh, breath-taking sunrises and sunsets to touch the soul, and, Oh! The stars! The stars of anticipated desire and destination!

How dare I? Who do I think I am? Just what makes me think I am so special? I’ll tell you what it was…. I listened finally. I listened to that still small voice. You know, the one that kept coming back time and time again. The one that made me smile. The one that made me close my eyes and imagine. The one that gave me hope. The one that reminded me of my dream. The one that said, “The world is your oyster!” I took that priceless moment and I listened.

Are you listening now? Do you have a dream? Think. Think hard. Who was it you wanted to be? What did you really want to do with your life? What kind of person did you want to be? What kind of personality did you want to have? What talents do you possess? Which ones did you yearn to develop? What do you like about yourself? What is it that other people see in you? What is it they seek from you? That is who you really are. That is who you can become. Those are your gifts. Those are your dreams.

Time to take off the mask. Really. Haven’t you been wearing it long enough? There is nothing to fear but fear itself. It comes in basically two forms, as I’ve learned it. Fear of defilement and fear of insufficient love. Defilement? Yes, fear of being contaminated, manipulated, cut-off, cut-out, isolated. That is the fear of being hurt. Then the fear of insufficient love. Really, that is just an extreme version of the fear of defilement.

So let’s do a brief analysis, okay? Contaminated? Hmmm. The option is hiding and quarantining ourselves. Not likely to happen whether we’re living our dreams or someone else’s. Manipulated? Now that’s a strong possibility. Why do I say that, you ask? Simply answered, everyone is a salesman…Everyone! They are selling what they think, what they believe, and what they think you should think. So, again, whether you are or are not living your dream, you will be dealing with manipulation. Cut-off, cut-out, isolated. Heck, you’ve already done that to yourself–you’ve cut yourself off from, out from and isolated from the very essence of who you want to be. Two steps forward and one step back and you’ve made a little progress…. You’ll only get closer by beginning.

The fear of insufficiency. Insufficiency of love. I suggest that first one must love oneself and only then can they give and receive love from others. If you haven’t yet been kind enough, caring enough, loving enough of yourself to allow yourself to follow your dreams, then truly you are living an illusion of insufficiency. The illusion is that the love and the sufficiency doesn’t begin or end out there. The magic is, it begins and ends with you. You have the power and total control to live outside the illusion and with the ultimate truth of sufficiency, abundance and love.

Take off your mask and look in the mirror. Really look. No! Don’t turn away. Look. Now keep looking. Look for at least a minute. No glancing away. Hold your own gaze…. Who is that wonderful person in there? Ask. Keep looking. Do this daily. Do it morning and night. That’s your very best friend in there. Your friend believes in you even when you don’t. It hears all the negative self-talk…You can’t, you can’t, you can’t. And it responds with: Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Yes, you can. And your best friend will keep telling you that, even when you don’t want to hear. Look again. There you are.

Now you’ve got it. Now you’re starting to believe. Hold on to that. Put it in your pocket. Tuck it in your heart. Fill your mind with it. Now get going. Plan your work. Quick…what could you do with this feeling? How could you make today different from the rest. The day is yours! It’s all yours! It is your “present” and you’ve opened it. Now, what is it? What difference can you make in your own world today?

Is it a smile for someone sad? Is it a visit with someone lonely? Is it a stop for donuts on the way for the team? Is it a romantic phone call over lunch with your spouse? Is it a poem that’s been drifting through your thoughts? Signing up for a class you’d like to take? Volunteering at school? The hospital? The retirement home? Talking with a teen? Helping out a friend? Playing a game with the family? Reading your favorite book? Setting some new goals? Joining a group? A memory to share? A story to tell? A lullaby or bedtime story? Taking time for yourself to think? To exercise? To meditate? To pray? To reflect? To journal?

You decide what difference believing in yourself will make. You decide who you are, what you want to do and who you can become. You create it. There is no insufficiency. When you love yourself, you make all the difference in your world. And when you make a difference, that is called serving. How easy was that! You believed in yourself. You loved yourself. You made a difference in your own world, and consequently, you have made a difference in the world and have served others.

Serving is the by-product of love. It is love’s synergy in action. Like a bumblebee doing the work of pollinating flowers as it feeds on their nectar. Believing is the nectar of love. Drink of this nectar and your cup will overflow. You will love, you will make a difference, you will serve. Take time to listen to that voice, “Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Yes, you can.” You really can!

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.”

by William H. Murray (from his book “The Scottish Himalayan Expedition”):

And one of Goethe’s couplets:

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”