Many years ago, in a galaxy far far away, there was a television commercial promoting beer.  The commercial featured several young people precariously perched on a catamaran sailing through the water.  As spray hit the lens of the camera, a dramatic voice announced, “You only go around once! Reach for all the gusto you can get.”  Then the ad encouraged the viewer to drink their beer.

The ad was brilliant and deceptive.

My friend Danny de armas and I had just hiked three miles in the mountains of Colorado. Now we stood staring up almost a mile at the 12,900 foot ridge we had to to cross to make it back to base camp.

We had been on our feet almost all day.  It seemed that with each foot we gained in elevation the packs grew heavier and my legs grew weaker.  I had been watching my feet to see if they were still moving.

A distant sound made me look up.  Black menacing storm clouds were flexing their muscles in the west. Could we beat the storm? It was an important question.  The last thing we wanted is to be caught on the top of a treeless ridge with lightning stomping around us looking for the easiest route to the ground.  Three quarters of the way up the ridge, carrying fifty pound packs that felt twice that heavy it became clear that this was going to be a close race. You don’t want a race with lightning to end in a tie!  

Today I woke up early determined to run up the mountain to two beautiful lakes. This is exercise at it’s best and I was committed to reaching the lakes in less than an hour. The route is all up hill amid towering pines paralleling a rambunctious stream.  As I labored upward there was only one thing on my mind.  Make the trip in 60 minutes.  Okay, I was also thinking of oxygen. 

Today I opened another e-mail like thousands I have received in the past from someone whose dream it is to establish a career as a speaker/comedian. Most of them ask the same basic question, “How do I get started?”

The dreamers are varied. Many are aspiring comedians or speakers, some are writers or musicians, and some are entrepreneurs. Others are athletes or people who have a unique life experience to share. By e-mailing me, all of them have taken the first step to achieving their dreams. They have asked the question, “how?” The world is full of dreamers, but few who are willing to identify and take action on the steps to make their dreams a reality. Check out these steps to making your dream a reality.

We just returned from a marvelous vacation with six beautiful grandchildren.  On the way to the lake, my youngest granddaughter was filled with excitement and with some fear and trepidation looking forward to the opportunity she would have to learn to water ski.

When the day arrived, she drew me close and whispered, “Will I fall?”