A Year Ago...

Monday, February 11, 2019

The curtain went up to the sound of applause as Haley sat down at the piano. She placed her fingers on the keys and reflected on a year ago. A year ago, she sat in the audience of this same concert, looked up at the girl playing and dreamed: I can be like her. A year ago she didn't even know how to play and now look at her. A year ago, she struck her first notes and made the first steps. A year ago, she didn't know what she didn't know. For years, Haley had a dream of learning to play and she finally set her dream in motion, first with books, then by lessons and then practice, practice, practice. She watched the achievements of others. She trained daily and got better and better. She observed the people she considered to be experts. She ignored the distractions. She overcame the obstacles. Every day she tried to get better than the day before. What was difficult one week became standard the next and a new challenge arose. Dreams, determination, observing, practicing, clearing the distractions and placing her goal at the front of the line made Haley's year different from the last. As she played, beautifully and elegantly, the sounds reverberated through the auditorium. Somewhere in the audience, young Angela watched and listened: I can be like her.

Haley's dream may have taken a year to achieve, but she let it spin in her head for years before that. What does a dream take to come to life? How do you achieve your goals? How can you go from observer to expert? From student to teacher? From a dream to reality? It actually takes less than a year. It takes less than a week. In reality, your dream only takes a moment. It only takes one decision. It's a simple matter of turning your switch from off to on. Your dream only takes the amount of time it takes to make a decision. Think of how differently you can reflect on a year ago.

Love, 
Joel Yeast