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I met Jen on Twitter a few months ago – she’s funny, clever and likes to run. She’s got a great narrative voice and can make just about anything sound interesting, even running and dog poop. Check out her take on how dreams don’t always turn out the way you imagined they would:

It started with a dog. The Dog. The Dog who lives at my house but who is not adored by me. Oh, we have our moments but they are rare and quick, bursts of affection in a moment of weakness. The Dog kept pooping under my sewing machine. He could poop inside, in any number of rooms inhabited by people who are not me, and who actually like The Dog.
Continue reading “When Your Dream Doesn’t Look the Way You Imagined It Would”

A guest post by my friend David Nilsen who writes beautiful sentences and sells books (two of the highest compliments in my arsenal):

List of careers I have ever considered pursuing, beginning with early childhood through the age of 20: race car driver, veterinarian, professional basketball player (I believed I could fly, I believed I could touch the sky), rock star, computer engineer, English teacher, writer. Amount of money I have made as a result of doing (or not doing) any of the above things: zero dollars. What I do now at the age of 29: sit at a desk in the basement of a bank resetting people’s passwords, explaining how to turn printers off and on, and ordering debit cards. Lasting joy I take from this: I’ll let you guess.
Continue reading “When Your Dream Isn’t “Sitting at a Desk in the Basement of a Bank””

Dreams.

The things we wish would come to pass.

The lives we want to experience.

The stuff we want to have.

There are all kinds of different ways to look at the hopes and dreams you have for your life.

Charles Schultz said, “I think I’ve discovered the secret of life – you just hang around until you get used to it.”

“He was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher… or, as his wife would have it, an idiot” wrote Douglas Adams.

“The art of life is the art of avoiding pain,” said Thomas Jefferson.

Jim Carrey said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

What’s your view of having dreams in life and trying to reach them?

This week I’ve asked several of my friends to share their thoughts regarding chasing after hopes and dreams. Some are in the middle of making huge transitions; others are writing or have just written books; still others are wondering if their dreams cause more pain than good.

I hope you’ll follow along.

* * * * *

I don’t have access to the internet for most of this week, so if there’s a particular post that you enjoy, please share it on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or buy some internet ad space on CNN. Just don’t send me the bill for that last one.

“As long as we continue to live as if we are what we do, what we have, and what other people think about us, we will remain filled with judgments, opinions, evaluations, and condemnations. We will remain addicted to the need to put people and things in their “right” place. To the degree that we embrace the truth that our identity is not rooted in our success, power, or popularity, but in God’s infinite love, to that degree can we let go of our need to judge.”
– Here and Now, Henri Nouwen

I am addicted to categorizing people and putting them in their place.

Let me count the ways.
Continue reading “Addicted to Putting People in Their Place”

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Writer

So many people have a good idea for a book. So many set out to write their book. And most never finish the first draft.

I came to a conclusion on this: there must be a lot of good advice out there on how to ensure your book does not get written. After extensive research of said sources, these are the seven best tips I unearthed:
Continue reading “Seven Ways to Ensure You Will Not Finish Writing Your Book”

Thirty-five years ago an unscrupulous pastor (ie a real jerk) came to Pennsylvania and led a church. He was the most charismatic person that the residents of that small town had ever met, a friendly man who made everyone feel great about themselves, at least at first. People who knew him have told me that by the end of your first encounter with this guy, you would have done anything for him.

Turns out he was also an abuser and a manipulator. Continue reading “A Deceptive Pastor, An Amazing Story, and How Results Don’t Always Match Intent”