Friday, January 14, 2011

The Golden Globes, Following Your Dreams, and Why I Back Angelina Jolie and Dog the Bounty Hunter


Hey all,

Today we have an awesome blog by fellow Aspen Mountain Press author, Cynthia Vespia.  She has a lot to say about chasing dreams, and since I totally believe in doing just that, I loved this post!!!
 
But before we read about that, Cynthia says this about herself.  

Cynthia was drawn to writing early in life where she developed a successful career as a freelance journalist writing everything from features and fillers, to reviews and human interest stories. But it was the allure of the fantastical worlds of fiction that always remained her true passion. 

Today Cynthia mainstreams suspense fiction with savagely powerful characters and strong storylines. Cynthia likes to refer to her novels as "Real life situations that you could find yourself in but hope to God you never do.

 I know I can't wait to read more, so without further ado, let's welcome her to the blog.  Take it away, Cynthia!!!
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Back in the day you chose your career path by becoming an apprentice and learning a trade. This could be to keep the farm all in the family, to learn from the local blacksmith, or even the study of medicine with the only doctor/dentist in town. You would essentially shadow this person and learn everything you needed from them to successfully venture out in the world and either take over their business or open one of your own. 

With the progression of the world came many different choices and career paths, which in one sense is absolutely the bees knees. On the other, it made everything that much more complicated. Now you sell your first born or mortgage your house for the opportunity to go to school and learn a trade that you're interested in following. If you're lucky you land this century's version of an apprenticeship and intern somewhere for little to no money. 

It is a slippery slope, my friend, and it takes a lot of doing to get to where you want to be. And unfortunately a lot of people give up on their dreams along the way. They get caught up making a living in a job that is far less than they're capable of because of society's rules that you must have a 9 to 5 and be responsible. That's all well and good but you don't have to sacrifice your soul to be responsible either. You don't have to give up on your dreams because you have a mortgage or a car payment.

I heard a line in a movie the other day where the lead spoke of running his own health food store, and then went on to say: “It's funny how it's so hard to do what you want.” That made me stop and think and it is the reason for this blog, rant, opinion piece...whatever. Why is it so hard to do what you want? 

My answer is that we get in our own way. We make it hard, people! We paint these fantastic pictures of what we want to do, be, or have in our lives and then we let them diminish. We give up too soon. So many times we're at the precipice of what we want to accomplish in our lives, and then we hear the word “no” and we stumble and fall.

It's time to push past those limitations. Get out of your own way and face whatever may be holding you back in life. If you're already on top of the world...outstanding! Keep climbing! For the rest of us it's time to forge into 2011 and really make it the best year of our lives. Are you with me?

I like to watch the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards because it looks like a fantasy world, doesn't it? But recently I started observing something else. I get a little tingling feeling when I watch the red carpet and all the celebrities gathered in a room and especially during their acceptance speeches. Why? 

Because it makes me want it more. It makes me say “yeah, that is going to be me soon.” Theoretically, of course. I have no interest in being an actor, but my point is that all those faces that you recognize everyday on TV and in magazines...they all had to start somewhere. And I don't care if they had a relative in the business or whatever other advantages they may have had starting out. A lot of them didn't. A lot of them came from nowhere with nothing and they carved out a path through hard work and diligence.

If you missed Jim Carrey on Inside the Actor's Studio, he blamed his success on this insane amount of confidence in his ability to make it and on strong visualization. Believe it, see it happen, and live it! That's why I always sign my books “Live your dreams.” It is not enough to dream a dream you have to LIVE it.

I mentioned Angelina Jolie at the top of this, and I'm sure a lot of people cringed. Stay out of the tabloids for a minute. No one really knows what went on with the whole Pitt-Aniston thing. The only thing I care about is that Jolie is an extremely talented actress, and that she is one of the rare celebrities who actually uses her status for positive change in the world instead of winding up in rehab, etc.

Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I agree. Live to your fullest potential. Each of us has something special to give to the world. It is a shame to see potential flushed down the toilet. This is why my favorite new TV show is Dog the Bounty Hunter. 

I really enjoy watching him capture the criminals who think they can escape, but the real blessing is what happens in the back of the car when Dog tries to talk these lost souls back onto a path of being a functional member of society. Yeah, its a TV show, but it is nice to see in a world where the media reports on everything negative, and the sky is literally falling...or at least it seems that way when thousands of birds come crashing to the pavement. 

I started writing because I loved creating worlds, characters, and stories to engage the reader. Writing is my dream, it has been for years. And I will continue to do it until the good Lord calls me home. 

What is your dream? What defines your success?

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It makes you think, doesn't it?  And it ties in nicely to my contest I'm having on my website.  Share your bucket list with me and you can enter to win some nice prizes!  http://cjengland.com/contests.

But give Cynthia an answer.  What is your dream?  What makes you a success?  Let her know in the comment box below!

And learn more about Cynthia and her work by checking out her website.  http://www.cynthiavespia.com/  Or follow her on FACEBOOK or TWITTER.    And get a look at her newest release, Life, Death and Back at Weaving Dreams Publishing.

I'll be back on Monday with a shameless promotional blog celebrating my newest release, out today!!!!  Second Chances III: Life's A Dance!  Come on by and check it out and maybe win a very special prize!!!!


Hugs to all,

CJ England









Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/secondchances/lifesadance.htm

http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/


8 comments:

Ray said...

Great uplifting blog. My dream has always been to travel around the world. I did and got paid for it. First in the Navy and afterward as a Civilian Mariner working for the Navy. Two places I wanted to see and missed out on were Australia because I transferred before the ship stopped there and Dubrovnik, Croatia because the day we departed Malta for Croatia was 9/11/01. Instead we floated around the Mediterranean for the next month before anchoring Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The day I flew back home paranoia caused the Marine sentry shot at the water taxi because of missed signals when the mate on watch didn't answer the cell phone requesting permission to tie up to the ship.

That last part wasn't part of my dream, but in the 43 years I worked for the US government I saw over 80 countries or separate territories and interacted with more cultures than I ever knew existed.

Now that I am retired the dreams are once again just dreams.

Ray

CJ England said...

Ray,

You've done what some people can only dream of. And the memories you can share now only make it sweeter!

cynfulcharm said...

Ray, I can only hope to see half of the world that you have seen. Travel is great for the soul and I intend to get started this year...small at first and then bigger and bolder. The best place I've seen so far was Italy. The culture and architecture are so foreign here in the states. I'd like to experience more of that. So thank you, Ray.

cynfulcharm said...

CJ, thanks for having me as a guest. I'm going to go play on your bucket list now!

CJ England said...

You're welcome, Cynthia. It was a wonderful blog.

CJ England said...

Cynthia,

Ray always has such great stories. When you read my blog, you'll see.

Anonymous said...

Wonderfully inspiring blog post! And I agree with you, Cynthia, 100%!!

hugs, Kari Thomas,
www.authorkari.com

CJ England said...

Kari,

I love the way she used the three examples. They were great.