Recently a young man turned up at my non-profit, “What do you want?” presentation carrying with him an unassuming confidence that’s rare to see in those who struggle in life. After the show was over, a few of us sat around discussing Life and our dreams.
Not letting shyness stand in his way, Chris jumps to his feet and rolls out a few songs (poetry/hip hop) without skipping a beat. Raps of poetry pour out from his soul – his songs are full of hopes, dreams and faith. Also touching on the darker side of life that most of us will never fully understand – attacking social injustice, social inequality, poverty (especially women and children), violence against women, living on the streets, drugs, incarceration. His songs paint a vivid picture of his life experiences and the state of the world.
As he was sharing his powerful messages with us – flashes of Tupac Shakur kept running through my mind. He was a prolific poet/hiphop artist, who raised awareness for social and political changes through his music.
Quiting is not an option
Most people in Chris’s position would have given up long ago but he says he knows that God has a plan for him and that he’s destined for greatness. He shares with me that his road in life is paved with many mistakes – fueling him with wisdom, inner strength and perseverance to keep pressing on.
Chris knows the only way to gain ground, to move forward, to march on, and to turn his goals into reality is to learn from his setbacks and failures. He will never give up until he reaches his dream of one day making a difference through his music.
Within minutes of letting him know that I was going to share his story with my readers, he handed me a piece of paper with these words:
Listen closely
As these hopes stream from my pen
The road to success
Starts with just one step
Seek deep inside
Scream for your dreams to come alive
Every man woman and child
Has a weakness they try to hide
Those weaknesses become strengths
With an optimistic mind
Every day is a gift
Its time we Open our eyes
Take your dream out, dust it off and take action!
There’s always that one person who gets in the way of you and your dreams. This person means well and thinks they’re protecting you from getting hurt or even worse, fail. That person is YOU!
You are your own worst enemy when it comes to making your dreams come true. You procrastinate when You should be working hard. You give up when you hit your first hurdle. You make excuses and show resentment when things aren’t working out the way You expect them to.
Making your dreams come true is entirely up to you…you just have to get out of your own way.
Keep following your dreams, believe in yourself. Every day ask yourself the question, “What can I do today that will get me closer to my dream?”
Posted by Anonymous on September 7, 2010 at 1:32 pm
So true, inspirational!
Liz