Monthly Archives: December 2009

Epictetus asks “What would you be?”

EpictetiAtTable“First, say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
 – Epictetus, Discourses

Who do your dreams call you to become? How will fulfilling your dreams transform you? If fulfilling a dream will not make you better or stronger is it worth pursuing?

I am convinced that as we reach the second phase of our lives and we are given the gift of a chance to pursue our dreams, we owe it to ourselves to pursue only worthy dreams. The others are probably best left in the memory of the years of our immaturity.

Eleanor Roosevelt on Dreams

eleanor_roosevelt2“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

Throughout our lives we dream of a future we would like to design. From childhood dreams of a world filled with lollipops and cotton candy, available to us every moment, our dreams change to what life would be “if only.”  In time, our dreams mature apace with our lives and we dream of a future more beautiful, more compelling and more perfect than the reality of life at the moment.

Victor Hugo on Dreams

Victor_Hugo“There is nothing like a dream to create the future.”
– Victor Hugo

Human history glows with the truth of Hugo’s words. Human civilization has progressed through every age because courageous people dared to dream a better future and then dared to make it true. If you doubt it, pick up any novel by Victor Hugo and read the beautiful and transformative stories of those who dreamed and whose dreams shaped the future.