Posts tagged ‘dream’

Quote of the Week: The Cost of Dreams

on May 13, 2010

They say the best things in life are free. They also say that everyone has their price. Up in the Air, a movie starring George Clooney, puts these two sayings on the line.

The storyline is based on Clooney’s character, Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert who fires people for a living. This quote is taken from the movie during one of the time’s Clooney’s character is firing someone:

This is a wake-up call…Your resume says you minored in French Culinary Arts. Most students work the frier at KFC. You busted tables at IL Picatorre to support yourself. Then you got out of college and started working here. How much did they pay you to give up on your dreams? At what point, were you going to stop and go back to what made you happy?

In response, the man being fired answers: $27,000. During the interaction, you learn that the man has worked for the same company his whole life and now makes $90,000 but that all those years, there was never one happy day on the job. For one blogger, he recounts the day he was offered $9,000/year to work full-time at Kay Bee Toys as the same day he gave up on his dreams. This breaks down to $4.25 an hour. What’s your price?

In January, Taylor Marsh of the Huffington Post wrote that this movie was the best of 2009–saying that it represents a walk through today’s America and captures our current economic moment. I know times are tough–back home, many of our neighbors are looking for jobs. These are smart, talented people who are good at what they do–from lawyers to accountants–the full spectrum. The impact is real.

Dreams Survive

I have to hold on to the idea that dreams are not dead.  This isn’t being idealistic–it’s being hopeful. To see what I mean, watch the clip below from the Lemonade Movement. It’s based on one of those other sayings–turning lemons into lemonade. See how 16 people answered their “wake up call:”

No matter your situation, believe in yourself and your dreams. It’s easier said than done–there’s worries of health insurance, the pressure to provide, there’s reality–so find support, write down your thoughts, reflect and do. Your dreams are waiting for you.

flickr credit: THQInsider

How Your Childhood Olympic Dream Can Still Come True

on August 13, 2008

Defining Greatness

When I was a kid, playdoh was great. Dancing around in a tutu making cookies was greater. And Lilia Podkopayeva was greatness. Podkopayeva, overlooked by many due to the gold medal win by the Magnificent Seven by the USA, was from Ukraine. And she won the individual Olympic all-around gold in women’s gymnastics at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She was my superstar.

As a child, I loved the Olympics, and still do. A hardcore competitive gymnast growing up, I attended the ’96 games (as an observer) where I saw Podkopayeva achieve what I thought was the unreachable and untouchable – greatness. In this case, that meant the gold. Seeing both Podkopayeva and the USA women’s team both capture gold medals, I hoped to follow in their footsteps.

Re-Defining Greatness

Like any girl after ’96, my dream for Olympic greatness quadrupled, and my love for the sport escalated. I cut out every single news clipping from women’s gymnastics coverage in Atlanta and plastered my room in posters, photos and news clippings. You could say it was a Mag Seven Heaven.

Overlooked by the Mag Seven by many, Podkopayeva was a combination of grace, style, elegance and talent. My favorite coach even nicknamed me “Mini-Lilia” because he thought we looked alike, and had similar talent: grace and style.

However, fast forward 12 years, and I will never receive an Olympic gold medal, but I still reach for my Olympic dream in the horizon – greatness. And so can you.

Infecting Greatness

Every four years, athletes converge together to compete for world titles, Olympic golds, world records and – greatness. But, each of us maintains the home court advantage. We can achieve greatness in our own communities, everyday. Though I’m no longer conditioning, flipping and twisting on the apparatus’, I like to think that I’m still developing my craft – all the while growing in grace and evolving my style.

For what is greatness? As a kid, a gold-medal gymnast defined greatness. For me today, people who live with conviction define greatness. People doing the work that no one else want do = greatness. The single mother working two jobs to give her child a better life, is greatness I only hope I can mimic. As we grow, how we define greatness evolves. Today, my ‘greatness’ role-model is my mom. It’s also my dad. Nedra Weinreich. Andre Blackman. Kivi Leroux Miller. Beth Kanter. Marc @ Osocio. Mike Newton-Ward. Stephen Dann. The Unsung Hero.

See, these are ordinary people, and they are infecting greatness everyday. I only hope that one day I can join their team, and we together, as a team, can achieve greatness. For greatness, just depends on how you define it.

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“There are countless ways of attaining greatness, but any road to reaching one’s maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.”

- Buck Rodgers, American Baseball Player 1938

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