I feel sorry for people who have never learned how to celebrate the ordinary, who live their lives under the sad illusion that happiness is just beyond their grasp.
"As soon as I get out of debt, find my soul mate, find a better job . . . then I'll be happy."
But I also pity the poor souls who carry no dream within them that is bigger than they are, those timid shadows who are unwilling to step into the light and boldly attempt the impossible.
Recently, a friend of mine said "Always expect the worst and you'll never be disappointed." I looked closely at her for a wry smile, a twinkle in her eyes, or some other signal that she was joking.
She wasn't.
I avoided her the rest of the morning and breathed a huge sigh of relief when she left.
Am I crazy? Is it wrong for me to feel sorry for those who think happiness lies just beyond their reach, while at the same time pitying those who fear to reach for for things beyond their grasp?
I believe, absolutely, that you should be content exactly as you are.
But I also believe that you should reach for the stars.
Although these beliefs, on the surface, appear to contradict one another, on another level they are perfectly compatible.
In the words of the great physicist Niels Bohr, "The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. The opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth."
Our universe is built on mutually exclusive truths.
Mutually exclusive truths will always contain at least one common element. In this instance, that common ingredient is an absence of fear.
Being content and reaching for the stars both require an absence of fear.
The fear of being average robs you of contentment.
The fear of failure robs you of the joy of your dreams.
Fear is an unrewarding master.
We shouldn't live without goals and dreams and visions of grand possibilities.
Let nothing rob us of the ability to celebrate the ordinary.
Happy and colorful dreams will bring joy into our lives, regardless of whether or not we ever achieve them.
Our dreams, loyalties, relationships, and faith form the very essence of who we are.
And who we are is much bigger than what we do.

Inspired by Roy H. Williams