Life has calmed down some since the summer ended and I was never updating the blog, but now I've started up an after-school program that keeps me from ever updating my blog. Oh well.
I absolutely love my job, even though it can be quite frustrating at times. It's what I love to do, and I must be somewhat good at it, because we're having more success now than the program has ever had before, which is obviously a good feeling.
And I love, love, my kids. They are amazing. It's like I suddenly just got 30 new little brothers and sisters; and they're all so smart and funny and talented...just good, good kids. It's great.
This week, the auditorium I work for brought in a one-man show called Runt of the Litter, which stars former NFL safety Bo Eason. His main performance was Saturday, but he was here all week going around and talking to students at different elementary schools, high schools, colleges and whatnot. The focus of his shows is, in my own opinion anyway, making your dreams come true.
His show is based on his own life. He was a scrawny little kid who had an extremely talented older brother that outshined him constantly. One day, little 9-year-old Bo decided he wanted to play in the NFL, and he drew up a plan on how he was going to get there. And for the next fifteen years he followed that plan...and guess what? He got there. He was the first safety picked in the NFL draft the year he graduated from college.
Anyway. Bo also came to talk to my two groups of Stage Academy (my middle schoolers and elementary schoolers meet separately during the year). They were all in complete awe of him, which was fun to see, and he was so good with them, and so encouraging of what they're doing.
At one point, he said there are three things you need to do to be able to realize your dreams. And here they are:
1) You have to have a dream. This one made me stop and think for a minute. How many people don't really know what they want to do with their lives? How many people are just floating around, or wind up in a job they don't' really care about, because they don't know WHAT they want? Far too many. I was one for a while.
My own opinion is that not everybody may know what they want to do, but everybody has something that they LOVE. And I guarantee you'll be a lot happier in life doing something that you LOVE than something that you're only lukewarm about. So start with that. Figure out what you love.
2) You have to have a plan. This is where I think a lot of people lose sight of their dreams. They say something in a idealistic way, like "Oh, I'd love to be an actress," or "I'd like to travel the world someday." And these are things that they really want to do. But they never DO anything about them. You can't just say you want to do something, and *POOF* have it happen.
At the same time, there's absolutely no reason to think that you can't have your lofty dreams fulfilled, either. I used to think that nobody really lived their dreams. That that was more of a fairy tale, that it didn't really happen to normal people. But it can. If you're willing to put in the work. You determine what happens to your life. Act. Don't be acted upon.
And finally,
3) You have to surround yourself with people who see greatness in you. A support system. So when you get discouraged, like everybody does, it doesn't mean the end of the road. You have people to help you back up when you fall.
I love that when he's talking to these groups, he never once mentions a need for talent or skill. ....
Sure, talent helps. But you can have all the talent in the world, and if you don't do anything with it...what good is it to you or anybody else? But if you have a dream, if you have the drive, you can make it happen. Whatever you want. I truly believe that now. The world has enough mediocrity, now more than ever. We need to people with dreams, with passion. Find yours.
Bo asked my kids how many of them wanted to go on to do theatre as a career, and several of them raised their hands high in the air. That made me so happy.
Not just because it's something that I love. But because I'm helping them on the road to their dreams, while at the same time fulfilling my own.
Now that's what I'd call a win-win situation.
