Hold Fast to Your Dream – Alan Cohen

By Cathy Jameson | July 18, 2013

Hold Fast to Your Dream

Excellence can be obtained if you…

care more than others think is wise;…

risk more than others think is safe;

…dream more than others think is practical;

…expect more than others think is possible.

– Vince Lombardi

A young Kansas City artist, struggling to realize his dream of drawing cartoons for a living, was turned away from every newspaper he approached for a job. “Forget it,” the editors told him, “you have no talent… Find yourself another career.” Rejection followed rejection, until one day he found himself holed up in an old, dilapidated, mice-infested garage, penniless, seemingly without hope for success.

Having plenty of time on his hands, the artist began to sketch the garage and the mice in it. He became fascinated with the little creatures, and he curiously developed a friendly relationship with them, especially one tiny fellow.

Little did the man realize at the time how important this relationship would be for him. The artist’s name was Walt Disney. The mouse’s name turned out to be “Mickey,” and Walt and Mickey went on to become two of the most successful entertainers in the world, bringing happiness and joy to countless numbers of children.

If Walt had given up when the editors turned him away, he may have taken some other job, and his dream might have faded into a memory. But Walt had enough faith in himself to continue, and in doing so, he made an even greater discovery: God’s infinite possibilities are everywhere, and success is always at hand – even at what seems to be the end of the road.

Today consider if you are staying true to yourself and your vision. Even if it seems you are going nowhere, you might have the raw materials right before you turn nowhere into somewhere.

What can you do in your current circumstance to find joy or even a small steppingstone to the life you would love to live?

I take what I have and I make what I want.

I stay true to what speaks to my soul.

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Alan Cohen, M.A., is the author of 24 popular inspirational books, including the best-selling The Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the award-winningA Deep Breath of Life, and the classicAre You as Happy as Your Dog? He is a contributing writer for the New York Times #1 bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul, and his books have been translated into 24 foreign languages. His work has been featured on Oprah.com and in USA Today, The Washington Post and 101 Top Experts. Alan’s radio program Get Real is broadcast weekly on Hay House Radio, and his monthly column From the Heart is featured in magazines internationally.

Posted in Finding Your Joy, Guest Bloggers, Inspirational