How do you finish that statement?

Here are some of the answers I’ve heard over the years.

“Dreams are for kids.” “Dreams are for dreamers.” “Dreams are for fools.”

Is that what you believe? If so, have you always believed that to be true, or just since you left childhood behind?

Here’s what I believe. Dreams are for … EVERYONE! And, yes, that includes you too.

I know, I know.  Society tells us that, as adults, we have to be responsible, practical, realistic and mature. We have to face facts, make a living, be successful and make money. After all, we have mouths to feed, bills and a mortgage to pay, a car to maintain and kids to put through school. And you’ve bought into it, right? You’re busy doing all the right things, trying to get ahead or at least keep your head above water.

So, how’s that working for you?

Hmmm, maybe it’s time we talked.

You see, dreams aren’t just illusions. They’re an important part of a healthy life. And I’m not talking about daydreams here. I mean the things you long to do, try, learn, experience. It could be something simple like having a day off with no plans. Or something more bold and daring like skydiving or white water rafting. You might dream of travelling to Italy, or learning French. Perhaps your dream involves working at something you love rather than a job that merely pays the bills.

Having a dream connects us to a sense of possibility and hope. It lifts us out of dark moments and motivates us to take steps toward a brighter future. Our action inspires those around us (children, partner, friends, colleagues) to resurrect one of their own dreams. And the ripple effect continues, spiraling outward, affecting more and more people in positive ways.

So where do you start? You start by choosing, every day, to believe in possibilities. You also choose to make changes, take steps, try new things, and get some momentum going in your life.

You can still be the responsible parent and employee, showing up to do what’s expected each day. However, you’re also making time to explore and experience some of the things you’ve always wanted to try. As your life becomes more enjoyable, you’re more fun to be around. People and opportunities gravitate toward you, and your bigger dreams come within reach.

So what’s your dream? And what are you waiting for? Take that first step today!

and making your most burning desires come true.”

~ Lesley Carter

When I started this blog in August 2010, my dream was to inspire 100,000 people to dream bigger with their lives. I wanted to encourage people to imagine a better future, to reach for the life they’d always dreamed of, and to achieve the goals and aspirations they yearned for.

I have no idea how many people have been touched or motivated by my message, whether through the blog, the book, workshops, coaching, media interviews, posts on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Or through the Dream BIGGER contest that ran in October/November 2010.

I do know, from personal comments, emails, messages on the blog, and “likes” on my Facebook posts, that I’ve reached people around the world including many I’ve never met.

However, I’m not the only trying to inspire others to reach for their dreams (thankfully!) So I want to share with you a great idea from a woman who is continually dreaming bigger.

Lesley Carter first began writing a blog about her extraordinary (and daring) adventures around the world. The blog grew to 800,000 readers in just six months! It seemed there were a lot of people who wanted to live the life of adventure vicariously through her. So she and her husband decided to take the blog to the next level.

Bucket List Publications is now offering readers the opportunity to cross items off their Bucket List. Once a month, Lesley and Darren will choose a winner from among the submissions and that person will have the chance to make their dream come true. She’ll write about the experience in the blog. They are funding this through donations, so if you’re interested in supporting the dreams of others or have a dream you’d like to experience, click here for more details.

It’s a great example of a Dreammaker, someone who starts out with a personal dream that suddenly expands, grows beyond their expectations and ultimately has a community or global impact.

So what’s on your Bucket List? If you could choose one wild and crazy (or weird and wacky, or wickedly wonderful) dream to achieve, what would it be? Lesley offers readers her Bucket List for 2012 as a sample, but please read through some of her older blog posts to discover just how adventurous this soon-to-be Mom really is!

To An English Friend in Africa

by Ben Okri

Be grateful for the freedom to see other dreams. Bless your loneliness as much as you drank of your former companionships. All that you are experiencing now will become moods of future joys. So bless it all.

Do not think your way superior to another’s. Do not venture to judge, but see things with fresh and open eyes. Do not condemn, but praise when you can, and when you can’t, be silent.

Time now is a gift for you. A gift of freedom to think and remember and understand the ever perplexing past and to recreate yourself anew in order to transform time.

