Josh Hinds - Syndicated columnist - Writer - Author - New Media Publisher :o)
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| Josh Hinds' Motivational & Inspirational Journal Josh Hinds - Syndicated columnist - Writer - Author - New Media Publisher :o) |
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Monday, December 23, 2002 What a Greek Wedding Can Teach You About Reaching Your Dreams By Josh Hinds (c) 2002 Anyone that has read my column knows well that I am a collector of success stories. I believe they are extremely important to us. Not to look in awe at others, but instead to gain strength from them and in turn apply their lessons to the challenges we face as we set out towards our own dreams. Recently I was flipping through the channels and as soon as I hit the Oprah Winfrey Show something literally grabbed that channel changer and stopped me... I am so glad that it did, because I believe I ended up hearing one of the most inspiring stories I've heard in a while. The story behind the story of My Big Fat Greek Wedding... On the surface the Nia Vardalos' story might easily be fluffed off as just another lucky person who made it big in a hit movie. I'm telling you right now however that nothing could be farther from the truth. While it is true that Nia reached super star status almost over night in a movie that grossed 120 million dollars and was reported to cost only 5 million dollars to make, the odd twist is the story behind the film's production and phenomenal success. If this was anything resembling luck, it was home made luck...Nia explained that the story she'd written originally was born out of the necessity to work. She was an actress looking for work and after hearing the various reasons why she didn't fit into the stereotypical roles that were out there, Nia decided to write her own role. Hence was born the little one woman play that actress Rita Wilson took her family to see after seeing a small clip advertising it in the newspaper. Perhaps even more incredible is that the ad that led them to the show was a one time running, because that was all that Nia could afford at the time. Rita was so impressed with the show, that she encouraged her husband, Tom Hanks, to take it from the theater to the big screen. You see, we're not talking just luck here. There are countless examples of people, just like you and I that took that leap of faith and along the way something far greater then us came up behind us and filled in the missing pieces. Set out each day believing in your dreams. Know without a doubt that you were made for amazing things. Understand that it is ok to be scared or uncertain, however right beyond those barriers ultimately lies your dreams... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Wednesday, December 04, 2002 They Are As Close As Your Heart By Josh Hinds (c) 2002 There is an absolutely beautiful scene in the movie Stepmom featuring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. The movie, which is originally about a wife and mother who is coming to grips with the new woman of her ex-husbands life, quickly takes an about face as Susan Sarandon finds out that she has cancer. Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon come to know and respect each other in a way that only something so trying can bond two people. The scene I’m referring to takes place on Christmas day where Susan Sarandon’s character is giving her son and daughter some special gifts she’s made, gifts that include pictures documenting their lives up to that point. The scene finds her talking with her young son who has just received a magicians cape with the pictures of his life on them. While in a heartfelt conversation telling his mom he’s not ready to let her go, she says to him that he doesn’t have to, and that she can always be as close as he allows her to, in his heart. True this is a very simple thing to say, given the circumstances, but I think there is a lot of truth in it. Each of us in some way can identify with the above example. Even if you’ve yet to have to deal with the loss of someone in quite the same way, inevitably we’ve all dealt with some sort of loss. It may be loss ranging from the death of a friend or a family member or the loss of a love gone a stray. The thing is not to compare one loss versus another. Depending on whom we are, and the circumstances each type can reach deep and do take its toll on us. Everyone deals with the loss of a loved one differently, and as such we have to respect the way in which the grief process manifests itself in others. Understand that it’s ok if you’re having a hard time with things. I think by the same token we have to understand that to an extent the pain we are feeling is coming from our belief that someone we cared for is taken from us. Comfort can come from the realization that while we are lacking the physical interaction we once had with this person, we do in fact have something much deeper, more special if we can allow ourselves to believe that. We have a combination of memories and special life experiences that can never be taken from us. The body is on loan, and the relationships we have had in our lives can last as long as we are willing hold onto them. Very few things remain the same in life. Just as all sorts of positive life experiences occur, so do some terrible events. Loss is inevitably one of those undesirable things we are going to have to continue to deal with. It’s just part of the overall scheme of things. Knowing that loss is something we are going to continue to experience, it might serve us well to keep the following in mind: you can only lose the physical part of the ones you care for and love. And as was so wonderfully stated in the movie, you can always meet them in your dreams and anytime you wish to think of them, there they are, right in your heart. May you find peace, no matter what loss you may be up against in your life... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink |
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