What A Greek Wedding Can Teach You About Reaching Your Dreams

Anyone that has read my column knows well that I am ancollector of success stories. I believe they are extremelynimportant to us. Not to look in awe at others, but insteadnto gain strength from them and in turn apply their lessonsnto the challenges we face as we set out towards our ownndreams.

Recently I was flipping through the channels and as soon as
I hit the Oprah Winfrey Show something literally grabbednthat channel changer and stopped me... I am so glad that itndid, because I believe I ended up hearing one of the mostninspiring stories I've heard in a while.

The story behind the story of My Big Fat Greek Wedding...

On the surface the Nia Vardalos' story might easily benfluffed off as just another lucky person who made it big inna hit movie. I'm telling you right now however that nothingncould be farther from the truth.

While it is true that Nia reached super star status almostnover night in a movie that grossed 120 million dollars andnwas reported to cost only 5 million dollars to make, the oddntwist is the story behind the film's production andnphenomenal success.

If this was anything resembling luck, it was home madenluck...Nia explained that the story she'd written originallynwas born out of the necessity to work. She was an actressnlooking for work and after hearing the various reasons whynshe didn't fit into the stereotypical roles that were outnthere, Nia decided to write her own role.

Hence was born the little one woman play that actress Rita
Wilson took her family to see after seeing a small clipnadvertising it in the newspaper. Perhaps even morenincredible is that the ad that led them to the show was anone time running, because that was all that Nia could affordnat the time.

Rita was so impressed with the show, that she encouraged hernhusband, Tom Hanks, to take it from the theater to the bignscreen. You see, we're not talking just luck here. There arencountless examples of people, just like you and I that tooknthat leap of faith and along the way something far greate
then us came up behind us and filled in the missing pieces.

Set out each day believing in your dreams. Know without andoubt that you were made for amazing things. Understand thatnit is ok to be scared or uncertain, however right beyondnthose barriers ultimately lies your dreams... Yours innsuccess, Josh Hindsnn(c) 2002