Dreams begin with Responsibility
The recent visit of Barack Obama will be vivid in my mind for years to come. I happened to be working with a client in a building right behind where Barack Obama made his public address to the Irish Nation. The visit of Barack Obama had some catchy phrases:
“Whats the craic Barack?”
“Is féidir Linn!”
“You guys keep all the good Guinness to yourselves”
Much of the media attention focused on the audience applauding Obama’s use of Irish with “Is Féidir Linn”. Other parts mocked Enda Kenny for paying homage to Obama’s inauguration speech. It struck me in the aftermath that the media mocking Enda Kenny reflected part of the Irish psyche, which can at times negative.
The most poignant thing that remained with me from Obama`s speech was not the much publicised “Is féidir linn”; rather the line “All dreams begin with responsibility”.
How true is that statement, reminding one of the Napoleon Hill quote:
“All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea.”
In essence we all have a responsibility to ourselves, we all owe it to ourselves not only to dream but to realise our dreams. Are we dependent on others to achieve that elusive dream or do we challenge the status quo and ourselves to achieve that dream? Some people ridicule others for pipe dreams, others encourage people with raised eye brows… others are encouraged and fully supported. Some dreams seem wildly optimistic, while others are small and achievable. Some people allow their peers to dominate opinion, (”You can’t do that!”), while others lack a clarity or confidence about how to achieve their dream.
If you have a dream …GO FOR IT.
There is a true story of a retired army colonel, who had left the army and his road construction company went bust. He came across a recipe for chicken and decided to sell the recipe. He spent 6 months going to over 1000 places trying to sell this recipe. With his army pension dwindling he made a last gasp effort and set up his own restaurant. That restaurant was Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). In 1967, seven years later, at the ripe old age of 75, Colonel Sanders sold his company for a finger licking $15 million.
So what do we learn from this? Did Colonel Sanders give up on his dream? Who was responsible for his dream? Sometimes all we need is some encouragement and support from the right person, with the right skills, at the right time. Coaching is an ideal professional support to realise your dreams.
If you have a personal goal or dream you would like to realise, you can contact William Corless on 086-6080194 or [email protected].
About the Author
William Corless is the Managing Director of YellowWood.ie. YellowWood aims to improve business performance and optimise individual potential through NLP, Coaching, Training and Business Solutions. For more information check out www.yellowwood.ie
