If you're more than ten-years-old, you've probably encountered the Entrepreneur Wizard Starts Wildly Successful Business in His Garage story. You know, the one about the high school or college dropout genius who played around with software, gizmos, widgets, or a social media site, and in five short years found himself a millionaire, and shortly after that a billionaire.

 

It's because he was so smart, so savvy, so utterly, utterly unlike you and me  that he succeeded -- although the "inspirational" message to you and me is that we, too, if we are smart and ingenious enough, can SUCCEED with our dreams, starting out of our garage. (Nobody mentions that the business wizard is the son of a senator, say, with enough money and connections and clout to fundor Son/Daughter regardless of their talent, or lack of, thereof.)

 

Let's let this fairy tale go, because all it's doing is holding us back. Yes, you have dreams and goals and aspirations -- if you're human, breathing, and not sitting in front of the TV every night, you've got the energy and intelligence to not only have these dreams and aspirations, but also to work toward making them succeed. Your story, your journey will be a unique one; it will probably never be touted in the newspapers and on talk shows because it doesn't look like the irreality of "reality TV," but it will be genuine, filled with hard work, frustration, elation, hope, insecurity, wonder, and joy.

 

Pursue those dreams. Do it your way. Walk a narrow path, and be willing to think radical, wild thoughts and different ways of approaching things. The very challenges you have to overcome -- challenges that the sons and daughters of millionaires and billionaires do not have to meet -- are the ones that keep you grounded, genuine, and real, so that whatever success you reach does not shrivel your heart or turn you into a person who is not worth being around.

 

Real people -- our dreams matter. And there are a lot of real people.

Field of Dreams, original oil painting and art print.