When my daughter was born, my girlfriend (who doesn't have kids of her own, but has a penchant for finding really unusual and super-cool gifts) bought her this little green, hardcover book called An Awesome Book. It seemed a bit advanced for my newborn, so I tucked it away on her bookshelf where it stayed for some time. Now that we're reading what seems like dozens of books each night, and I've read every book in our massive book library what seems like millions of times, it was time for something different... So, I pulled out the Awesome Book!
I was blown away. Not only is this book hand-drawn in a quirky way that makes it unlike any of the other children's books we own, the story is totally inspiring. The main message is "DREAM BIG!" But, it's told in a way that really makes you think. It tells the story of how so many people on the planet have given up on their ability to dream big dreams, in order to be more practical and pragmatic. Instead of dreaming up fantastical things like "Magic watermelon boats..." the author says, we dream instead of "Owning matching silverware." (Visions of torturous hours spent wedding registry shopping pop into my head when I read this line!)
I'm not sure if my 2-year-old really 'gets' the message yet, after all she's too little to have been jaded by the world around her and she's still lucky enough to have magical dreams and imaginary friends, but this message of dreaming big has really inspired me.
When I looked up the author Dallas Clayton, a scruffy looking dude pictured in the back of the book, I found this amazing video (below). What an inspiring dad! What a great message for anyone trying to make a difference in the world! What a perfect way to kick-start the back-to-school season when it's so easy to get caught up in doing things the "conventional" way. This guy Dallas had a dream...he followed it because he cared...and look how well he's done as a result. He didn't let the fact that no one wanted to publish his book stop him from writing it and distributing it. What a great lesson for all of us creative people sitting on brilliant ideas and dreams...wondering how we'll make them a reality. The answer it seems is so clearly stated at the end of the book: "And if they say that all your dreams are too big to come true...You tell them that I told you...That's what dreams are meant to do!"
You can buy An Awesome Book in most bookstores and it's also available to read online for free!
Please share this message with your kids and let's all start dreaming big again!
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