What happens when you reach crossroads and cannot see past your current condition? Is this the moment we call for help? Can Mr or Mrs Help hear you? Is this the moment to try and discover and connect with your dreams and desires?
We all have unfulfilled dreams and desires in some form or another. Dreams and desires are stolen by; current situations, life struggles, security, personal problems, self-belief, etc. Many of these factors are complex and intertwined with each other; all conspire to steal our dreams and desires.
Faith or a sign? Is this the key to your dreams and desires?
The journey of life takes you along desirable and undesirable paths. Along the way, you will come to crossroads where decisions must be made. At those intersections, we make the decisions based on the best information we have at hand.
Decisions are not made with hindsight, as hindsight is only possible because we have already decided. A positive outcome does not invoke the same distaste gut-wrenching feeling as a negative outcome.
I have always tried to maintain neutral emotions in my early adult life, where I do not deviate too far from the centre line. However, I confirm that life has sent a missile guided earthquake to shake the very ground I walk on.
After being spat out from a simultaneous double-cycle white cotton wash at 90° in the washing machine, followed by an erratic two-hour spin dryer, three (Maria, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ and ‘Dream Horse’) random life occurrences have come together at a perfect point to offer hope.
Call it faith, sign, or divine intervention. This seeming miraculous turn of events has proven to be just the prescription to allow me to move on from the past, deal with the present, to cultivate a fresh start.
How has Maria (a dear friend), ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ (the book) and ‘Dream Horse’ (the film) come together to propel me to follow my dreams and desires?
How Maria relates to dreams and desires
Maria is a creative and intelligent young lady I coached during my university days. It’s funny how life turns out where I moved from a coach, mentor, father-like figure to now being the one in need of counsel.
I had lost contact with Maria for about four years due to family life. However, a seismic change in my personal life would push me to re-establish old lost contacts. Due to my bond with Maria, she was one of the first people I decided to contact.
I was blown away when she responded that she would arrange to take time off within the next few days to meet up in Lambourn. Lambourn is a village in Berkshire, England, for those unaware.
Lambourn is the second-largest centre of racehorse training in England, and several leading jockeys and trainers base themselves there.
I can feel the rush of questions flowing to the cerebrum part of the brain, wondering, what has Maria got to do with ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ (the book) and ‘Dream Horse’ (the film)?
Maria happens to be a fantastic jockey that rides racing horses (training). So aside from the emotional support and attempting to mend my deflated heart, Maria also provided me with a crash course on horses.
Maria’s link is to ‘Dream Horse’ (the film); she subconsciously planted the seed of horses in my mind.
Dream Horse
I do not consider myself a film fanatic, nor will I consider myself a daytime TV watcher. A few days after visiting Maria, a feeling deep within me urged me to turn the TV on as I passed it. Interestingly as the TV powered up, it had been left overnight on the movies channel, and the film about to start was ‘Dream Horse’.
Now not sure if you believe in God or a higher power, at that precise moment with my crash course on horses and their training, this film caught my attention.
Dream Horse is about how a Welsh bartender Jan Vokes turned into a Grand National horse breeder, which would become the subject of a Hollywood film played by Australian film star Toni Collette.
Jan was inspired to become a breeder after overhearing a tax adviser talk about a racehorse he had previously owned. Jan happened to be at a crossroads in life. She was looking for a reason to get up in the morning that might prove more captivating than either of her jobs at the supermarket or bar tendering.
Considering my life was in a state of flux not too dissimilar to Jan Vokes, the film grabbed my attention and began to encapsulate my emotions. Dream Horse invoked a feeling within me to follow my dreams and desires.
The Pursuit of Happyness
My social meeting with my close friend Maria planted the seed of horses in the brain. When presented with the ‘Dream Horse’ film, which would often never grab my attention, particularly during the daytime, I instantly stopped to watch it.
As faith would have it, the film filled me with a sense of following my passion. This seemingly miraculous turn of events from Maria to Dream Horse would be boosted that evening after watching the film. I would begin to read ‘Start Where You Are’, a book by Chris Gardener.
There are people that I hold in high regard, almost in a role model capacity. One such person is Christopher Gardner. I am sure you are all aware of the film ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ played by Will Smith? Christopher Gardner is the true-life person the film is based on.
He is not just a success on Wall Street, but an extraordinary human being, he is a businessman, philanthropist, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur. After watching the film a few weeks back, it motivated me to have a fresh look at life. So I decided to look more into the real person, and this was when I discovered Chris Gardner’s book ‘Start Where You Are’.
This book appealed to me, as it departs from the typical life story of an individual’s path to success or riches. Instead, the book is a self-help book that provides direction in anyone’s moment of uncertainty when a little help or push is required.
‘Start Where You Are’ was a book that played on Chris’s mind for many years. He wrote the words ‘Start Where You Are’ at the top of a yellow legal pad one day after months of unsuccessful door knocking when trying to get a foothold in the early days of his brokerage business.
He used this mantra to focus his attention on using the resources he already had whilst building towards those he desired, which allowed him to stay in the game. Since then, every time he faces difficult circumstances that appear overwhelming, and he does not know where to begin, he returns to this mantra.
In this book, Chris Gardner demonstrates that his journey to overcome the odds wasn’t mythic but, in fact, is achievable for each and every one of us. He has been motivated by the countless questions, concerns, challenges, hopes, fears, and dreams he receives via email or letters that have all inspired him.
The four words he scribed on his legal pad is meant for everyone, so instead of feeling overwhelmed or discouraged by the volatility of life, you can utilise them to help you through it. How do you know if this book is for you? Well, consider the following statement by Chris Gardner;
If you have a dream and a desire to pursue it with every fibre of your being but can’t move past excuses or circumstances that seem to be standing in your way, there is a life lesson ahead with your name on it.
If you are tired of the status quo and are dying to shake up your life, reinvent yourself, and find a pursuit you love doing so much that you can’t wait for the sun to come up in the morning, you’ve come to the right place.
If you can’t seem to figure out your niche in the crowded marketplace, you need this book. But, on the other hand, suppose you are like some of my workaholic, type-A peers who have the material trappings of success but long for a sense of true fulfilment. In that case, you might be ready for a story or two that I have got to remind you how to dream again.
If you’ve just had the rug pulled out from under you and your loved ones, whether you’re facing the loss of a home, a job, or dealing with a health or financial crisis, hope and help from those who’ve survived the worst and gone on to try, we are here to encourage you.
I, for one, felt that the sequence of activities from Maria to Dream Horse and then reading Chris Gardner’s book has allowed me to compartmentalise the current personal issues and pursue my dreams and desires.
I am a man of faith or a spiritual person; these events have significantly impacted me. However, suppose you are experiencing issues in life and are not a personal faith or a spiritual person. In that case, the book is an excellent inspiration for Starting Where You Are.
Chris Gardner promises in this book to share the tools and empowerment that have been instrumental to his success – emotional, financial, and spiritual – at every step of his journey. In addition, the book offers answers to questions you may have in a manner that does not patronise but challenges you.