Chase your dreams, but don't chase everyone away

Greetings, Friends! It's been a while - I know. I'm still out in the world chasing dreams and helping other people chase theirs. I still believe everyone can and should chase their dreams. However, lately I've been talking with a few folks that are going about this all wrong.

Let me be blunt here: Chasing your dreams should not come at the cost of the most important people in your life. If chasing your dreams comes at the cost of your spouse, your closest friends, or your children, you are doing it wrong. You may find some success this way, but you will never find true success. What you are doing is not chasing your dreams.

The people closest to you should want you to achieve your dreams. They should be supportive. They will want to celebrate with you when you do accomplish your dreams. People who love you want you to be successful. I completely believe this to be true. Let me be clear: The problem I am seeing in the folks who have been coming to speak to me about this is NOT people close to them discouraging them from chasing their dreams.

The problem is they are not chasing dreams, they are chasing money. Chasing money is not the same thing. Chasing money will never lead you to where you want to be. What good is it to gain the whole world but lose everything else in the process? I know many folks who believe money is the answer to all of their problems, but it is not. You will simply have different problems.

Do not be a money chaser. Money chasers often lose everything in their pursuit of money. In most cases, they will not see the error of their ways until it is too late. Moreover, money will not fix the problems you create if you abandon your spouse, children, or anyone close to you. Money cannot buy the happiness and sense of accomplishment that dream chasers experience.

Believe me, I know, I have been both in this lifetime. Living the dream feels a heck of a lot better than having money and nothing else. Chase your dreams, my friends. I wish you all the success in the world. But do not mistake chasing money for the same thing. Do not lose everyone closest to you, or even worse, lose yourself for the sake of making a few dollars. People are worth more than money. Making a difference means more than making a dollar. And no amount of money is worth your heart and soul.

Blessings to you all, my friends! And have a wonderful week!

The right words to say

I've been thinking about a recent conversation I had with a friend. We were talking about working with people - lately, I have been helping a few close friends work through some of the most difficult situations any person could ever go through. This friend of mine mentioned how he could never do the kind of work I do because he could never think of the right things to say in any of those situations.

I was flattered that he thought so highly of me, but I had to tell him: most of the time, there are no right words to say. There are no words that will make it all better. Sometimes things are so bad that there is nothing to say at all. Sometimes speaking will only make the pain worse. In these instances, attempting to offer the right words to someone may be the worse thing you can do.

"So, what do you do?" he asked. More often than not, just being there is enough. Sometimes all a person needs or wants is a shoulder to cry on, and I am more than willing to offer the two that I possess. In many cases, listening is of much greater importance than speaking. You might not know the right words to say, but you can always listen. We also have arms that can hold a person, pat a person on the back, or offer a consoling hug, which can be a lot more comforting than having the right words to say.

I also believe your heart has to be in the right place. People can tell if you really have a heart for them or if you are just acting like you care. At my church, we often say: "we celebrate with those who are celebrating, weep with those who are weeping, and mourn with those who are mourning. We live life together, both the highs and the lows." That is the way I deal with everyone in my life. You have to have a heart for people, or you are really doing more damage than good.

I wish I had the right words to say to fix any situation in life. The fact is: I don't; no one does. Don't let that deter you from helping people. I can't tell you how many times someone has told me, "Thanks for being there." I can tell you exactly how many times someone has told me thanks for having exactly the right words to say: zero. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to check out this post. Have a wonderful week everyone!