Secret dreams are the fuel that keeps our inner fire
burning. The quiet voice inside us that
whispers, “Maybe…maybe I could do that one day” or “Maybe I could be like that
one day”. Without a secret dream, we loose ambition in life and lack the sparkle
and zest for living that people project who have something bigger that they’re
working towards. The secret dream is the drive that pushes us onwards when everyone
else has fallen to the wayside, bored with the work and dedication it takes to
make a dream come true.
I had a secret dream when I was about 12 years old. I wanted
to cowboy on an outfit, like my dad, in Nevada. When dad was cowboying in the
early 90’s, girls would help out if they were family, but it wasn’t very common
to see a whole bunch of women at a branding. “If you marry a cowboy, you might
be able to work with your husband, but I wouldn’t count on getting to work on a
place as a single girl.” I took what my dad said and figured that he was
probably right and I decided I would focus on becoming the best that I could be
at starting colts. And yet, a quiet voice inside me kept whispering that maybe,
maybe one day, if I worked hard
enough…maybe the impossible would happen and I would be able to cowboy on my
own. That secret dream is what made me write out a list of skills I decided I
would need in order for the impossible to happen….that secret dream is what
made me wake up at 3:30am every day to do my school work so that I could work
with my horses during the day…that secret dream is what made me give up fun
trips with friends in order to work on what was important to me…and you know
what? At the end of the day, at the ripe old age of 19, I got my secret dream.
I got a job in Nevada that I never should have been able to get as a single
woman and I got the chance to work for an outfit that friends that I respected
and looked up to had worked for as young men. Because of that secret dream I
got the chance to work with horsemen that I had idolized from a young age, I
got to work with people that MY dad had worked with and made friends with
people that I respected not only as cowboys and horseman, but as people too. And
even though I don’t cowboy anymore, my secret dream of cowboying gave me the skills
and experiences that are applicable to my secret dream now. Without the absence
of cowboying in my life, I would have never had the courage to pursue writing,
and writing is now my new “secret” dream. The quiet voice inside me saying, “You
could maybe do this, Liz.” And because of that, I know that the impossible,
secret dream is possible. And I want you; yes YOU reading this long post, to
know that you have all promise and ability to achieve your dreams.
Don’t squash that small, quiet voice inside you.
Don’t you dare say that it’s impossible. And if someone
tells you that it’s impossible, don’t discuss your dreams and hopes and fears
with them.
Cultivate your desire, feed the want and watch it grow. No
one else will go out there and make your dreams happen for you. You have to
have the courage to admit to yourself just what
your secret dream really is (for some reason this can be the hardest part), and
then set out on the journey to making it happen.
Good luck! And just so you know, I am your biggest fan, and
I know that you can succeed.
xo xo Liz
