Relinquishing Your Dreams

How many times have you abandoned an idea, project or dreambecause someone made a disparaging remark or rolled theireyes when you told them about it?nnRelinquishing your dreams All too frequently we allow others to dictate what is good,right or possible. We allow them to steal our dreams. NoticeI use the word "allow." No one can put you down, stomp onyour dream, or kill an idea of yours unless you allow themto. Consider that:

The movie Star Wars was rejected by every movie studio inHollywood before 20th Century Fox finally produced it. Itwent on to be one of the largest-grossing movies in filmhistory.

As a child, Sylvester Stallone was frequently beaten byhis father and told he had no brains. He grew up an unhappyloner. He floated in and out of schools. An advisor atDrexel University told him that based on his aptitude testshe should pursue a career as an elevator repair person. It'snot a bad profession but it's certainly not where "Rocky"ended up!

Einstein was criticized for not wearing socks or cuttinghis hair. He didn't speak until he was four, and didn't readuntil he was seven. One observer noted, "He could bementally retarded".

An expert said of Vince Lombardi:"He possesses minimalfootball knowledge. Lacks motivation. . .

Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferredplaying his own compositions instead of improving histechnique. His teacher proclaimed him hopeless as acomposer.

Walt Disney was fired from his job as a newspaper editorfor lack of ideas. He also went bankrupt several timesbefore he created Disneyland.

Henry Ford failed and went broke 5 times before he finallysucceeded.

Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women, wasencouraged to find work as a servant or seamstress. Shewould certainly never be a writer.

In 1944, the director of the Blue Book Modeling Agencytold modeling hopeful Norma Jean Baker (Marilyn Monroe),"You'd better learn secretarial work, or else get married."

nnIt Takes Courage So what are your ideas? Your thoughts? Your dreams? Yourplans? It doesn’t matter if anyone supports what you want to do.The important thing is for YOU to believe. For YOU to ignorethe people who say you can't do it - and DO IT ANYWAY! Ittakes courage. It takes persistence. It takes believing inthe "voice inside" when no one else does. Ideas, dreams andvisions are planted within you because you have the abilityto make them happen. You’ll learn, grow, scramble, fail, andget back up again! The important thing is to simply nevergive up. The people I mentioned earlier never gave up - andthey made great things happen!