Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Care and Nurturing of a Dream

I am about to donate $100 to a Kickstarter campaign of a long-ago business acquaintance of mine so that he can launch a web series called "The Dive Masters," the story of ... well, let me allow Jason to tell it in his own words:

"Based in Roatan Isla de Bahias, Honduras, “The Dive Masters” follows the real life SCUBA diving adventures of Jason McAnear, Suzette Nelson and other DIve Professionals located in Roatan, Honduras’ West End, a mecca for Scuba divers, both new and veteran as well as visiting other islands throughout the Caribbean."The Dive Masters" takes divers and audiences into the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean to experience nature at its’ most spectacular and encounter a menagerie of undersea life including sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, rays and colorful tropical fish of all sizes. The Dive Masters’ personal lives, interaction with divers and each other is on full display. Nerves and skills are tested as viewers gain a greater understanding of the courage and strength required to be a professional Dive Master."



The reason that I am doing this is very simple. I am doing it for me.

Allow me to explain. I believe that life is nothing more (and certainly nothing less) than the creation and furthering of stories. Shakespeare expressed it as well as anyone when he wrote. "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players." But I think that we have the ability to co-author the story and the parts that we play. Thus is called into play the power of a dream.

Think about it; what inspires you? What gives you power to move forward when everything around you seems to be grinding to a slow halt? What do you fantasize about, wish for, yearn for? What brings the light to your eyes, life to your voice and joy to your heart?

Conversely, what scares you to death when you actually consider taking action on it? What brings up thoughts like, "Oh, that's not real. It's just a fantasy. That's not really me." And how does thinking thoughts like that make you feel? Sad? Resigned? The opposite of "life-giving?"

Now comes the choice; which one would you rather focus on? Be aware the importance of that question. What you focus on becomes the direction of your life, the fabric of "everyday" and the part you choose to play on the stage of the world. And know that the world will absolutely conspire with you to make that choice as real as can be.

Jason, a man that I knew for a brief time during my tenure at HP, decided to totally embrace his dream. If you read his story on the Kickstarter website, you'll know that he resigned his training position at HP, sold everything he owned but for a suitcase of personal effects and moved to Roatan to become a Dive Master. Thanks to the wonder of today's technology, he has been sharing his story via You Tube and Facebook and keeping those interested enthralled with the details of his incredible decision to utterly change his world.

Now his dream has taken a new and expanded direction; a web series about his adventures in what to many of us seems like Paradise. This could evolve into a television program (there apparently has been interest) and who knows what else? Dreams take us to the stars and beyond if we allow them to.

This brings me back to the start. I am donating to Jason's project for a totally selfish reason - the care and nurturing of my own dreams. The emotion swells within me as I write these words. It tells me that I am alive and that my very real thoughts and dreams are vital and acknowledged. In lending my energy in the form of money to Jason's evolving story, I am telling myself that I am invested in keeping my own dreams alive and nourished. I am thus committed in the creation of my own story, the allowing of my own dreams to thus become "real."

This is present day magic, a genuine power. If you love something, it is your sacred duty to support it. To me, nothing is more important than the power and vitality of my dream, the creation and allowing of my own story. Out of respect for that, I am thrilled to donate to Jason's Dive Masters project and be a part of its realization.

If you feel similar, if you have a dream that is stirring within, nudging you that it's dormancy is at an end, consider caring for and nurturing it by donating to this project.

Dive Masters Kickstarter project

Dreams, and the energy contained within, do not discriminate. Feed them. Start here.