Supporting your dreams…

Norma Cantú, professor at UTSA told us this week during her interview that her goal at age 16 was to "end war" in the world.  While she joked about the optimism of youth and how compared to this goal she felt like a failure, the observation/remembrance made me think quite a bit.
 
What if Norma already has ended war — a war she didn’t know might have existed and never got a chance to start.  How many people has she touched and how can she know the possible affect she’s had on them?
 
Recall that over the past few weeks we’ve been talking about self-worth, being comfortable with who we are, and figuring out our mission.
 
Well, as young people, we have grand goals and dreams, and that’s a good thing!  The optimism of youth is something we should maintain and cherish, according to another of our interviewees, Emily Matos, currently a graduate student at NYU.  Also, the dreams of our youth help point us in the direction of our passion and a life of meaning.
 
Being comfortable with who you are starts with finding and knowing your self-worth and then leads next into believing that anything is possible.  With that openness of possibility comes the ability to dream BIG.  And hopefully, each of you also had the opportunity to dream BIG as a child.

And if you didn’t, it’s never too late…
 
Norma’s interview this week gave a nice example of how we do "end war" — or at least prevent it in the first place!  Valuing children, teaching them how to think and explore, giving them space and ability to dream, and then supporting those dreams is all part of the key.
 
So, Norma, maybe you did "end war" — maybe not all of it in the world (yet) but let’s applaud those dreams of youth and work to keep them healthy and alive.  What did you dream of as a child?  How can you nurture and support those dreams in your life now?
 
Norma’s changing the world right now — and has done so throughout her history.  Let’s each recall our dreams and reflect on what it means about who we are and what we can accomplish.
 
To YOUR expansive and (un?)believable dreams,
 
Aurelia 

P.S.  In case you missed Norma’s interview, you can purchase either the audio or the transcript (or both) of the interview at the special pre-sale price until next Wednesday.  Click here to find out more…