I Have A Dream

Today is Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr Day, celebrating a man who fought for equality of all races (not just his own) or for all genders that we might live in a world of freedom and peace.  He was especially famous for his “I Have A Dream” speech. We celebrate him every 3rd Monday of January, while his birthday is actually January 15th.

 

 

I have A Dream

While he was persistent with his goal of a nation that was on equal terms and free from the chains of racism, prejudice, and poverty, he made sure that his ways (and those who followed him) were righteous, honorable and peaceful.  In the video below,  MLK Jr. is delivering his “I Have A Dream” Speech in Washington on August 28th, 1963 after marching from the deep South to Washington DC. This full speech video is17:27 minutes, but it is certainly worth the watch/listen and doesn’t feel that long! It is truly inspiring and while watching the video today in honor of him, it inspired me to write this post!

 

 

If you want to read his speech or if the YouTube closed captions didn’t quite work right, here is the full transcript of the “I Have A Dream” speech provided by the King Insitute at Standford University.

 

 

Incredibly deep! MLK was a man with a great mind, wise words, and a fiery passionate yet gentle spirit. If you do a Google or Pinterest search, you will find the wisdom that came from him. Some of his top quotes are as such:

 

Who couldn’t use those words of wisdom as we go about our lives?

 

 

the american dream

With Friday, January 20th being Inauguration Day with Donald Trump being sworn in as our 45th President and as being a very… passionate… and intense… and very expressive… person, I believe that we can agree the next 4 years of politics are going to be rocky at best due to several reasons, no matter what your political view is. His slogan for the campaign was Make America Great Again. What excellent marketing to the American people. We all know that America is struggling as a country. We got our issues like every other country, some issues more intense, exorbitant or neglected than others. We are not in mint condition, we’re not like new, eBay would probably put The USA as a cherished and equally hated antique who has persevered well enough and debatably in good to acceptable condition (depending on your point of view.) We all just want to live the famously glorified “American Dream.”

As an American, we almost have “The American Dream” shoved at us daily and mentioned constantly. We say the hustle and bustle, the chaos, the stress we put on ourselves is for us to live out the American dream.  The original American dream as described by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America in 1931, was “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” He specified that this didn’t mean fancy cars or swanky clothes or rolling in the Benjamins.

Of course, over the years and with each generation, the American Dream has been modified and renamed. With today’s way of living, society’s expectations and the woes that we experience, it may seem like the American Dream was once just that: a dream. It appears to have vanished or been turned and called something else. The dream is still there, it lives within us and not just Americans. We all want to live and love in a world that everyone is happy, everyone is taken care of, everyone has the living essentials (home, food, clothing) and some extra in the name of a legacy (actual possessions or figuratively: “Man, they lived!”)

 

you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one

We all have our dreams, our wishes, our glorious grand visions of the life we want to live (and see others live too). It is up to us to live out our dreams. As nice as it might seem, we are not just handed things and told to go live free and happy. It takes work, it takes effort. MLK’s speech was made in 1963, it took years for it to start to come to fruition. Here it is now 2017 and 54 years later after his I Have A Dream speech, we are all working among each other, we are all shopping next to each other, we are call voting next to each other. It took time to get where we are today and for the full fruition of true peace of it to be truly fulfilled is still a work in progress, MLK’s dream has mostly come true.

Just as MLK had his “I Have A Dream” speech, we need to say ours.

Just as MLK had his 'I Have A Dream' speech, we need to say ours. Share on X

 

What is holding you back in chains or bondage?
What is is that you wish to be free from?
What is it that you wish others to be free from?
What can you do to make some dreams a reality?

 

Its so easy to get caught up daily living to forget to strive for the dream you have. It’s so easy to get caught up in your own thinking or have other people in your ear telling you it’s gonna be difficult, or that is unrealistic, that it’s not worth it, that’s it’s not just possible. Just like it took it time to see his dream begin to take off, give yourself the time to see yours through. It’s not gonna be easy, but it’ll be worth it. Look at anyone who’s ever started a business and is now flourishing. It took time, it took effort, it took money, it took hustling and bustling, it took networking, it took sweat, blood, and tears, but ask any of them and I’m pretty positive they’ll tell you it’s worth it, that the victory was theirs and it was a beautiful if not interesting journey. As they say, it’s not the destination but the journey that makes it all worth while.

You could follow a map to get to the place you’re driving to, but it’s the stopping off for lunch or at a rest center where you strike up a conversation or get an idea for something, it’s the flat tire you get and thanks to being prepared and knowledge, you can fix your own tire and carry on with your journey than waiting for 2 hours for AAA or a tow truck to get you, it’s seeing nature in its finest as you get along in your journey, it’s seeing how civilization has prospered as you drive through towns and cities… it’s all about learning and journey. A to point B will be A to point B, but the in between is the magic.

Do you feel like your magic is tapped out, tired soul? I am right there beside you! For me, it’s working that 40 corporate hour grind + making Crescent Moon & Stars alive online + thinking about 2 other blogs + thinking about offering social media and proofreading VA services + trying to run a household and make one suitable for 2 future step sons + trying to spend time with my man + trying to make sure I don’t burn out… that’s not even including time with other family, friends or self care time. No wonder, like many others, I collapse at the end of the week.

 

A [Wo]man with a plan

Like MLK, he had a plan to get to make his dream a reality. More often than not we give our dreams wishes and good lucks vs action plans. It’s incredibly easy to fall into the trap and then wonder months later what happened? I used to do this with resolutions like many others to then wonder come July or August why I had gotten nothing done. It is much easier to chunk down your dreams (and goals) to make them reality, to check off the list and revel in the gloriousness that is your dream.

Before you get to chunking out the steps you need to take, take a moment to visualize or write out exactly what you want, nothing holding you back – no money issues, no work getting in the way, nobody telling you that you can’t do it – you have free reign. What does it look like? Once you have that planned out, it’s time to figure out exactly how to get there as close as possible. A highly effective way is the SMART method.

 

Specific – the 5 W’s:  Who/What/When/Where/Why + How
Measurable – how it is checkable à how much, how many, by when
Achievable – are you willing and able to do it and is it reasonable>
Relevant – applicable to the long-term goal and what is the reason for doing it?
Timely –  how relevant to the sense of time à are there deadlines and what is the sense of urgency?

 

Use the SMART method to chunk each step of the way til you reach the top to acheive your dream. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t accomplish your dream. It’s YOUR dream after all! You can do it. I have faith in you.

 

your turn

What are your dreams?
Where does all of your magic go?

I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below, send me an email (I love getting emails!) or find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest (@cresmoonstars) and tell me all about it. I am the only person who reads emails and I will respond personally right back at ya 😉

 

Let’s work together to achieve dreams.

 

Shine bright
<3 Jenn