Live while you are alive. Learn the ways of silence and wisdom. Learn to act, learn a new speech. Learn to be what you are in the seed of your spirit. Learn to free yourself from all the things that have moulded you and which limit your secret and undiscovered road.

Remember that all things which happen to you are raw materials. Endlessly fertile. Endlessly yielding of thoughts that could change your life and go on doing so forever.

Never forget to pray and be thankful for all things good or bad on the rich road; for everything is changeable so long as you live while you are alive.

Fear not, but be full of light and love. Fear not, but be alert and receptive. Fear not, but act decisively when you should. Fear not, but know when to stop. Fear not, for you are loved by me. Fear not, for death is not the real terror, but life magically is.

Be joyful in your silence, be strong in your patience. Do not try to wrestle with the universe, but be sometimes like water or air, sometimes like fire, and constant like the earth.

Live slowly, think slowly, for time is a mystery. Never forget that love requires always that you be the greatest person you are capable of being, self-regenerating and strong and gentle–your own hero and star.

Love demands the best in us. To always and in time overcome the worst and lowest in our souls. Love the world wisely.  It is love alone that is the greatest weapon and the deepest and hardest secret.

So fear not, my friend. The darkness is gentler than you think. Be grateful for the manifold, dreams of creation, and the many ways of the unnumbered peoples.

Be grateful for life as you live it. And may a wonderful light always guide you on the unfolding road.

It was like meeting a good friend, someone you’ve known for years. Her face lit up when I introduced myself and we had the first of many hugs. As I watched her that evening, chatting with people before and after her presentation, I could see why she’s been able to move mountains and transform lives for hundreds of Cambodian orphans, families with AIDS and aging grandmothers.

Yes, her faith is strong. She not only believes wholeheartedly that God is working through her, she trusts that guidance completely. She is also a genuinely loving human being who is living from her heart. Every thought, word and prayer is for the children and families she works with. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who embodies grace, love and faith in every cell of her being the way Marie does.

As she told the stories of the children and families who come to Place of Rescue, I felt chilled. Cambodia has a very high rate of AIDS. Women are unknowingly infected by their husbands who visit prostitutes (an accepted social practice), and children are also born with the virus. The husbands die or abandon their wives and children, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Children as young as five are sold into prostitution by impoverished family members. Or living in small quarters with male family members, young women are raped and become pregnant. Children who are born handicapped are also abandoned.

Then there’s the legacy of the Pol Pot regime. Marie spoke of over 2 million people who were executed during that time, particularly those who had more than a grade three education. Needless to say, this left families decimated, with children and the elderly having nowhere to live.

Marie also mentioned several groups of children who had recently come to Rescue after witnessing their fathers murder their mothers.

And yet, she’s the one who feels blessed – to be surrounded by so many children at this stage of her life, to see their glowing smiles and happy faces, to watch their transformation from the horrific events of their past to a solid future with a good education and strong self-esteem.

As she told me, she can now look back and see how every experience in her life was preparing her for the work she is now doing. She’s the first to admit that she never would have anticipated what has happened since her retirement at sixty-six. The original dream she had for a few houses where families with AIDS could live together now encompasses three communities. Antiviral drugs mean that those with AIDS are able to work in the organic gardens. Children who would have had no opportunity for education are now graduating from highschool and going to university or technical school with dreams of their own. And they have a strong sense of family and community.

And now at 77, Marie has new dreams – of finding jobs for the children who are graduating. One of her visions is to open a maternity clinic where some of Rescue’s graduates could return as medics, doctors and midwives to help the next generation of Rescue’s residents create a better future for themselves.

She plans to carry on until she’s called “home” as she puts it. Her legacy will live on because she has established a strong support system – a Cambodian-registered non-governmental organization formed with Cambodian friends, and the Canadian-based Place of Rescue Foundation that provides financial support.

And having seen the love in the faces of the children, families and staff at Rescue, I believe the heart of the endeavour will continue too, thanks to the dreams and determination of a former farm girl from Saskatchewan.

*****

While back in Canada, Marie was interviewed on 100 Huntley Street. To view her 2-part interview, click here and here.

It can be discouraging and disheartening, to say the least.

I’ve had this experience numerous times in my life, and have just gone through it again.

