A Dreamers Greatest Asset

(From left to right: Roseborn (future super model), Me (future TV media mogul), Tunisha (future producing phenom), Honorable Mention: Shanti (future billionaire business mogul)

I am trying to start two businesses as well as launch my television career, not an easy task. As I was going through the process of writing up business plans, I came to the section marked “Assets”. I started to think about my assets. Of course I thought about the money I have in my bank account, which made me cry. Then I took it a step further and thought, “What is the greatest asset a dreamer like me could have?” Many of us would think that it is monetary, so that you can financially achieve your dreams (which as we all know, is the hardest part), or serious connections. However, as I found on a visit with my great friend Shanti, the greatest asset a dreamer can have is other dreamers.

Now I am not just talking about friends. According to our Facebook accounts, we all have “friends”. However, I am talking about the truer than true friends. I’m talking about those special friends that you connect with on another level. The ones who have bigger dreams for you than you have for yourself. The ones who have big dreams and goals for themselves as well. Take my friend Shanti. She is going to be a billionaire business mogul. My other friend Roseborn is going to be the next Naomi Campbell. And another friend of mine, T, is going to be the next great television producer. They are each striving for bigger and better than anyone would ever think possible.

It’s already hard enough to come out and say, “I want to be the next…” or “I want to be better than…” without being ridiculed and told to set your sights lower, which basically means that they think pigs have a better chance of taking flight. But other dreamers get it. For example, when you say to another dreamer, “I want to be the first gay President of the United States,” what others would think is complete heresy, true dreamers congratulate you for having the courage to say it out right and then push you to succeed. Your dreams are our dreams, and the dreams of others are yours.

I always love visiting with my friend Shanti. We have the best talks about the future. We discuss my talk show and media empire, and we talk about her billion dollar companies. Our names on the doors of several buildings, and the freedom to design our own lives. What we will do with our kids that our parents weren’t able to do with us. Plus, all the trips we will be taking, either on her yacht or my jet. HA! We leave each conversation energized and ready to press forward.

The old adage is true, “You are who you surround yourself with.” Doing anything worthwhile is going to be challenging, we all know this. But having people around you who know the ups and downs, the highs and the lows, and the sheer torture it takes to achieve any dream because they are going through it themselves is  a resource that cannot be replaced. They push you to push yourself further. They inspire you to dream even bigger, and they give you the peace of mind that all will be well and long as you have each other rooting for one another. One positive voice can be greater than that of the most negative of crowds.

My advice to all you dreamer chasers: find yourself a couple of true dreamers. With a little hard work and tons of stamina, you are sure to conquer the world. It won’t be lonely at the top when you have your true friends standing there with you.

Famous and SUCCESSFUL Best Friends

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King

Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti

Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell

MOMMY….WHERE Do DREAMERS COME FROM?

For as long as I can remember I have always been dreaming, and it’s only recently that I am wondering where that came from. We all have dreams of what we want our futures to look like, yes, but I have had fantastic  fantasies of grandeur even before I knew exactly what it was….Maybe I was just an odd child.

Especially for someone who never grew up in “great” circumstances, where dreaming is considered a luxury I find it odd that I have felt like something big is just around the corner…Like the magic, sparkle, and whimsy that has whirled in my subconscious since I was five years old, staring up at the stars with my teddy bear named Teddy, of course, is right there within reach.

Are dreamers born or are they made?

I certainly did not come from a family of dreamers. My parents were raised to work and to pay the bills. My sister, who went through the same not-so-great childhood and given the same slight opportunities just wants to be able to make enough to live in a nice place and afford a nice car. However, dreaming has been my specialty and I think it’s my talent. I have dreamed more dreams than I can keep up with. From visions of being a top TV talk show host to finding my best friend and being the best man at his wedding.

For me, dreaming has been my escape. Escape from the hurt, escape from the frustration, escape from the mundane. By closing my eyes, I am transported to a life of wonder and mystery, bounded to the boundary less limits of my imagination. Everything shimmers in the light of a dream. Your worst enemy becomes a misunderstood comrade; the old crabby lady down the block becomes the charming woman with words of wisdom.

My creativity comes from my dreams. I think it’s the reason why I did so well in creative writing and why I have so many aspirations in creative fields.

I honestly don’t think dreamers can be made, but I don’t think we are born this way either. When you get to the bottom of it, a dreamer is simply a hopeful/optimistic person. A person who believes without a shadow of a doubt that things will get better, be it your career or your health. We believe that in the blackest of night, a rainbow can appear. It’s a blessing and a devastating curse because as we all know…nothing ever works out the way we want it to.

But despite our better judgments and despite all attempts to the contrary we continue to dream.  Because even though it aches when our dreams don’t come true and it burns when every dream seems out of reach, it’s the only way life makes sense.

If you think about all the successful people out there….Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, J.K. Rowling, Michael Jackson…what do they have in common? They are all dreamers! They may have come from the worst backgrounds or made some missteps along the way, but they never faltered for the dreams they had from their lives. They each had a vision of what they wanted they wanted their lives to be and they took the necessary measures to make it happen. Without those dreams they would not be the people that we know, love and aspire to be.

Dreamers may not be born or made, but true dreamers are like diamonds. Priceless, one of a kind, and may look precious but are tough enough to withstand the test of any and all times.