Dreams

I went with my brother Lou yesterday when he was able to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams. He bought his first BMW. He has dreamed of owning a BMW since he was a little kid. He used to talk about it all of the time. He always had this goal to buy one on his 30th birthday. He didn't make that goal. So he finally found the right deal for him and we had to drive to Merriville, IN to make the purchase. They had exactly what he was looking for.

As a side note...if you look to the right of this photo...there is my new roommate.

I don't especially care about cars. I like my current car more than any other car I have owned in my lifetime. But, I really don't think about it much. Doing this with him made me think about what my lifelong dreams are and what they were in the past.

My first dream was taking a trip to Europe. As a kid growing up in poverty I never thought that it was an obtainable goal. I just thought I would never make it to Europe. Then one day in 1999 my friend Andrea told me about this Au Pair program that she was going to apply to. She wanted to spend her summer in France and thought that this would be a cheap way to do it. My brain immediately began to churn and think of a way to make that happen for myself. So I shamelessly copied her idea and set things in motion to be an Au Pair in England. After all I only spoke English. After working two jobs, going to school full time at night, being disciplined, and getting an unexpected $2000 bonus at work I managed to set things up so I could move to England in May of 2000.

I was set to live with a family in Seven Oaks which was a rich neighborhood outside of London. Being an Au Pair was not what I expected so I only managed to stay with the family for five weeks. Then I went on another five week adventure traveling around the rest of Europe by myself. I was so happy to be able to realize a lifelong dream.

My second lifelong dream was to own my own home. It was a great day when I was able to achieve this goal. Just two years after graduating from college I was in a position to purchase my own home. Just like the trip to Europe I never ever thought I would be able to own a home. I grew up in a family where people did not live in homes. We lived in a mobile home and so did most of my friends. In my head I thought that you had so be sooooo rich to buy a house. As a teenager I never realized that utilizing a great amount of determination I could make things happen for myself.

So now I am thinking about what is my next dream. I have a different perception and view of the world now than I did as a teenager. I know with hard work I can make most things happen for myself. I feel like most things are obtainable except one thing. Loosing Weight! I have never been able to achieve this goal. I am not sure what I need to do to fix my head to make this happen. However, it is still a goal in progress.

So my friends, what are your goals. Is there still something you want to achieve in you life?