The School of Greatness - 337 All Dreams Are Possible

Episode Date: June 3, 2016

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." - Paulo Coehlo If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/337

This is 5-Minute Friday, episode number 337. And all dreams are possible. About eight years ago, I had lost my dream. My dream of playing professional football. I played for a season, then got injured, and was on my sister's couch for about a year and a half while I was recovering and depressed and trying to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life and what my

dream was going to be for the rest of my life. And as I was laying on my sister's couch recovering, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing was on. And I remember watching the Olympics feeling, one, depressed that I wasn't playing in them because it was a big dream of mine, but also, two, feeling extremely inspired, feeling so inspired by these incredible stories of people overcoming extreme adversity to get to where they are. Now, this week we had Amy Perdion, who was a bronze medalist at the Paralympics on snowboarding after she had amputated her legs from a sickness that she had gone through when she was younger. And I just thought about, wow, this extreme adversity

that probably she thought maybe there was not a chance of reaching the Olympics. And now she created a new chance. She created it over years and years of training and believing it being possible. And Paolo Coelho said, it's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. Man, when I read that, I thought, yes, it is. It's that possibility. And even when we have a huge dream and it seems so improbable or so far out down the line or we can't achieve it for 10, 20 years, it is that possibility of having a dream come true that makes the journey juicy and worth it and so interesting, as Pablo Coelho says. and I've been hearing a lot of people lately emailing me and messaging me,

feeling inspired, but also a lot of people emailing me and saying that they don't feel like their dream can come true, saying that they don't feel they have what it takes or it seems like it's so far away from them or they're so down and out that they just don't even know where to start

and Thomas Edison said, when you've exhausted all possibilities, remember this, you haven't. I thought that was interesting when he said that, you know, when you've exhausted all possibilities, remember this, you have not. And here's the thing, when we have a dream, if we have yet to achieve it, then there's still a possibility of achieving it. You just haven't exhausted every single possibility. And it's the journey from having the dream to actually achieving it. And that whole time in between, that's a lot of time and energy.

It's that journey in between that makes it worth it. That's where we learn the lessons. That's where we create the relationships. That's where we grow the most. That's where we create the relationships. That's where we grow the most. That's where we see what we're really made of, who we really are, where we can really go, how great we can really become. So embrace the journey, embrace the messiness, embrace the down and outbrace the time on your sister's couch where you have no clue where you're going to go or how you're going to get there or who's going

to help you get there or how you're going to learn the skills and the tools you need to get there. Embrace those moments because it is all possible. You just haven't exhausted every possibility yet. And it's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes it all worthwhile. So yes, you can achieve your dreams. Maybe your dream is to go to the Olympics, but for whatever reason, life sidetracks you and you have to amputate your legs. And maybe the dream that you originally sought out doesn't actually come true. But a different dream comes true. You go to the Paralympics. You also go on Dancing with the Stars. You actually become more famous and more inspiring and help more people in the world

because of the adversity you went through, because of the new journey that your life took, because of that new path that your life took. You actually make a deeper impact in the world and you create more richness in your life than you ever thought imagined than your original dream. So yes, flow with life, flow with the journey. It is all possible. It may not be the original dream you set out to be. My original dream was to go to the NFL and it didn't happen. B, my original dream was to go to the NFL, and it didn't happen. But boy, am I so blessed and grateful that it didn't, because I would not be in this place that I am today. I would not have learned the lessons. I would not have the mindset. I would not have the relationships, the skills, the tools that I've developed when being down and out, when having my back against the wall, when needing an opportunity and a break to

come for me. I would not have created this if I would have made that original dream come true. So I am blessed with everything that has come my way. I am blessed for every moment, for every lesson, for every struggle, for every heartache, for every broken heart. I am blessed for all of it. And it's leading me to an incredible, beautiful journey that is opening up so many possibilities and creating so many of my dreams and making them come true. Again, it's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting, said Paolo Coelho. And Thomas Edison said, when you've exhausted

all possibilities, remember this, you haven't. I want you to go out there and feel that dream that you have inside of you. Allow the fire to burn within your heart for the dream that you have and start taking action today. Take that one step. Maybe you don't even know what that is. You can ask a friend, reach out to a mentor, listen to a podcast, Google search how to do something for your next step. There's always another possibility.

Even if you think you've tried it all, you haven't. So take that first step today because all dreams are possible. You just have to believe and be willing to do whatever it takes. This is 5-Minute Friday, episode number 337. And thank you guys so very much for being along with me on this journey wow i can't believe that i've been doing the school of greatness podcast for three and a half years now almost we are 337 episodes and i feel like things just get better and better and i am so blessed for the people that i get to interview and connect with on a daily basis and i am so

grateful for every one of you who are listening right now and connecting with this message. And for all of you that share this message out, thank you even more. I know so many of you post on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook and share these out. So thank you to everyone who does. I usually like or respond or reply to all those that I see. If you haven't shared this out yet, make sure to share this one, lewishouse.com slash 337. And I am off to training camp with the USA national team. I'll be in Auburn for a few days before we head down to Buenos Aires, Argentina for the Pan American Championships. And I am so fired up to be with my teammates and play team handball for a good 10 days and see how far the USA can go. So thank you all very much.

If you're not following me on my journey on social media, make sure to follow me at Lewis Howes everywhere on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook and Lewis underscore Howes over on Snapchat. And I'll be doing daily snaps while down in Buenos Aires. So make sure to follow me there and follow the journey. I love you guys very much. and you know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something great. Outro Music