Dreams!

By Coach Bay

We are well into 2009, and today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, which is a big event in many Asian communities. Welcome to the Year of the Ox.


Whenever we begin a new year, most people see it as a fresh start, and many people around the world do hope and wish that 2009 will be a better year. We are globally faced with many challenges, and while it can be overwhelming, it is never too late to start living the life that you really want. While there are many things, we don't control, there are indeed many things that we do control.

If we look beyond the doom and gloom in the news, there are great examples of people, who do take their lives in their own hands and live it like they want to make the most of it. I know from my own parents (67 and 68 years old), that it benefits to continue learning, growing and contributing while pursuing things that you really want.

“Planting your lazy butt on the couch watching the world go by will never make you a rock star” - Coach Bay

Being blessed with parents, who are role models, I came across this inspiring story, which illustrates that I want to convey. The story is called ‘Dreams’, and I hope you will find inspiration in the story to go beyond excuses and get moving towards your goal.

Dreams by author unknown

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that that lit up her entire being.


She said, "Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and share a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."


As we laughed she cleared her throat and began: "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. "You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!"

"There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change."

"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."


She concluded her speech by courageously singing The Rose. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the years end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

"Do you have a dream, a wish, then turn it into a goal today - break it down, take one step, then another and accomplish your dream." - Catherine Pulsifer

This is 2009 and the Year of the Ox. Despite the many challenges in the world, you can decide to make this the best year for you and your family. What is your choice?

"For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit... start whenever you want... you can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that stop you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."
- Benjamin Button

Happy New Year to all of you, and for our Chinese readers, Kung Hei Fat Choi! May the Year of the Ox provide you with more happiness, prosperity and better health.

Keep Inspiring!

Happy Days
Coach Bay