A Message To Fellow Dreamers (Part 1)
Getting your start
From most indications, the economy is in a pretty good state, and it’s never been easier to start something—a business, side hustle, new training course, meditation practice—whatever it is, you can begin it fairly simply. “There’s an app for that,” as the saying goes.
So for this writing series, I want to speak to my fellow dreamers.
Every now and then, people begin questioning if it’s the time to make a change, to write a new chapter in life. Have you been dreaming about writing a book or a song, or taking up a poetry class, or backpacking across Europe? If so, you may be wondering if now is the time to do it.
Are the conditions right? This is usually the question that follows the thought of a scary new adventure. It’s also usually the question that turns us away from action, the action of taking the first step toward a dream. So how do you get past this point? I’ll share how I got past it many times, but first a little backstory.
Flashback picture to 2010—with my brand new iPhone 4. I was finishing up a business degree, something I told myself I needed to do before chasing my dreams. In 2011, I finished college and got myself a sales job instead of chasing my dreams because I thought it was necessary—get some experience, save some money, wait for the right time, blah … blah … blah—these were the things I convinced myself I needed to do before chasing my dreams.
From 2004 until 2014, I fed myself a steady diet of lame excuses, until I finally started to listen to that still small voice that was whispering, “You’ve got more in you. You were meant for bigger things, for dreams and challenges, and greatness.”
Have you heard this voice before? I can’t prove where it comes from, but I have a suspicion that it comes from a higher realm and that it speaks directly to the human soul. My belief, and feel free to take this or leave it, is that this still small voice comes from God or maybe angels. Their mission is to call us to our purpose. Whether this is the case or not, I believe many have heard the voice, and like me, have chosen to ignore it for much of their lives.
I’d heard this voice many times before, but it was during an AA meeting, when I heard it again say, “Terry, you need to start something to help veterans.”
Up until that point in 2013, I was a heavy drinker, a boozer, an ‘alcoholic’ to simplify things. I was running from things, my past, some trauma, blah, blah, blah, I had all the excuses.
Sometimes, we drown out the still small voice that’s calling us to pursue our dreams with addictions—the drink, pornography, drugs of all sorts, sugar, food, or the latest reality TV show—it’s important to realize that addictions block us from our dreams. Mine was booze, until I chased that demon down and slayed it with the help of good people, God, and Alcoholics Anonymous.
Becoming A Dream Chaser
Over the next few minutes, I’m going to share how I made my start. This is something you can do too, exactly the way I did or modify to fit your situation, but the important thing is, it works. I’ve done it, and many of my friends have too.
Begin Today
Quit making excuses and make a start. You don’t have to quit your job and go all in, unless you just want to. You merely need to take the first step, and what that takes is laying down all the excuses and listening to that still small voice.
My first step:
This was a logo sketch for The Warriors Refuge, a non-profit, I started—based on that still small voice back in AA. Next to it is an artist’s rendering we used. This was the first small step that turned into an organization that has impacted thousands of lives.
Ask For Help
Many think that asking for help is a show of weakness, but in fact it’s the exact opposite. Asking for help is a superpower. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received is, “You have the right to ask anyone for anything.” Just as the person you ask has the right to say yes or no.
The superpower is in the courage to ask. Scripture says, “Ask and you will receive.” If you’d rather keep it agnostic, common sense says, you will never receive if you never ask. Test that out and see if it’s true.
A Note: You may have to do a lot of asking, knocking, and seeking before you get what you’re looking for. Don’t let the nos discourage you. It is a numbers game. If you have good intentions and you’re earnest about your ask, you will find a yes, eventually.
These were all steps in the journey. The important thing is … just keep going.
Above is a picture of the very first meeting we held for The Warrior’s Refuge. The second and third meeting had three people also, but the fourth through the sixth meetings were me sitting alone in a Starbucks wondering if what we’d started was useless because nobody showed up.
Until … a gentleman walked in midway through the sixth meeting. If I remember correctly, I was reading a book. He asked me who I was and shared that he worked for a major corporation—the same corporation I had applied for a grant from a few months prior. I’m not sure what Jim saw in me, sitting there alone, but he got the grant approved.
A Note: If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Always follow through on your word. When your words line up with your action, that’s integrity. Without integrity, you cannot build trust, and without trust, nothing great is possible.
Our website read: we meet on so and so date and time, so this guy from this powerful corporation came to verify we were doing what we said we were doing, and because we were, we received our first grant.
I worked on The Warrior’s Refuge for close to three years without much help and realized I was burning myself out and that I needed other good leaders involved. I found two incredible men, Charles and Will, who became co-founders, helped re-brand the organization. Together, we brought on a team of Veterans and Leaders to help, and everything changed.
Believe In Yourself
You’d better believe in yourself, or no one else will. This is an absolute, and I’m sure it is harder done than said, but you can figure out how to believe in yourself; there are books and seminars and podcasts out there. Hell, you can through a rock these days and hit a few motivational speakers. The point is, the help is out there, you just need to find what message resonates with you and figure out how to believe in yourself. Enough said about that.
Have A Vision Way Bigger Than You
What’s your vision? Do you have one? If not, you gotta get one, and while you are formulating it, make sure it is way bigger than you. There are many resources on creating a vision, grab one today and get yours started. Here’s mine:
Inspire those I love and the world through my faith, creativity, and writing.
Why do you need a big vision? Because it inspires other visionaries. I’m going to prove this below, but for starters, these pictures above include brilliant, hard working, extremely successful visionaries. If my vision and belief in myself was small, they would have never joined me. Big visions pull in visionaries and other big thinkers.
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” Eleanor Roosevelt
We began asking world-class speakers to help, and they agreed and packed our venues. Massive thanks to Chris Westfall & Dr. Todd Dewett, both incredible international speakers who helped us early on, and to my friend and professor, Don Lewis, who got this going.
Always Find Your We
I could have done none of this alone. Even when I was sitting at that Starbucks table alone, there was a we. Go back and look at that section of writing. WE is so much more powerful than I. We could elaborate here for many hours, but for the sake of time, we must move on.
For me, there has always been a we. My we, the other person who’s been cheering me on, but more importantly, who’s been by my side the entire time has been Chelley Weaver, my way better half.
“Behind every good man, there’s an even better woman.” Andrew Carnegie
Above are pictures of Chelley working the check-in table, helping with the silent auctions, selling t-shirts, and running races beside me. She has always been there, believing in me, and rooting for me. We’re getting ready to celebrate our 15-year anniversary, and none of this would be possible without her.
The bottom line is, you have to find your we, whether that’s a business partner, best friend, God, wife, or main squeeze. WE (in everything) is always better than I.
2014 - 2018
2014 - 2018 was how long it took working part-time, all while working a full-time job to see the 1st dream come alive. I quit my job in December of 2017 and went full time with the organization. It all started by listening to a still small voice whispering to my heart in that AA meeting back in 2013.
This leap of faith has opened so many more opportunities. This is Part 1 of a multi-part writing. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share how I (WE because it took a lot of people’s help) became a 5X author, actor, and movie producer.
I’ll also share resources like the video below (watch it) and quotes that will help you along the way, My Fellow Dreamer.
Credit ~ Steven Spielberg
Read Part 2
A Message To Fellow Dreamers (Part 2)
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Gil Bailie