Childhood Dreams

This week, Randy Pausch's last lecture was part of my readings. I was asked to reflect on how he achieved his childhood dreams, and I think a lot of it is due to his determination and enthusiasm for life. He recognized the things he enjoyed and took it one step further from enjoyment to creation - such as his love for Disneyland.

One of my greatest childhood dreams was to become an actress. I was blessed with many opportunities growing up to pursue this dream. I was part of a local TV show and auditioned for a part in Les Mis when it came to Salt Lake City. I took advantage of youth programs at local theaters and took voice lessons, etc. But as I grew older and realized my standards, I decided the atmosphere around acting and theatre wasn't for me. It felt too worldly. I'm often grateful that I didn't continue to pursue that dream, because I think it would have caused me great heartache.

I was very impressed this week as I learned about successful people and their relationships with God. I suppose it should have been obvious to me that success is directly related to belief and obedience. It's one of those principles I've taken for granted and that I want to be more aware of in my own life.

Jeffrey A. Thompson gave a speech at BYU entitled "What Is Your Calling in Life?" and this quote really touched me: "I testify that when you focus your work first and foremost on blessing others, you will become extraordinary at what you do and will find fulfillment and success much more reliably than if you spend your time at work trying to get ahead or get rich." I've definitely found this to be true in my life. Every morning before I go to work, I pray to be able to be part of miracles. I think this has blessed my life even more than the lives of those around me.

I'm looking forward to learning more about myself during this class. I'm already considering new career choices that I never considered before and I'm sure I'm being spiritually guided.