To all who I meet on the road and who message me with astonishment that I am traveling like I am in a vintage vehicle, let me just say it’s no miracle. It took several years of planning, sacrifice and work. What seems like an impossible dream is only impossible if you tell yourself it is. There is no force on earth that has as much power to constrain or free you as your own will. Yes, your life choices be they positive or negative restrict you to varying degrees. But, you always have the power to adjust your path in a personally positive direction. The key to achieving a big long-term goal is baby steps. We all love the big momentous days when a significant milestone is reached. But, those moments often have thousands of small steps between. What sustains a dream is doing something every day, even if it’s something tiny, that furthers your ultimate goal.
Do your best not to focus on how long it’s going to take! There’s a famous quote by Earl Nightingale that I put up on my fridge in the early days of Hella’s restoration. It goes, “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”
When I was a single dad with years of parenting still ahead of me, this life I now lead seemed a million miles away. I could imagine it, and I worked toward it in the background, but it felt so very dreamlike as I did. It felt like a fantasy a lot of the time. But, working toward it became a source of much needed positive energy for my spirit through very challenging times.
The fact that I am in Death Valley writing this truly blows my mind! Five years ago the lifeless hulk of this old truck was dropped off in my driveway in Ellensburg, Washington. Even after getting it running four years ago, I was nervous about it getting me home from across that little town! Now the truck and I are 1200 miles south of that driveway in one of the most remote places in the lower 48 of the United States. So far this winter trip throughout the American Southwest is proving Hella fully capable of any road I’m willing to take on.
Focus your energy on your passion rather than your limitations. When we allow ourselves to get hung up on our limitations it is usually because we are fearful of failing. All achievements large or small are built on the lessons of failed steps. There is no path to your goal that is without mistakes. There’s also no guarantee your goal will be achieved. But, that’s really not the point. It’s in striving for a dream that our heart really lights up. It opens up unforeseeable possibilities not only for you, but for those in your life that get a hit of that inspiring and positive energy coming off of you.
Goals are a target and they are important. But, they are rarely stationary. They shift and evolve. The pursuit teaches us what we need to learn, how to adapt, and most importantly to go with the flow of inspiration.
Lastly, I want to encourage you to never call yourself stupid for your dreams. That negative voice is fear. It doesn’t want anything to change. It doesn’t want to risk embarrassment. It doesn’t want to be uncomfortable. Everything positive that you want for yourself is on the other side of that door. You have to push through the fear. It will keep nagging you, of course. But, it’s power in your life will steadily diminish as you learn to move through it and continue on your path.
Trust your gut and burn on!
