Archived Post from 7/13/2017
Netflix has a lot of movies available for viewing in the comfort of your home. Among these are a number of not-so-great selections. Dennis is more adventuresome than I and has picked some really bad movies for our viewing pleasure….or sometimes not so much pleasure. There have been movies we did not finish for various reasons, and others we wished we wouldn’t have watched to the bitter end. The other night it was my turn to choose the movie. As I was scrolling through the titles, Dennis mentioned that he had looked at ‘Astronaut Farmer’ a few times, and I, having no patience for wading through all the choices, made a quick decision and hit the play button. Let me tell you upfront, I really enjoyed this movie…Dennis, not so much! This movie has many relevant messages throughout begging for our attention.
Here is my list of the best take-aways embedded in the movie. :)
• First, have a dream. Not just any dream, but a big dream. And not just a big dream, but a huge dream. Really….make it a dream so outrageously over the top that you have to stretch yourself to realize it. Make it a dream like building a rocket in your barn with the intention of launching yourself into space.
• Next, believe in this dream so completely that failure is not an option. Live this dream….breathe this dream….dream this dream each night when you go to bed. See this dream coming into fruition so vividly that its realization is never in question. Believe in this dream in all your actions and steps you take. Believe in this dream so much that you never doubt the outcome. Believe in this dream so unequivocally that you can actually see launching yourself into space and orbiting the earth in a spacecraft that you build in your barn.
• Along the way, find someone with whom you can share this dream. They don’t have to initially believe your dream, but it is important they totally believe in you, the dreamer. Share this dream with those who will support you, no matter what. Share this dream with the ones who have such complete faith in YOU that they eventually get caught up in dreaming this dream with you. Share this dream with those who will champion and defend this dream to others who might ridicule you. Find your tribe, those who will stand up for you and encourage you to continue against all adversities. Those who you share this dream with and who support you become your family. And just maybe, like Charlie Farmer, they will actually be your family and will encourage you to share with them the stories associated with your dream. They become the ones who eventually dream this dream alongside you.
• Lastly, don’t let setbacks kill your dream. Embrace the challenges with calm and determination. View each misstep as a nudge to upgrade your dream…to see the process from a different perspective. When a door closes, don’t hang your head and give up. Instead, find a window to open, climb over the obstacles or find a way around…or even a way directly through the blocks in the path. Let the unexpected propel you more deeply into your dream that complications along the way are no more than small bumps in the road which could never derail you. Charlie had his dream challenged by those who wanted nothing more than to control him and tell him, not only, that he could never succeed but that he literally was not allowed to try. Despite all the distractions, Charlie never wavered off the path to making his dream come true.
So, you might be wondering how the movie ends. :) Spoiler alert!!!! If you think you might want to watch this movie for yourself, stop reading now!! For the curious, keep going. :)
When it looked like he was going to be restricted/pressured to give up the dream, Charlie accelerated his timetable and launched earlier than planned. This dream he had dreamed so vividly and passionately ended in total disaster and bodily injury. But there is something about a dream this big. There comes a point when the dream takes on a life of its own and will not be denied. After losing faith in the dream and her husband, Charlie’s wife finally comes to the realization that this dream was the heart and soul of the entire family….from her father, to the children, and even to their marriage. And this is why sharing the dream with your tribe is so important….for when circumstances become so heavy that you can no longer hold the dream up by yourself, your family (literally and/or figuratively) comes to the rescue, lending their strength to support both you and your dream….lovingly allowing you to regain your strength so you can carry on.
Charlie Farmer built a second rocket with the full support and assistance of his family. He not only successfully launches this rocket, but he orbits the earth, and, more importantly, returns home in one piece. This doesn’t happen smoothly….there were many anxious moments. But this dream was SO BIG it could not fail!
I encourage you to dream a dream so big, so consuming, so encompassing that its realization is inevitable. :)