Dreaming Big?


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This morning I was at the physical therapist for my plantar facetious.  I usually listen to books while I do my monotonous exercises, but this time I decided to listen to music.  It must have been fun watching me wave my arms and sing while I was balancing on one leg.

I mentioned to the assistant that, as a child, I always wanted to sing and dance on Broadway.  I was reminded of that earlier this month when my husband took me to see Wicked.  On the way home I downloaded the entire soundtrack and sang and sang and sang.

I was always a big dreamer!

At 36 years old, singing on broadway is not longer a viable option for me.  And, to be perfectly honest, even if I were given the opportunity, I’m not sure that I would take it.  As a grown woman with a family, I’m more sensitive to the trade-offs I would be making.  Reality kept me from dreaming so big.  Even if it was possible to train my voice to be more powerful than it currently is, I have no desire to spend that much time away from my family (shows every night plus rehearsals and promotion?  No thank you!)

Then, a few years ago I stopped dreaming all together.

I didn’t like thinking about what could have been.  It just made me sad.

A few years ago I read Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture.  I used to think that the reason he was able to fulfill all of those childhood dreams is because he didn’t start his family until later in life.  This week I was assigned to read it again for my entrepreneur class and I realized my previous opinion was so wrong!

Randy Pausch didn’t achieve his dreams because he didn’t have the responsibilities of family life, but because he didn’t accept pre-concieved limits.

Dreams can still be reality!

Recently I realized that even though I’m passed the point where I could ever star on Broadway, I’m not too big to dream altogether.  And while my dreams might scare some people (heck, they scare me), I can’t let other people’s limits stop me from doing whatever the Spirit tells me to.  Even if it seems crazy.

Vision

After reading She Means Business and Big Magic and I decided to create a vision board.  This issomething to serve as a visual reminder of some of the things I want to do with my life.  I have things on there like, run a sub-four hour marathon, write a book, learn french, and travel.  But I also have things like, help the homeless, and serve children in Africa.  At the very top, I have a picture of a temple.

Dream big!

That temple reminds me that above all, I am to use my time and talents to help build the Kingdom of God.  I want to make the world a better place, and the most effective way to do that is to help lift others closer to Christ.

Dreaming is important!  Yes, this life is meant for us to prepare to meet God, but can we really do that if we don’t reach for the Divine?  Can we expect to be like Him if we don’t make the most of what He has given us?

My Inner Elpheba

The world thinks that you can’t make family a priority and change the world at the same time.  Well, I don’t accept that.  The Lord has a plan for me that goes beyond what I can do while only focusing on my family.  I would never say that I was meant for something “bigger” than my family.  There is no other work bigger or more important than that, but I am meant for something in addition to them.  And I refuse to accept that it’s not possible or it’s not my place.

I’ve decided to channel my inner Elpheba (and if you haven’t seen Wicked, I highly recommend it!) and defy gravity.

“Defying Gravity”

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap!It’s time to try
Defying gravity
I think I’ll try
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I’m defying gravity
And you won’t bring me downI’m through accepting limits ’cause someone says they’re so
Some things I cannot change but ’til I try, I’ll never know!
Too long I’ve been afraid of losing love I guess I’ve lost
Well, if that’s love, it comes at much too high a cost!…
So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky!
As someone told me lately,
“Everyone deserves the chance to fly!”I’m defying gravity!
And you won’t bring me down, bring me down, bring me down!

Now it’s your turn.  Tell me (and be real), have you stopped dreaming?  Have you accepted limits that have no place in your life?  How are you going to defy gravity today?

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