T. L. C.

I have dreams.

• I have always wanted to buy and renovate houses and sell them (long before it became en vogue)
• I want to own a little strip center for other small businesses to realize their dreams
• I also want to own and operate a private school and daycare
• I want to open an amusement park for little kids, like for ages one to seven or eight; I mean if you have ever been to Six Flags with small children, there is not much to do in the way of rides and games for the little ones. 
• I have even entertained the idea of owning a small dessert bakery.
• I also want to own a venue that is strictly a live music venue; there would be a house band and the best live music around!

I want to make the rules for my life and determine how much money I am worth and not rely on someone else to determine that for me. In order to do that I need to Take Lots of Chances....but it’s scary.

Every time I think of the things I want to accomplish, I get an extreme case of Whatifitis: what if I run out of money, what if I don't have enough money, what if no one likes my baked goods, what if I can't find reliable and responsible employees, what if I don't hire the right attorney, I have plenty of common sense but what if more experienced business persons take advantage of me, what if I can't find some really great real estate for my businesses, what if...I fail? I want to be successful so badly that I don't do anything because I am so afraid of failing. Silly right??

My daughter's former Nanny is an older lady with a family of her own. She has been caring for other people's children her entire life. She has always wanted to own and operate her own daycare facility, but money was always tight or timing was just not right; she is married with six children and a daughter in law and her mother who all live with her; she and her husband are paying for medical school and college for two of the six and two more will going next year PLUS she has this huge house. 

Anyway, over the time we'd known one another, owning this daycare has been her dream. She tried getting loans and she was always turned down for one reason or another. She was so discouraged that one evening I'm getting B and she starts crying, I mean the ugly, snot running down her nose, can hardly breathe cry! So I hug her and ask what is the matter and she tells me that this daycare is the one thing she wants and it seems that it is the hardest to attain. And in all of my wisdom (not really!) I say to her, "When it is time for you to own that daycare, every single thing will fall into place, everything."

And sure enough it did. After we prayed together (she to Allah and I to my God) over the next several weeks her dream came to fruition. She found a foreclosed, top of the line daycare, she went 'balls to the wall' and placed her house up as collateral for her loan, she passed every single one of her inspections with flying colors! I am enormously proud of her; she is living her dream!

I also know a woman who's living her dream of making movies and another who's just published her first book (hopefully she will allow me to write a little something about her later). I know several great people who've stepped out on faith to realize their dreams.

But alas, I need to take my own advice and step out on faith. The dreams I have now are the same ones I had 15 years ago. Alls I have to do is do it. So what if I fail at least I tried right? So I, like you, should start today by taking the necessary steps to accomplishing your dreams because great success requires Taking Lots of Chances!!

What are some of YOUR dreams? What are you doing to make them come true?