Remember that house that I was so excited about in a blog before Christmas? Well, our offer on it was conditional upon selling my condo. And, in spite of countless open houses (including two on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve!) and endless showings (and very positive comments from viewers), and keeping the place constantly immaculate, there was only one offer and it was very, very low.

So my condo is now off the market, we’ve let the offer on the house lapse, and we’re readjusting our focus.

Do I know why it happened this way? Nope. At the time, finding that house seemed like serendipity. However, I do know from experience that serendipity involves flow. It’s recognized by the surprising ease with which puzzle pieces come together. Challenges are met with little effort and support comes from unexpected places.

That wasn’t the case this time. Something was off and although we all tried our hardest to make it work, in the end, it didn’t.

It helps that I’ve been through this before, so that makes this turn of events easier to accept. We may never know why things didn’t work out. Or, perhaps in six months, we’ll look back and think, “Aha! I’m so glad the condo didn’t sell and we didn’t buy that house.”

I do know that life has a way of working out and that, for now, staying in this condo is the solution that’s in our best interest. I also know that there’s something even better, a bigger dream, waiting for us. We may not be ready to dream bigger just yet, and that’s okay because what is for us will come to us, when the time is right.

As I mentioned in the book, Marie Ens founded Place of Rescue in Cambodia in 2003. Originally from western Canada, she had recently retired, having spent most of her adult life working as a missionary in Southeast Asia as well as working with Cambodian refugees in other countries. She knew she didn’t want to spend her retirement years in Canada, so she chose to return to Cambodia and follow her heart.

Her dream, which started out as a few thatched houses for AIDS families, has expanded to provide homes for more than 200 orphans, 23 elderly women, as well as 57 children who live with their parents who have AIDS. In another part of Cambodia, Place of Rescue II houses 114 orphans, and Place of Rescue III opened last year in the province of Pailin.

Marie recently celebrated her 77th birthday at Place of Rescue and she has no intention of slowing down. In fact, her vision continues to grow and expand.

Rescue, which receives financial support from Calgary-based Place of Rescue Foundation, has now built a dormitory in Phnom Penh. This is where children who have completed their high school studies at Place of Rescue will live while going to university or technical school. It is called, appropriately, “House of New Dreams”. In her blog she writes about one student has begun an eight-year program to become a pediatrician. Another is studying to become a translator.

In addition, last year, Marie brought the Place of Rescue dance troupe to Canada for a tour. Watching them dance in traditional dress and style (to live music by one of their strongest supporters, Canadian singer/songwriter Paul Brandt), it’s hard to imagine the tragedies and challenges in their lives that originally brought them to Place of Rescue.

Marie is currently in Canada for her annual tour across the country, visiting church congregations and updating people about the work that’s been done in the past year. She will be in southern Ontario this week for an interview on 100 Huntley Street (Crossroads Television). The interview will be broadcast on Global on Thursday, February 9 at 9 a.m (it will be available for viewing online after the show). That evening, she is scheduled to speak at Hazelglen Alliance Church, 45 Hazelglen Drive, Kitchener.

If you’re looking for inspiration to dream bigger, here’s an opportunity not to be missed!

Dekker eventually won the court case by promising she would buy a bigger boat with advanced navigation equipment, take courses in first aid and how to handle sleep deprivation, and continue her education online.  On January 20, 2011, she set sail in a 38-foot yacht from St. Maarten.

After a year of dealing with heavy squalls, ripped sails, near-collisions with cargo ships and the threat of pirates, she told reporters that there was never a moment when she had wanted to stop.

“It’s a dream, and I wanted to do it.”

Not everyone wants to sail around the world, but we all have dreams. I continue to be inspired by stories of people who persevere and achieve their dreams.

I found two blogs recently with such stories and I’d like to share them with you.

On 12monthscreativity, Sarah writes about a friend who had a dream of becoming a helicopter flight instructor. She describes the challenges (of pursuing the dream and of trying to support someone who is) and the joy of accomplishment.

In throughanothereye, a young woman writes about her experiences living in Gambia. Her photos capture qualities of people, life and culture in ways that words cannot convey. Her dream may not be yours, but her posts may inspire you to dust off some of your dreams and try them on for size.

Are there blog sites that you find inspiring? I’d love to hear about them!

