What makes or breaks your dreams?

Many would say that what makes or breaks our dreams becoming reality are the people we surround ourselves with.
I read once that you are most likely to become like the 6 people you spend most of your time with. Who would your six be? When I made my list at the time of reading that concept, my top 6 were surprising to say the least. Nice people but I didn't exactly want to follow in their footsteps.

It is amazing that people we are not actually that close to (e.g. work colleagues) can have a huge impact on our character and ability to believe in our dreams.

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

Mark Twain

Ok, so we get that to have the conviction to follow the dream in our heart we need to surround ourselves with big thinkers, the kind of people who champion us on rather than rain on our parade.

But what if we don't have a great deal of choice? What if we work or live with lovely but pessimistic individuals who would never think to encourage us or perhaps even laugh out loud at our dream and ambitions?

I believe that we can choose who we share our dreams with (it may not the be the person you see most regularly) and seek out like-minded people who can cheer us on (and we do the same for them).
There will be naysayers of course. Expect them, don't take them seriously when they tell you why you'll fail and feel blessed that you won't be dying with the music still in you.

Leo Babauta of Zen Habits has written a great article - How to Doggedly Pursue Your Dreams in the Face of Naysayers. Well worth a read.

Never stop dreaming!

Inspired Concepts - Questions

There are times when you just know a particular idea or concept is for you. It is like God weaves it into the fabric of your life for a time.

For me, this concept was part of a conversation I had a with a friend - she met someone she thought was quite amazing and noticed that they did this, a lot.
Then I heard someone speak about it at a conference.
Then I read about it in a book.
You get the picture.

What concept am I talking about? Asking questions.

Interesting people ask interesting questions. Boring people talk about themselves.
Successful people in any sphere of life - relationships, health, business - ask strategic questions. And they never stop. They never feel they have learnt enough. The feel they can learn from everyone, and they do. It is all a matter of perspective.

I am realising that the kind of questions I ask determine the kind of person I am becoming.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

Albert Einstein

Inspired Quotes - Ruined for the Ordinary

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.

C.S. Lewis

Courage

And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anais Nin

Be patient with everyone, but above all with thyself. Do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage.
St. Francis de Sales

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?
Vincent Van Gogh

Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.
Rainer Maria Rilke

Inspired Quote

From one of my favourite authors...

"To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground."

Stephen Covey

Inspired online community

1,059,680 people in 12,847 cities are doing 987,164 things

http://www.43things.com/ is all about deciding what you want to do, setting goals, sharing them and connecting with others with the same goals

From finishing a PhD, to drinking more water, to starting a band, crashing a wedding and learning to break dance, 43things is a great place to get inspired & keep inspired.

What do you want to do???

Inspired Quotes

"Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion."

G.W.F Hegel

"... for the happy heart, life is a continual feast"

Proverbs 15:15