We put a fair amount of time and effort into shielding ourselves from disappointment by shrinking our dreams. What if we just realized that we are strong enough to roll with the punches, whatever they are and however often they come? And what if we redeployed the energy we spend on shielding ourselves from disappointment into actually hoping for and working for the best possible outcome? What if we took that energy to dream bigger and then make those dreams come true? Let’s do that. Let’s expand our view of what we think is possible, what we believe we can do, and how far we think we can go. And then let’s encourage other people to do the same. Dream it, and then bring it to life.
Tag: dreams
Wonder: 71-year-old ballerina at Royal Academy of Dance proves it’s never too late to make a dream come true
Doreen Pechey just proved to the world that it’s never too late for any dream to come true. As a child, she loved the ballet and would save up her money to attend performances. Her family didn’t have enough money to pay for lessons nor for the costumes needed to perform. At age 71, she just passed the Grade 6 exam at the Royal Academy of Dance, a record for the company. She started taking lessons 10 years ago at age 61 and continued with her training despite having knee replacement surgery two years ago. We no longer have age as an excuse to let go of a dream. With effort, determination, and love everything is possible. So dust off those childhood dreams. It’s time to make them happen.
Wonder: Alex, the Beyoncé of Ice Cream in Havana
On a crowded corner of Plaza Vieja in Old Havana, you’ll find the best ice cream you’ve ever had. Coco Glace is nothing more than coconut milk, coconut water, and pieces of coconut served in a half coconut shell and it’s incredible. I devoured it with my new friends on our last day in Cuba under a brutal sun and sky-high humidity.
Alex, the maker of Coco Glace, is pleased to tell you that he loves Madonna and Beyoncé, hates Taylor Swift, loves America, hates Chris Brown, loves being gay, and will see you on Broadway as soon as he sells enough Coco Glace to get himself out of Cuba. He calls himself the Beyoncé of ice cream, and in my humble opinion he isn’t exaggerating. Coco Glace is incredible. I’ve been dreaming about it ever since eating that first marvelous spoonful.
Cuba was full of simple pleasures like Coco Glace. Nothing there is extravagant, but it’s honest, pure, and real. There are no additives – in the food, in the people, or in their way of life. There are no pretenses. People and things are exactly what they appear to be, and in this day and age that is a triumph.
After finishing my ice cream, I made my way back to Alex and told him how amazing his ice cream is.
“Mami, ju don’t know how happy you just made me,” said Alex. I love ju. I love America. I’ll see you there soon! Look for me. Tell Beyoncé!” I just smiled and said I would. So Beyoncé, consider yourself told that you have a Cuban compatriot who puts on a show for all his customers and he is fabulous.
I hope someday I’m strolling down the Great White Way and that I look up and see Alex’s joyful smile and unapologetic moxie plastered all over a giant marquee. And I hope Coco Glace is one of the many things we exchange with our Cuban neighbors. Maybe Beyoncé could make both those dreams come true.
Wonder: Remake your space for your future self
“The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” ~Marie Kondo
So often we define ourselves by where we’ve been and what we’ve accomplished, not where we’re going nor what we’re working on. We let our past determine our future. What if we decided to craft ourselves in the image of our dreams? How much further would we go and how much more would we do if we exchanged our anchors for wings? I’d like to find out. Are you in?
This just in: Now it’s time to let go and dream
It’s been several years since I’ve given myself the luxury of a true break. While I’m traveling, I won’t have access to much technology beyond my camera. Most of my daily writing will be with good ol’ pen and paper. I plan to listen more than I talk and to explore more than I seek. There is a time for expanding our views and a time for focus. For me, this coming week is a time for expansion, for thinking about possibilities without any regard for barriers, hurdles, and limitations. This is a time for letting go and dreaming.
This just in: What the Broadway show Hamilton teaches me about dreams
“This show has put my dreams to shame.” ~Lin-Manuel Miranda, writer of and lead actor in the Broadway show Hamilton, when interviewed by Charlie Rose
More than anything, we should take the success of Hamilton as a personal inspiration for our own dreams. Make them bigger, wilder, and even more outrageous. Imagine yourself without limits and blockers. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail. How far would you go? How high would you reach? Who would you aspire to be and what would you aspire to do? Do it. Be that person. You never know what might happen until you take the biggest shot you can take. So take it.
This just in: The truth about criticism
My friend, Sara, posted this yesterday and it really helped me. Some people who will tell you what you can’t do. And once they realize you’re resourceful, they resort to criticism of anything in sight. I had that happen to me a few months back, and to be honest it’s been bugging me ever since. I couldn’t figure out why everything I did, said, had, or thought left him at least mildly dissatisfied. He is the kind of person that has a problem for every solution. And then, Sara shared this quote with me and something clicked.
His unhappiness had nothing to do with me. It never did. I was just in the unfortunate line of fire. It was him. It was always him. And with that realization, I stopped feeling badly for myself and actually felt badly for him. All the hurt I felt just melted, and I sent him a silent wish for happiness. I know my story better than anyone. He was telling me his story, not mine, and I hope that for his sake he finds a way to change what happens next rather than continuing down his current path. I know how a path like his ends, and it’s not pretty.
You can’t rescue someone from his own decision to be unhappy, but you can certainly rescue yourself from someone who just wants to bring you down. And by forging on, unhindered, you set the kindest example for that person—you show them that there’s a better way to live. Showing them what’s possible in your own strength is the greatest act of love there is.
Christa Avampato 