"One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering."

Ida Scott Taylor


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Encouraged or Discouraged to DREAM?





Below you will find
such great words of inspiration
on following your dream
and also about why we do not!

I just had to share it with YOU all.

  Here is the link to his blog and the 
where he shared these words I have added below.


YOU JUST MUST READ 
ABOUT THE MONKEYS EXPERIEMENT
A light bulb went on in my head when I read about them.
 It made total sense and answered some whys!
_______________________________________________________________

Fight for your dream in 2011

by John C. Maxwell
Happy New Year! If you’re like me, you spent some time in the past few weeks reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to the coming one. I’m already excited about what’s in store for the next twelve months!

What dreams do you have for 2011? Or maybe a better question is, do you have dreams for 2011? For some people, dreaming is easy. Your mind is full of dreams just waiting to be expressed. But what about those who find it hard to dream? What if you’re not sure if you have a dream you want to pursue?

Let’s face it: Many of us were not encouraged to dream. Others had dreams, only to see them actively discouraged. The world is filled with dream crushers and idea killers. Why? Some people without dreams of their own hate to see others pursuing theirs. Other people’s passion and success makes them feel inadequate or insecure. Others think they’re being helpful: keeping us from risk or hurt.

Business professors Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad wrote about an experiment conducted with a group of monkeys. Four monkeys were placed in a room that had a tall pole in the center. Suspended from the top of that pole was a bunch of bananas.

One of the hungry monkeys started climbing the pole to get something to eat, but just as he reached out to grab a banana, he was doused with a torrent of cold water. Squealing, he scampered down the pole and abandoned his attempt to feed himself. Each monkey made a similar attempt, and each one was drenched with cold water. After making several attempts, they finally gave up.

Then researchers removed one of the monkeys from the room and replaced him with a new monkey. As the newcomer began to climb the pole, the other three grabbed him and pulled him down to the ground. After trying to climb the pole several times and being dragged down by the others, he finally gave up and never attempted to climb the pole again.

The researchers replaced the original monkeys, one by one, with new ones, and each time a new monkey was brought in, he would be dragged down by the others before he could reach the bananas. In time, only monkeys who had never received a cold shower were in the room, but none of them would climb the pole. They prevented one another from climbing, but none of them knew why.

Perhaps others have dragged you down in life. They’ve discouraged you from dreaming. Maybe they resented the fact that you wanted to move up or to do something significant with your life. Or maybe they were trying to protect you from pain or disappointment. Either way, you’ve been discouraged from dreaming.

Take heart. It’s never too late to start dreaming and pursuing your dreams. My friend Dale Turner asserts, “Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.”

If you haven’t done any dreaming yet this year, set aside some time to explore possibilities and commit yourself to new opportunities. It’s never too late to dream.

~Adapted from my (John Maxwell) book Put Your Dream to the Test
This story was originally posted on: John Maxwell On Leadership.
 __________________________________________________________________

 So my friends,
Go out today and
go for those bananas!
Together we can spur one another to
the top of those high trees!
..and enjoy our delicious fruit together!



9 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a lovely and timely message. I've been feeling very pulled down lately, so this post is great encouragement for me.

As always, your blogs have the most timely information that applies to my life at that moment. What an incredible blessing to receive your blogs. YOU are an incredible blessing to so many people.

Jlynn

LeeAnn@Encouragement Is Contagious said...

Thank Y♥U Jlynn! It encourages me that you have been encouraged. Others have pulled me up in my trial times and it's so good that we can do that for one another. ♥

Hugs,
Lee Ann

Unknown said...

Much needed encouragement....Once again perfect timing, Thanks
LeeAnn. Gray winter skys can sometimes get me down....
I'll take that banana and share it with someone eles today! Many Blessings, Deborah

Butterfly Works said...

Well, can you believe it....your blog came right up after my answering your email.......

You always seem to know just what to say to pick all of us up again.......and when to say it......a very timely message.......You are such an inspiration to me......

Big old hugs,

Jennifer Richardson said...

Oh WOW!!!
Amazed at the timing of this.....I've felt the tuggling and tackling of those little buggers
all day!
Yes, monkeys!
Ugly ones, too!
Well I thank you from the bottom
of my heart for this, LeeAnn.
And my dreams thank you:)
-Jennifer

Anonymous said...

isn't that an interesting story! and one that we can surely relate to! I guess we'd better not be so influenced by monkeys and instead stick with the dreamers. :)

Be Colorful Coastal said...

Thank you for stopping by BeColorful and leaving a glowing comment on the color of the week.
I also live in a 100 year old house and they are wonderful but sometimes present some decorating challenges. :0

loved your post. How appropriate it was for me today. We put our son on a plane to Tokyo this morning and watched him follow his dream of living in a foreign country and working at a job he loves. Hard to say good bye but I have faith that he will return to us in a year or two.
Pam

Becky Shander said...

What an interesting monkey story. And I imagine that there's much truth to it. Thanks for pointing me to these thoughts.

Unknown said...

Such a lifting write, Leeann. Don't you just love sharing wonderful encouraging lifting words for others ... some in need, others to just enjoy.

TTFN ~
Have a beautiful day ~
Huggers,
Marydon