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Good Afternoon. Here is a great thought for the day: Bessie had been an amateur photographer for 25 years. Now at 70, she had a clear dream. "I want to be a world famous, professional photographer," she said and then emphasized, "The difference between an amateur and a professional is a professional gets paid." "Fabulous," I exclaimed. "Is anything stopping you?" She paused for a long time. "I'm sure I need credentials but don't want to go back to school at my age." I listened between the words and felt what she wasn't saying. "Bessie, what's really in your way?" I gently asked. "Everyone is telling me I am too old," she slumped. "They're telling me to be realistic." Outrageous, I thought. "Nonsense," I said. "What's a step you can take to show that you are more committed to your dream than to their doubt?" She reflected for a moment and then suddenly her eyes lit up. "I know what to do. I have an application sitting on my desk for a photo contest sponsored by Kodak. Just entering would have me prove to myself that I am serious about this. She took a stunning photograph of a man playing a sousaphone with golden tones of his instrument reflecting his bright red band uniform. She proudly sent it off to the Kodak competition, now mind you, along with 500,000 other entries. Bessie won first prize which included a check for $10,000.00. "I ran out to get business cards printed," she bragged. "After all, now I really am a professional." Her photograph toured around the world with the Journey into Imagination exhibit. She got the whole dream. "Bessie, what did you learn from this? What wisdom would you share?" I asked. She looked me square in the eyes and said, "It's never too late to make a dream come true." Until you get to the end of your life and look back on what you did or didn't accomplish how do you know if something is realistic? Most people compromise their dreams down to what they realistically believe they can accomplish before they explore the possibilities of where their dreams might take them. Not Bessie... and not you!
"Each morning is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When the sun rises tomorrow this day will be gone forever, in its place will be something you have left — may it be something good. Follow your heart, it knows what to do." London Delicious stories are distributed weekly by email. If you'd like to be sure not to miss our next story, sign up for a free subscription here:
P.S. We hope our stories add as much to your life as they have ours.
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