A few weeks ago, my two boys and I went to see the movie Turbo. Theo, a.k.a. Turbo, is a garden snail who dreams of being the greatest racer in the world, just like his hero, 5-time Indianapolis 500 champ, Guy Gagné.
Most people’s first thought would be, “How can a snail be a racer?” Turbo’s obsession with speed made him an embarrassment to his cautious older brother Chet. Through an interesting series of events, Turbo is finally able to accomplish his dream.
Guy Gagné delivers the best line of the movie: no dream is too big and no dreamer is too small.
When people share their dreams and aspirations with you, always respond with encouragement. A negative response to you expressing your dream is like a bucket of ice water being thrown onto you when you are sleeping. We do not have the right to kill people’s dreams with negative attitudes and responses. It does not matter how ridiculous you think the person’s dream is or how young or old the dreamer is.
We often discourage kids from pursuing their dreams. For example, James might walk up to his mother with great excitement and say, “I want to be a professional basketball player!” His mother might respond, “James, do you know how many people want to be professional basketball players? Thousands! And only a very few will make it. Why don’t you go and study so that you can pass your test and get a real job when you grow up? You can be an accountant like your father or a teacher like me.” Tim’s mother means well, but this is not what Tim wants to hear, even if his chances of becoming an NBA player are very slim.
There is no guarantee that you will accomplish your dreams, but there is one guarantee – you will not accomplish your dreams if you don’t take a chance. Encourage people to dream big and add fuel to the fire of their dreams with encouraging words and actions.
What is your dream?