DREAM

"Dreamers see more than others are able to see to make the world a better place." — Jonas Cain

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Today is thirteen years to the day that my best friend Stephanie died, and my experience with the grief of losing her is what informs everything that I do today.

On this day thirteen years ago I never would have dreamed I'd be where I am today, and this gives credence to the topic of today's positivity lesson, which is on the value of dreaming.

But before we dive into it, I have a quick question for you: Did you know that each coaching video from Hashtag Positivity is only an introduction to the full lesson on the topic?

It's true!

Hashtag Positivity has a robust curriculum of social emotional resources to help you and the people you lead develop a positive growth mindset, gain clarity of purpose, and foster high-value relationships—including a podcast that you can listen to while you're on the go and a companion worksheet that helps you apply each lesson to your life.

Listen to the podcast for today's topic here, and download the worksheet here. Enjoy this preview of these resources for FREE as a thank you for being a loyal subscriber to this weekly newsletter!

Now let's get on with today's topic of dreaming. Starting in 2007 I had a nagging feeling that what I was doing up until that point was shallow. I had spent my professional life performing comedy magic, which in and of itself can be a noble and worthy ambition, but I started to want more from my work and life. Instead of merely entertaining the people I serve for a little while, I wanted to help transform their lives, to impact their lives for a lifetime.

This was a radical shift from entertainment, but it was an understandable one considering where my life circumstances where at the time. I had just experienced the sudden and unexpected death of my fiancée, Stephanie. Stephanie was my best friend, love of my life, and someone I greatly admired and respected. The grief I experienced after losing her shook my bearing on reality and it took me three years to regain a sense of self again.

When I did come out on the other side of grief I became passionate about helping others do the same, helping to arm them with valuable social emotional skills to face and overcome their own life challenges, whatever they may be. That became my dream, my guiding light, my path through the woods of life.

Today is exactly thirteen years to the day that Stephanie died, and the pain and disappointment that sprang forth from that day is precisely what opened my heart to dream new dreams, to see more than others are able to see, to help make this world a better place. And today, thirteen years later, that is exactly what I'm doing in my work with Hashtag Positivity. 

Notice that it was pain, disappointment, and discontent with my circumstances that created the opportunity for this dream. The experience of not having what we want is what opens the door to the possibilities that dreams offer, and the same it true for all of us.

And so we have a choice: When we experience disappointment in any of its disguises, we can wallow in self-pity and give up, or we can use it as kindling for dreams, and work to make our lives and our communities a better place.

Personally, I know what I choose, and I hope you'll join me :)

Reflection
What's your dream?