Perceiving, Believing and Being

In the film, "Field of Dreams", an Iowa farmer (played by Kevin Costner) is inspired by a "voice" (in his cornfield) that whispers, "If you build it, they will come." What he perceived that voice to be or mean was entirely by Costner's choosing; but by his interpretation, it meant building a baseball diamond so that others would come and watch baseball. Perhaps the storyline was sensationalized, but in actuality, if you perceive something, believe something and truly want to become something, you can do it when you build a solid foundation to create the thing you want to be.

Yes, there will always be naysayers who may attempt to dissuade you and make you think that you are incapable of bringing your dreams and goals to fruition. No matter what others may tell you, you are ultimately in control of your destiny and how you choose to shape it. You must choose, however, optimistic realism. You must understand that in order to build your own field of dreams, you must seek out resources, support and tools to make it a reality. This may mean having to put forth 150 percent effort on your part to successfully turn your dreams into a living truth. How do you intend to do that, you ask? Like the story above, it took that inner voice to inspire a dream-come-true. But, it also took monetary means, sweat equity, tears and triumph. If you want something in life, you must work to achieve it. No one ever said success will just be handed to you. However, success becomes simpler when you put all assets together to see your goal come to completion. The success you choose to create is your invention based on the energy and levels of creativity to which you are willing to commit.  How dedicated are you to your dreams?

Think of success in terms of a being in the elements and deciding the thing you need in order to survive and thrive. You are cold and weather beaten; in order to warm your body and survive bitter temperatures, you must start a fire (your inspiration/motivation). You are going to need specific tools and resources to build an adequate heat source for yourself. You do that by first selecting a cleared area to build the foundation of your fire; and then by collecting nearby items like broken limbs, branches, twigs and even pine straw or leaves to build upon your base. Now you have gathered all the necessary items, the next thing you need to do is either strike a match or rub two sticks together to get a spark and flame. But as you are probably aware, you cannot just light the match and expect the fire to build and keep on going. You must maintain it, waft air into it so it can breathe, and continue adding twigs and branches to preserve it. That is how success works. You cannot just have an idea or dream and do nothing with it. And then when you begin building that dream, you cannot stop building it and expect it to thrive without your commitment to keep it going. Your field of dreams is what you create and how dedicated you are to it in order to maintain it once you have it. Yes, it will take some sweat equity and other resources to support your goals; but in the end, your just reward is knowing that you accomplished it and you can reap the benefits of those efforts.

Go ahead, build your fire and keep the flames burning so your field of dreams too, can become the reality you perceive, believe and become!

Joan Marie Ambrose

Author, Creative Writer, Motivational Speaker