You've heard it said before, in conversations that usually go something like this:
"What do you want to be when you grow up, little Johnny?"
"A doctor," the child replies.
"Oh, that's great! And as smart as you are, you will certainly make a wonderful doctor! You can be anything you want, Johnny."

Alright, so maybe your Johnny wants to be a scientist or professional athlete. And maybe in your particular version, his name isn't even Johnny, but that's beside the point. The "you can be anything you want to be" line is something we have all either had spoken to us, or we have said it to somebody else. But do we honestly believe the truth of that statement?

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." That famous quote is reiterated at graduations all over the country to inspire people young and old alike to dream big and to fully believe that those ambitions can be realized someday. And like so many others I also have sat in those auditoriums, both for high school and college graduations, listening to the keynote speaker encourage me in like manner. And while such statements sounded nice, the skeptical, doubting part inside my mind wondered if that kind of talk was just that: talk. Because can we really be anything we want?

If you're like me, you're often becoming sidetracked from the goals of your youth by the realities of everyday living. In theory, after we finally land that job, then here comes the bills, the car note plus insurance, and then comes the family, the second car, the house, etc… And so many of us work our jobs, not because we necessarily love what we do, but because we simply need our level of income to support the lifestyle we are daily creating. The "you can be anything you want to be" line gradually becomes an impossible fantasy to achieve; almost downright laughable, even.

I ask people often, "If money were no object, and you could do anything you want to, what would you do? Who would you be?" As you can imagine, the responses are varied and quite interesting. Sadly though, those responses are almost never what the person currently does for a living.

Why is that?

Can't one live his/her dream anymore? Can't we believe that our God-given talents and abilities, be it singing or dancing or writing or administrating or painting or doctoring or engineering or whatever - can actually be realized in our lives to the point that it actually becomes our life?

Genesis 11:6 says, "And the Lord said, Behold the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have IMAGINED to do."

(emphasis mine). Granted, the Lord here is speaking about the people building a tower that will reach all the way to the heavens, something that should not have been attempted because man has his place on earth on God His in heaven. But what I want to extract from this scripture is the principle that stands out so powerfully. The latter part of this scripture says, "…nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do." No pun intended, but can you imagine the possibilities?

What would you attempt to do if you knew that you couldn't fail? And what is failure, anyway, in the eyes of someone with a big dream? People with big dreams understand that failure is a natural requisite for success. No child learns to walk successfully without first falling down a few times.

For fellow writers, here are some encouraging examples to ponder: did you know that John Grisham's first manuscript was flat-out rejected by a number of editors before one publisher finally picked it up? Little did those unfortunate editors know that novel and that author would go on to write and sell over 60 million copies of his works in the decade of the 1990's alone.

Did you know that best-selling author, pastor and speaker Bishop T.D. Jakes was told in school that he would not be a very good writer because his words were too colorful and flowery? Tell that to the millions that have bought and enjoy his books, both non-fiction and now fiction, as well.

The point I'm making is that you should not be afraid to jump out there and realize your dream. There are success stories in every career field, so why don't you add your name to the list of people who have dared to imagine the possibilities! Little Johnny can become that doctor, or scientist or professional athlete. He can - and you can - do anything…your heart imagines.

(Coming Soon)

WRITING TIPS

WRITING SAMPLES

"Anybody Can Be Average"

"Consider Your Destiny"

"The Man Inside"