No napping here.

There is no point at which you can say, "Well, I'm successful now. I might as well take a nap." - Carrie Fisher

Yesterday, I commented on Roger Federer, and asked what it is that drives apart the champions of the world and the rest of humanity.

The determination that I saw yesterday, and that I continue to see in the rest of the "successful" bunch, goes hand in hand with constant action, constant improvement, constant reinvention.

I think I've always wondered, is there a point at which people truly retire? Do people just stop once they've reached what they designate as "success"?

The answer is an emphatic "no".

Those who become legends, much like Michael Jackson, whose memorial touched me today, never stop searching, never stop working, never stop dreaming for bigger or better. They know that even if things are great at the moment, they can always get better, forgetting the possibility of failure as they do so.

What if we all forget about the destination, instead looking only at the journey, and decide that was what we really wanted after all?

Get up!

So, I got up today and thought, "My goodness, how long has it been since entering a daily thought?" It's been over a month. And, it appears that I've been quite lax this year, too. Truly careless on my part, I admit. As an apology, I offer one of my favorite quotes. Enjoy!

If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down. - Mary Pickford


What if Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, George Washington, George Lucas, and innumerable others had given up after a single defeat? What would the world look like right now?

Of these names, I have to admit, the one that scares me the most is George Lucas. Forget about the light bulb, the Theory of Relativity, the American Revolution. But no Star Wars? Good God, what a world!

Humor aside, it was my introduction to this ambitious film series as a small child that inspired the greatest creativity in myself. And so, on a personal level, to think of Mr. Lucas giving up after a few lines of script because it wasn't going the way he wanted, or after hearing "no" before "yes", or sitting behind a camera in a desert in Morocco and thinking, "This is just too hard" is almost too much.

The truth is, when you give up on your ambitions, your dreams, your aspirations, it doesn't just affect you and your experience. It affects your family and friends, and sometimes, a much larger community. Sometimes, your failure is a loss for the world.

And if you think about it, a comparison can show you that nothing is ever really "too hard". No loss is ever too awful to get up from.

Seeds sown.

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. - Robert Louis Stevenson

The fact that we are given a chance to renew our efforts, in whatever direction, each and every morning is possibly one of the greatest blessings of being human. For some, this will mean starting over all the time, but is it really starting over? The intentions that you have, with each little effort, grow and grow. How lovely your garden will be with the right amount of time.

Great things are not accomplished overnight. Rather, they require the ability to keep moving in a certain direction, or sometimes are the result of trial and error. Either way, as long as you plant your seeds every single day, you will find in time that you are moving closer and closer to the rewards of your deeds.

As we edge ever closer to a new year, with new promises and goals, remember that this as much a way of making a new start as any, as well as a time to reflect on the year 2008, it's mistakes and rewards alike. How blessed we are for these new starts. And how blessed we are to be able to plant new seeds of which the abundant harvest will be reaped.

What we all long for...

Acceptance. It is the true thing everyone longs for. The one thing everyone craves. To walk in a room and to be greeted by everyone with hugs and smiles. And in that small passing moment, you truly know you're loved, needed, and accepted. - Rena Harmon

Last night, I had the great fortune to catch the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, Front of the Class. If you missed it, once on DVD, you might want to check it out.

The true story follows the life of Bradley Cohen, a young man who, plagued from childhood with Tourette's Syndrome, overcame odds to become a second grade teacher. Despite encountering ignorance of the disability many, many times, he finally found the right school (and administration) to accept him and his condition. They also grew to know him as a fantastic educator.

And all it took for him to reach great heights was for others to accept him as he was.

Just think how every hardship, every ambition, every dream, despite all difficulties, would make our most sought after goals more possible.

It seems we all want this same thing: acceptance. It is one of our many commonalities as human beings. To be who we are, and loved anyway; that is one of the greatest things one could ever hope for.

Success in Failure in Success...

A man's life is interesting primarily when he has failed--I well know. For it's a sign that he tried to surpass himself. - Georges Clemenceau

You know, there really isn't a chance of success, of great things, without risk. Risk, whether fortunately or unfortunately, walks hand-in-hand with the possibility of failure. And while this is frightening enough for many people to not attempt greatness, the ideas that can be taught from failure are just as important as the successes.

Consider Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, and others. If it weren't for embracing failure, accepting all possibilities, they could not become who they did become.

What if no one stepped outside of the box of conventional thinking, what if Houdini never attempted escape, if George Eastman had never acted on his vision, if Martin Luther King had never had his "Dream"? Would another have come along to fill these voids? There is no guarantee of that. And what would history have said in that place? One dares imagine.

It is in attempting a greatness beyond yourself that you prove who you truly are. And while the failures that occur in those attempts will be very real, they only keep you down if you choose to let them. There is just as much character to build in the failing as the succeeding. And of course, the successes that follow failures are more true, more heart-felt. And they are always a step down that unpaved path that others will follow.

Once an amateur...

Every artist was first an amateur. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

When you're first starting out as anything, whether it be a performance artist or an entrepreneur, you can't expect to be treated as an expert. The beginning is always the hardest in anything, whether it be learning to walk or aiming for the stars. But if the beginning was easy, the victory of success wouldn't be nearly as sweet, the rewards wouldn't display their true value.

I suppose when Charles Lindbergh first pointed into the sky and Michael Jordan first held a basketball destiny was pulling at their dreams. But it was not then that they proved what they were made of. No, these things must be earned.

But when you are finally beyond the distinct realm of amateurs, you will know what it is to live in the world of dreams.

The Dreamers

Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true. - Leon J. Suenes

What an amazing day! Beautiful in many a state as voters went to the polls, anticipating the results of a day two years in the making.

Despite your political views, it must be pointed out that there truly is something special about the prospect of electing an African-American President of the United States. One-hundred and fifty years ago, the idea that an ethnic Commander-in-Chief was practically an abomination. But in truth, this is a vindication for all of man. It proves that all of us can be what we desire to be, if we are willing to step down that path, to run that run, work that hard, and fight that fight.

The people who will benefit most from this amazing occurrence are the young, who do not remember the depth of the racism that often gripped this country, who do not realize yet the work that had to be done, the sacrifices made, to make dreams come true. But as they grow, and learn, and see the results of others doing just those things, will come to know what it means to bring one's own deepest desires to fruition. They will learn to rise to the challenges that life provides them on the road to success. And for that I am so happy.

Everyone has obstacles to overcome, especially as the price of daring to work towards a dream. Fears must be overcome, judgments must be ignored, learning must be done, and tasks must be worked and worked and worked...

Anything is possible... if you believe that your hard work will pay off.