“Welcome to the real world”,
She said to me condescendingly
Take a seat, take your life
Plot it out in black and white

Well I never lived the dream of the prom kings
And the drama queens, I’d like to think the best of me
Is still hiding up my sleeve

They love to tell you, “Stay inside the lines”
But something’s better on the other side

I wanna run through the halls of my high school
I wanna scream at the top of my lungs
I just found out there’s no such thing as the real world
Just a lie you’ve got to rise above

So the good boys and girls take the so called “right track”
Faded white hats grabbing credits and maybe transfers
They read all the books but they can’t find the answers

And all of our parents, they’re getting older
I wonder if they’ve wished for anything better
While in their memories, tiny tragedies

They love to tell you, “Stay inside the lines”
But something’s better on the other side…

Love this song, No Such Thing, by John Mayer. Supposedly it’s about Mayer’s mom telling him to get his head out of the clouds and do something practical with his life. That the life of a rock star was not acceptable. Until the moment he realized that the “right” way is just a lie you’ve got to rise above and then rose to multi-platinum status with some Grammys to tote. He reminds us to listen to our hearts and follow its path, even if it’s the road less traveled.

There’s no such thing as the real world. There’s only YOUR world. What you decide to perceive and create. So let’s not buy into the lie of what our lives “should” look like. If my father had, he’d have continued on with his architecture degree and never actualized his true gift of dance and performing. He chose to leave his homeland for New York City with $100 in his pocket and a dream. A dream that became his reality that took him all over the world and later touched hundreds of lives by teaching and passing on his gift to others. Countless numbers of people have expressed to me how much he touched their lives, and that even though they went on to become accountants or nurses, what he taught them had great impact on their lives. But, like Mayer, what if he hadn’t taken that leap and played it safe? He would’ve stayed in Mexico and his true expression in this world may have never existed and been lost forever.

If you suspect the best part of you is still hiding up your sleeve, then roll ’em up and get to work! It’s your birth right. Make 2012 the year you REALize the REAL you.

Happy New Year!

Photo courtesy of wallpaperbase.com

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Dreams

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December 31, 2011

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