Can you dream too big?

First of all, this last weekend was a sad one in the world of sports. I remember watching Sportscenter before school in 3rd or 4th grade, much to my mothers dismay because I was usually late, and I can still name the crews I used to love to see updating me on all the latest sports news: Dan Patrick, Rich Eiesen and Stuart Scott. Like many of the sports fans around the world, I was very saddened to wake up Sunday and hear that Stuart Scott had passed away. It's hard to find the words. He was great at his job and an even better human being. I don't think any true sports fan flips their pillow over without hearing his voice. May he rest in peace. If you haven't heard his speech from the 2014 ESPYs, Click here. It is emotional, inspiring and just plain fantastic.

"Too much fun, what's that mean?" A question posed by a country singer when I was about 10 or 11 years old. It's still a song I turn up when it comes on the radio. (Which isn't very often. If you listen to the radio anymore, it's mostly the same 20 or 25 songs performed by more-or-less talent-less bands, played over and over and over again all day long. Seems like you have to find just the right station or use Pandora, satellite radio and similar options to hear good music by a good band anymore!) I was playing all kinds of different music today while hanging out with my son. He's seven months old and the music doesn't entertain him nearly as much as watching his daddy strum an air guitar while jumping around the house and singing terribly.

I was thinking today about all the goals I currently have in life and the question crossed my mind, can you dream too big? What dreams do you have and what is preventing you from chasing them? America was built on dreams. Pilgrims settled in America dreaming of freedom from their rulers. Dreams of wealth and gold sent thousands of people to the west coast, and dreams of skyscrapers and railroads made Andrew Carnegie and incredibly wealthy man. The inequalities of America were challenged head on, led by a pastor born in Atlanta, Georgia who is most often remembered by a speech he gave in which he used the famous words "I have a dream." Dreams are what drive us as individuals and as a nation. The same is true for people and nations around the world. All dreams, no matter how small, have a price. Knowing what your dream is, how badly you want it and whether or not it's worth that cost is a driving force we often over look. Whether it's getting yourself out of debt or to becoming the leader of your country, what we do every day drives us toward our dreams, When we stop dreaming and stop trying to achieve those dreams, we stop really living.

As I sit here today I still chase lofty goals (and by lofty I mean some are goals that I know will probably never come to fruition. I mean, what good is a 2 million dollar yacht in the landlocked state in which I live?) I am writing a book. I started it about 7 years ago, took some long breaks and focused on other things in life, but my best guess is I'm within 1 year of finally having it ready to be published. That's one goal. I also have a stand up comedy routine in my head. I could go up on stage right now and make you laugh (or attempt to!) for 15 solid minutes and possibly as long as half hour, I'm also preparing to audition for a movie shooting this spring here around Arkansas. Attempting to be a stand up comic and an actor are made slightly difficult by the limited opportunities that come from living in Arkansas and not being able to openly travel for the auditions, but it's still fun to shoot for the few, usually small opportunities that come this way. On top of those dreams, I often throw ideas by my wife on what I call 'money making' ideas. The only one my wife actually enjoys hearing about is franchising a Red Robin here in central Arkansas. (THAT one probably won't come true because apparently you need 3 MILLION dollars to franchise with them, and I'm right about 3 million dollars short of that!) Even though I realize that few, if any, of those dreams will come completely true, I still dream them.

I personally don't think you can dream too big. Maybe one day I will have a New York Times bestseller, or maybe you'll see my multimillion dollar yacht cruising Lake Ouchita someday. You never know. For me, I make sure everything is in order here at home so that I can dream those dreams, and maybe one day one of them will come true. If you want to be a billionaire, if you want to study penguins in Antarctica, or if your goal is simply to complete your degree, do it. Your dreams are neither too big or too small.

Dream. Chase those dreams. Share your dreams. Make yourself better along the journey and help others to achieve theirs.