Here’s an excerpt from a recent email, shared with the writer’s permission. Very inspiring. Mind-boggling, actually!

Note: The writer is a woman in her late fifties.

“In my thirties, I found my true love of sport – short track speed skating – but I have never seen myself as a long track marathon skater. Last winter I skated my first 25 km marathon.

This past weekend, I skated a half Marathon (21 kms) and then the next day skated and finished the dreaded full Marathon (42 kms)!! I didn’t think I could do it and even backed out the night before the event. But with my friends’ support, their belief in my abilities and the contributions of their expertise, I was able to visualize myself out there on that track, skating and completing the Marathon. And once I saw that image in my mind, the clear vision of myself gliding along that beautiful shiny track under a cold bright winter sun, I knew I had to try it.

In the Marathon, we skated together, trading off the lead and encouraging each other through the lows of energy and spirit.

I will not say it was easy for me, or pretty or graceful. It hurt a lot, but I did it! I will do it again!

And such is the power of dreams – the ones we put in our minds ourselves, and the ones where we turn to our friends to help us see them through.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself!!! Thanks for sharing!

The journey began in August as they travelled around Spain searching for the sailboat that would be their home for the bulk of their travels. With limited Spanish, specific requirements in mind and a very busy toddler, they had their hands full. However, they finally moved onto the boat by mid-August and set sail for France about ten days later.

From France they sailed to Italy, down the coast of Sardinia, and then left the boat in Crete to continue their journey overland, visiting Syria and ending up in Israel.

Along the way, they sampled olives from wild trees in every country, gathered small branches for DNA sampling at an Italian lab to find out how the olive tree spread through the Mediterranean, and spoke to local olive growers, visited olive mills and bottling plants.

In Israel, they saw an ancient olive grove with trees spanning over ten metres in circumference. That grove has been part of one family’s farm for centuries. In their blog, Julie writes about the farmer turning to her and asking if she knew the story of Noah and the Ark. He then pointed to one tree and told her that it was the tree from which the dove took a branch to show Noah that the waters were receding and there was land to go to.

Hard to believe? As Julie points out, the tree was in the Holy Land on the highest point where olives could grow, so it could be easily be the oldest olive tree in existence. She took a small branch for DNA testing.

Now that they’re back in Canada, Julie’s busy writing a book on the Olive Odyssey while Colin completes the documentary, both of which will eventually be added to their growing list of resources. And Leif is happily rediscovering his toys.

What’s next? No word yet, but with this dynamic duo, there are always bigger dreams ahead!

it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,

it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,

it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,

it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,

we had everything before us, we had nothing before us ….”

~ Charles Dickens

A good friend sent me a Christmas letter that opened with this quote from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. As I read it, I thought about how it sums up the contradictory nature of every year, and indeed every day, of our lives.

Have you ever had a wonderful day with your partner, filled with love and laughter (it was the best of times), only to have it suddenly deteriorate into an unexpected argument (it was the worst of times)?

Or taken all the steps toward your dream, had faith and trust that it would all work out, envisioned the outcome with all your heart and soul (it was the epoch of belief), and then watched it crumble before your eyes and wondered why this was happening to you (it was the epoch of incredulity)?

Have you waited for test results, hoping against hope for good news (it was the spring of hope) and heard instead the words you dared not voice (it was the winter of despair)?

Our lives and experiences are built on duality, aren’t they? If we don’t experience the moments of sorrow, we can’t fully appreciate the the moments of joy.

It helps me to remember this duality when things aren’t working out the way I’d planned (or hoped). Sure, I may be going through a tough patch, but inevitably the tide will turn in my favour again. Arguments can be followed by warm hugs, broken dreams can be the inspiration for new directions, unexpected news can lead to much needed life changes.

It all comes down to perspective which is summed up in the last two lines of the quote – we had everything before us, we had nothing before us. You can have everything and nothing at the same time. Your experience of the moment depends on what you choose to focus on. In moments of despair, joy and beauty still surround us. And in times of abundance, you can still experience lack.

How will you experience the day … and the year that lie before you?

I wish you a year of … the best, the worst, wisdom, foolishness, belief, incredulity, Light, Darkness, hope, despair, everything and nothing. In other words, your richest year yet!