Be Your Best Self
Don’t let anyone rob you of your joy;
Don’t let anyone discount your ability;
Don’t let anyone discredit your knowledge;
Don’t let anyone reduce your security & comfort;
Don’t let anyone prohibit your future safety net;
Don’t let anyone make your choices for you;
Don’t let anyone denounce you or ridicule you;
Don’t give away what is rightfully yours.
It’s your life ~
take control ~
be courageous ~
be honest ~
be fair ~
be yourself!
Traveling With Me
Today is the first anniversary of this blog, so I wanted to let you know I appreciate your spending time here.
If you’ve been traveling with me for the last year, THANK YOU for hopping on board.
If you are reading this post and visiting this blog for the first time, WELCOME to my journey.
I’m reminded about the message of love I gave my children:
If I could write a blueprint for living, I would wrap it in love, tie it with ribbons of hugs & present it to you anytime you need to be reminded you are God’s child.”
I hope my message has been clear, both to my children & grandchildren. I believe in treasuring the wonderful times & even the troubled days…for how can you know you are blessed if you haven’t seen the other side.
To say that I’m in my second “life” would be an understatement…I’m living again and maybe fully for the first time…but I can clearly see it’s right for this time.
When I retired, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do. I thought my purpose was over. Now I’m finally understanding that I am here EVERY DAY for a purpose. It has amazed me the people who have followed my blog or tweets who connect because of a comparable belief, thought or interest. I never imagined some of those casual contacts would become true friends across the miles – but that’s what has happened. I didn’t imagine either that old acquaintances would re-visit me emerging from this new tool.
I’m honored to hear from my readers with comments such as:
- “I needed your thought today”
- “Thank you for caring”
- “ Welcome to my world”
- “Hope to meet you”
- “Good to see your post”
With a dream in my heart, I knew it was time to live it! Nothing fades faster than an opportunity not explored. Writing has been my passion, so I began this journey one year ago. It is here on these blank pages I can pour out my thoughts, beliefs, ideas & words. It has become my peaceful place to offer a word of encouragement or a lesson learned in my life.
Having come through some health issues, daily I’m grateful I’m still standing upright & even standing! I’m really careful about where I step, walk & things I do…but for the most part…I’m trekking down paths I never thought I would be able to explore.
New Journeys on Old Roads has become more than just a title for my blog; it has come to describe my life more than I ever imagined.
- Sometimes the roads are rough, so I slow down and approach with caution.
- Sometimes they have detours, so I look for an alternate route.
- Sometimes they are brand new black-topped roads over what used to be dirt, so I speed up a bit.
- Sometimes I get lost…but I get out my map, connect to my GPS, and try again…a lot like what happens when you fall down or fail.
If something I’ve presented here has been helpful, I invite you to post a comment or contact me in other methods listed here on this blog.
THANK YOU FOR TRAVELING WITH ME ON MY
NEW JOURNEYS ON OLD ROADS!
Alone in the Crowd
What does it take to stand out in the crowd?
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conviction of purpose
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commitment to values
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courage to own every decision
Sometimes it takes just one act of courage; sometimes it takes many occasions strung together through a lifetime.
Turn your uniqueness into the loudest voice among the crowd. Make the right choice for you. Stand strong through it all.
You’ll never regret an action based on your conviction.
But you might regret remaining silent.
Do You Have a Dream?
You Are Not Alone…
[Before you begin to read this, click the video below, open it and let it play while you read. Chopin touches my heart in a spiritual way!]
A comparison to music and dreams may seem a bit strange, but I believe they are very much alike. And I like the idea that a dream is akin to music notes flying across time and space. Some say that musicians and dreamers are less than realistic emphasizing both pursuits are a bit ambiguous and elusive. True, you can’t hold them or look at them or put them in a box…but the results born out of either is like unto love…and that is real.
You may have experienced that life puts you right in the middle of living with no time for fanciful things–like dreaming. I was one of those giving excuses for holding my dreams inside of me letting them become distant and unattended. I had hushed the joy of my melody by keeping the music silent.
Then, circumstances changed. Even after I had the opportunity to sing my song for all to hear, I hesitated. Sometimes we actually are afraid of our dreams…we are afraid to make the music if others will hear it. We’re a little embarrassed about what we think is good and maybe someone else would call it shallow, inferior. Even after I’d found the time to pursue my dream, it took me a while to be brave enough to step into the abyss of my imagination. So just recently I found a way to put a life-time dream into action, and the music (words) began to flow freely…and you’re reading it now!
I believe the words I write are like music playing all across the internet – straight from my heart to yours.
I INVITE YOU to dream, make the music, take the chance, play the song even if it is not yet concert worthy. For living your dream is the most satisfying and joyous thing you can do. Sad that we give in to denying ourselves the joy; but how much more lovely our world would be if we did not hold our dreams and music hostage inside us. To make the world more beautiful and peaceful, we must set them free.
YOU HAVE A PLACE YOU CAN SPEAK YOUR DREAM, YOUR WISH, YOUR HEART’S DESIRE.
On this blog, you can leave your dream. You can test out your ideas. This is a place you can share with others.
Like a secret, some say a dream loses its strength if you share it. Others say it confirms its validity when you hear it echoed from your thoughts into words. Again, this is how dreams are like music. Imagine this…the music is there even before the piano key is pressed, before the strings are strummed or the voice emits a sound.
You may have a valid point when you say you’re hesitating because someone else is squashing your ideas and dreams. I understand that. I’ve been in that place. It takes a strong belief in yourself, your self-worth, your abilities, and a lot of extra effort to dig out of such a negative place.
Here, I may need to remind you:
what is inside of you is yours…you must own it, defend it, direct it and it’s no one else’s responsibility. Therefore, you cannot blame your failure to try upon someone else. Well, you can, but it does nothing to promote achievement of your personal goals. And it’s no one else’s business how you dream your dream. How do you know if a dream is worth the effort? If it burns inside of you, then it’s worthy.
After you have established the belief that your dreams are worth pursuing, the next step is to research it, check out others who are doing what you want to do, read their stories, play their compositions. The struggle others have experienced and the roads they have traveled to victory is an important lesson for you to know. Maybe it’s time to let what’s inside you have its voice and let it go where it may. Think how many you could influence if you put feet to that dream and wings to that music
I will publish your wish, your dream, your goal so others may see faith in action.
Or if you just want to write it down and don’t want the world to know, I will keep it safe for you.
If you are in the midst of that negative place, read about others who found the strength to work their way out. If you doubt your abilities, go ahead and try; you will either succeed or fail. If you want to make the music, find a quiet place and begin your symphony. Starting over or stepping onto another path is never easy, but what awaits is pure joy and peace.
Let the music out of your soul~ Let it fly across the world to others.
“Don’t die with the music still in you.” Wayne W. DyerBy clicking “Leave a Comment“ beside the title of this story, you can leave your dream for safe keeping or to share with others. I will leave this as the top story for a month for you to write, revisit, share with others, and say what you wish to about your dreams or the music you are composing in your life. You may also follow me on Twitter by clicking the “Follow Me on Twitter” on my home page or by clicking this link: https://twitter.com/VanHessTXred You may follow this blog by e-mail and be notified when new posts are published.
© Van Hess and New Journeys On Old Roads, 2013-14
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