The greatest battles are not fought winning the war. Rather, they are fought keeping the peace.

A dream is our imagination waiting for us to be brave enough to pick up a pencil, zealous enough to sketch out a blueprint, determined enough to gather the tools, committed enough to lean into the task, and audacious enough to make imagination the reality that it was always meant to be. For in time, a dream left to be nothing but a dream will eventually leave our souls believing that dreams aren’t worth imagining. And I can only imagine a handful of things as devastating as that.

Although I too often see myself as powerless, the fact is the New Year is what I make it. And whatever I make it is what it makes me.

There’s plenty of things that are wrong in our world, and we can give them free reign to completely define our view of the world. Or we can focus on the fact that what’s wrong with the world are the essential raw materials from which a person of determination crafts everything which is right.

Where am I today?” I ask. Probably exactly where my attitude put me. “Where will I be tomorrow?” I ask. Same place, same answer.

The only way to achieve a dream worth dreaming is to accept the reality that each victory that we experience along the way will be preceded by innumerable failures chronically deep and frequently painful. And our ability to deal with these realities are certain to test both the merit of our dream and the depth of our commitment to it.

My vision need not be bigger than the obstacles. It just needs to be more determined.

Real treasure is not about what we found. Rather, it’s about the fact that we finally found it.

If I am not transforming those around me it is because I have chosen not to transform that which is within me.