Part of the What if? series by Kim Moistner-Bartlet
Inspiration and information for the Residence Life professional
An article I recently read noted that the wealthiest places on earth are neither the oil fields of the Middle East nor the diamond mines of South Africa. Rather, the wealthiest places are the cemeteries. “Buried in the ground are businesses that were never formed, songs that were never sung, books that were never written, potential that was never realized, and dreams that never came to pass.” Never before had I read something that so clearly and succinctly summed up the importance of pursuing one’s dreams. Tomorrow is only a promise…never a guarantee. So what does your tomorrow hold in store for you?
Ever heard statements like the following? “Someday I’m going to start my own business.” “I’ve always wanted to travel but I just can’t seem to find the time.” “I’d love to write a book and get it published.” “When things slow down a bit I’ll have more time to…” You get the idea. We all have dreams. So, how come so few of us actually make those dreams come true? The reality is that we get caught up in life. Our lives are filled with personal and professional responsibilities and never ending to-do lists. Finding the time to pursue some lofty goal doesn’t fit in with our hectic lifestyles. It’s interesting to note how often we rearrange our work schedules and invade upon our personal time to carry out the requests made by others. Yet, we don’t afford our own dreams the same time and dedication. In addition to lack of time, many of us choose to forego our dreams as we have a fear of failure. What if I start my own business and it fails? What if I don’t have what it takes to succeed? Others abandon their dreams due to a fear of success. If I succeed, my life will change…do I really want that? Will my relationships with others be impacted if I’m successful?
Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” So what’s your dream? What’s your plan to pursue that dream? In order to achieve our dreams we may have to step outside of our comfort zones. We must be willing to take some risks. We have to abandon our fear of failure as well as any fear of success that we might be harboring. We need to commit to our dream by setting aside a bit of time each week to plan for and work toward our “dream goals.” It’s going to require an extra time commitment on our part. It will also require courage and a “can do” attitude. What’s the worst that can happen? It’s far better to try and fail than to never try and live with regret. What if you declared that today is the day that you will start to pursue your dream? No more putting it off until another day. It’s today. It’s time to dream big and make that dream happen. You can do it. No regrets.
Kim Moistner-Bartlett – Big Idea Enthusiast & Kimembee FounderKim Moistner-Bartlett blended her experiences in business and higher education administration to create Kimembee, a leadership development company. Kim has held positions in First Year Programs and Residence Life at a number of institutions including The University of Southern Mississippi, Temple University, Philadelphia University and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She has received awards for her innovative presentations, most notably in the area of customer service within higher education. Kim received her Masters Degree from Ball State University and her Bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
