"6 Reasons You Don't Dream Big Enough" by Craig Jarrow

Craig Jarrow is the author of Time Management Ninja. He helps individuals and companies reclaim their time.

Click here to read "6 Reasons You Don’t Dream Big Enough".

Dream Big

If there were ever a time to dare, 

to make a difference, 

to embark on something worth doing, 

it is now. 

Not for any grand cause, necessarily -- 

but for something that tugs at your heart 

something that's your dream.

You owe it to yourself 

to make your days here count. 

Have fun. 

Dig deep. 

Stretch.

Dream big.

Know, though, that things worth doing 

seldom come easy. 

There will be good days. 

And there will be bad days. 

There will be days when you want to turn around, 

pack it up, 

and call it quits. 

Those times tell you 

that you are pushing yourself, 

that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea, 

determination, 

and the right tools, 

you can do great things. 

Let your instincts, 

your intellect, 

and your heart 

guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power of the human mind. 

Of doing something that makes a difference. 

Of wroking hard. 

Of laughing and hoping. 

Of lazy afternoons. 

Of lasting friends. 

Of all the things that will cross your path this year.

The start of something new 

brings the hope of something great. 

Anything is possible. 

There is only you. 

And you will only pass this way once. 

Do it right. 

  

    

-- Author unknown.

"10 Ways to Look After Your Mental Health" by Mental Health Foundation

While physical health and well-being shout and get our attention, we must also be wary not to loose sight of our mental health. 

Click here for "10 Ways to Look After Your Mental Health" by Mental Health Foundation, the leading UK charity working in mental health and learning disabilities.

The website of the Mental Health Foundation outlines the charity’s work in research, policy, service development and service user involvement. The website offers information and publications to download on research, good practice in services and on mental health problems and key issues.

Follow That Dream by Rebecca Lim (as interviewed by Stella Tang)

[Source: Singapore Memory Project (iremember.sg)and Read!Fest 2014 on Books That Moved Me]

"I first read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho when I was in secondary school. My mum, an avid reader, bought a copy for each of my two siblings and I. It's about Santiago, a shepherd boy who dreams of a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids one night and leaves Spain to follow his dream. He meets many spiritual messengers along the way, learning different lessons from them. 

However, the book only truly made an impact on me when I re-read it before I graduated with my Accountancy degree from Singapore Management University. My friends had applied to banks and for other such proper jobs. I was at a crossroads: to follow the same path or become an actress?

My parents wanted me to complete my degree so I would have that to fall back on. But they also told me to follow my heart after graduation so that I wouldn't have any regrets. This book supplemented their advice and gave me the courage to make my first major decision -- to pursue my acting dream.

I have a habit of writing down meaningful quotes in my diary. The Alchemist has many such quotable quotes, such as this exchange between the shepherd boy and the alchemist, whom he finally meets: "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," says the shepherd boy on his misguided agenda to which the alchemist responds, "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."

When I re-read these words at a time when I felt down, it encouraged me to stay true to my dreams. Though the journey may be tough or take longer than expected, take heart that the best things in life will happen to you, for you, at the right time. Like Santiago discovered, there is no need to search for treasures in the outside world; search within yourself and you'll get the world. It's extremely difficult to live by this philosophy but I'm constantly working at it."

For more on Rebecca Lim, click here.

Dancing or Singing to Our Own Music

I am literally not a dancer, a singer or a musician. Yet, music moves me emotionally and may even influence my physical body to respond with, say, feet-tapping or head-nodding.

This cause-and-effect of music, song and dance is a phenomenon common to mankind and has so fascinated us that we would regard music, song, dance and/or a combination of them as metaphors of life. The beauty of this all is that we are unique individuals and we have our own preferences and likings.

Thus, the way to live life forward would be to listen to our choice of music, sing or dance to the tune of it, and to sing and dance so well that we attain mastery in the song or dance of our lives.  

Truth be told, music, song and dance is not an end in themselves. They are not the goals. People may buy a CD and watch a dance for their artistic qualities in the first instance. But, knowingly or unknowingly, they are really buying hope – hope of a trade-off that would give them a new and feel good experience. Then, if it has worked for them, they will go on to buy the next release.

What then is this hope in all of us? Well, it could be the hope of healing from a breakup, liberty from a troubling relationship, courage to do the right thing, standing up for one’s belief and so forth. I would boil all these up (not down) to living the dreams of our life; to keep looking up for a better tomorrow. 

Our dreams (visions or imaginations) can really come true when we have enough fuel through music, words and thoughts (believe) to begin our dance or song (action or plan) towards our desired outcomes. As Mr. G.M. Rao, the founder and chairman of GMR Group, a global energy and infrastructure development corporation based in Bangalore, India, has said: “Believe in your dreams and never let go. Be persistent, keep believing, and it will be realized. Every journey starts with a dream, and your full faith and belief in your dream will pave the way.”

This brings me to the music “Flashdance … What a Feeling” featured in the Flashdance movie of 1983 which I still find inspirational. According to Wikipedia, this movie was inspired by the real life story of Maureen Marder, a construction worker/welder by day and dancer by night in a Toronto strip club with aspiration to enroll in a prestigious dance school.

In the movie, Alexandra Owens (Jennifer Beals) worked as a welder at a steel mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and moonlighted as a dancer in a neighbourhood  bar and grill with the spark of gaining entry to the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance and Repertory as part of her quest to become a professional dancer. 

Maybe like Maureen Marder, we, too, have a dream that is remote from our present circumstances. It may be insignificant to us now, but if we keep living out our dreams by listening to the music of heart, we could well realize the beautiful movie script of our life story for real. 

May the following lyrics and rendition for “Flashdance… What a Feeling” infuse us with new strength and hope to keep pursuing our dreams because dreams really do come true:-

"First, when there's nothing but a slow glowing dream
That your fear seems to hide deep inside your mind
All alone I have cried silent tears full of pride
In a world made of steel, made of stone
Well I hear the music, close my eyes, feel the rhythm
Wrap around, take a hold of my heart 

[Chorus:]
What a feeling, bein's believin' 
I can't have it all, now I'm dancin' for my life
Take your passion, and make it happen
Pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life
[Solo]
Now I hear the music, close my eyes, I am rhythm
In a flash it takes hold of my heart

[chorus (with ... "now I'm dancing through my life")]"
What a feeling
What a feeling (I am music now), bein's believin' (I am rhythm now)
Pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life
What a feeling (I can really have it all)
What a feeling (Pictures come alive when I call)
I can have it all (I can really have it all)
Have it all (Pictures come alive when I call)
(call, call, call, call, what a feeling) I can have it all
(Bein's believin') bein's believin'
(Take your passion, make it happen) make it happen
(What a feeling) what a feeling... [to fade]

For the movie trailer click here and for the dance audition click here.

Although flashdance never featured in the song and it is not a known category of dance, my hunch is that it is a metaphor for the flashing sparks of welding mimicking the true dance or passion of our life. 

Here are some selected maxims to max out our dreams:

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” -- Walt Disney

“It takes a dream to wake up your faith, but it takes faith to make your dream come true.” – Art Sepulveda

“You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind until they become second nature.” – Les Brown

“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” --Jesse Owens

We are truly alive when we are in the pursuit of our dreams. Now is the time to keep believing in the beauty of our dreams, put on our dancing shoes and dance even when nobody is watching.

Moments in Kyoto

Be refreshed as you spend a few minutes to be transported to Kyoto and let your mind be stretched. Click here to view.

Promise Yourself by Christian D. Larson

“Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.”
― Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them