That was definitely a well needed break! I had my 35th birthday, my son and wife have gone back to school, and things were about to get back to normal.
Unfortunately for me, normal is very relative. We had a bit of a hiccup recently when a friend was in need of desperate help and all others had essentially turned their backs on him due to his destructive behaviour. Even my wife was very skeptical because we have reached out to him many times and he has consistently let us down.
I felt different this time around and I personally wanted to put some of my new found knowledge to the test. Here I am promoting my book, how we can help others, and especially at risk youth and what they become when their youth has past, and now I have the ability to try it with a 24 year old who has been down a dark path for the better part of 12 years. By bad path I am referring to him being an addict and substance abuser, a young man who is riddled with depression and thoughts of hopelessness, and a very angry and destructive individual without much respect for himself or anyone else.
I decided against my wife's advice to bring him home with us once more. I spent all night talking with him, until 3am, and the headway I made was incredible. 4 days later he hasn't touched a drug, he hasn't needed any prescription drugs, and he has been sleeping well. My wife the next day said what did you do, hypnotize him!? The answer is so simple that most of us just dismiss it as drivel. I listened to him all night, I didn't judge him, the tone in my voice never changed, and most importantly I told him I was there for him, I always will be, and he is not alone. Mostly when he had a bad thought or he identified a negative feeling that used to lead him in the wrong direction, all I did was ask him questions that helped him connect some dots. The results were incredible and I told him all he had to do was commit to the work and the results would follow. Nothing is easy, nothing is a quick fix, but what I did give him was the ability to realize there is a better way, and he does have a shot. The more we can make people feel that way, the more success we all will have.
Now why did I name this piece Chasing your Dreams?? Well because much in the same way my friend struggles, I see and feel the similarities between us. The dream he has been chasing was that he wanted to wake up every morning and have a purpose and a belief. At this juncture my dream is to get my book published, continue my outreach to today's and yesterdays at risk youth, and continue writing in order to support my dreams of building Marion's Place (A hybrid community centre and parent drop off program) we are working on. Are dreams are at different stages, but the need or desire to achieve them is no different. We all have something burning inside of us, most don't even know it's there anymore. He struggles to achieve his dreams for the same reasons it can be difficult for me. We all have doubts and when we are chasing our personal dreams we must remember that they are our dreams, not the dreams of others. That is a very important part because others perceptions of your dreams will be one of the biggest challenges you face. Understanding that this is YOUR dream and YOURS alone, therefore you are the ONLY one who can make this happen. Get around people who are interested in you achieving your dreams, and try to ignore the one's who can't relate to them or don't agree with them.
Make a plan, map it out, and stick with it!! As long as you remember your path is from A to B, and along the way there will be many, many hurdles and obstacles. It's our duty to remember that regardless of what transpires along the way, we still must get to B or there was no point in ever having a plan or dream in the first place.
