Meet Mat.

I met him in the sporting goods aisle in Walmart. He was looking at camouflage gear with a young woman named Maddy, whose dream I’ll share tomorrow.

I asked Mat one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

This was his response.

Mat would buy a 3500 Dodge Cummins truck. It’s a diesel truck, so “it’s powerhouse.” Mat loves this vehicle so much that he just test drove one “for fun.”

If he didn’t have to worry about money at all, Mat would go into the army. He comes from a military family. His uncle is a recruiter and his dad is a major. Mat plans to join the army within the next year and a half.

By the way, in Mat’s best life, he would “live in his [diesel] truck.” He’d go to “truck stops and shower, do laundry at the laundry mat,” and would park his truck at Maddy’s house if he ever needed a place to stay.

So what can we learn from Mat?

Mat was passionate about his dreams from all angles. And I could tell he’d be willing to stand up for what he believes in regardless of the consequence. Mat was a super nice, down-to-earth guy.

I was convinced that Mat could make all of his current and future dreams come true. Because if you’re passionate about life and what you love, anything’s possible. If you’re relatable and real, people are more compelled to be supportive.

So today I wonder…what are you passionate about? What would you be willing to stand up for regardless of the consequence? Are you relatable and real in a way that makes people want to get behind you and those dreams of yours? Or is something holding you back?

 

 

 

*This post is a part of a month-long 31 Days series titled Dreams from the Street. If you’d like to read more from my series, click here and you’ll be brought to the series landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked! You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson! I’m so glad you stopped by. Make yourself comfortable and take a peek around the place. You’re welcome back anytime.

Meet Lisa.

She shines shoes downtown Minneapolis.

Her smile was warm. The tone of her voice told me she cared.

I asked Lisa one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

This was her response.

Lisa said she’d “definitely take better care of [herself].” She’d have a cook, get massages and manicures, and the like.

But she’d also spend time volunteering and helping other people. Specifically, she’d mentor kids and work with the elderly. Lisa and I agreed that everybody should have an opportunity to start and end their lives on the right foot.

So what can we learn from Lisa?

Dream for yourself. Love yourself, most definitely.

Then spend some time loving and dreaming on behalf of others.

This verse comes to mind…

“The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Matthew 12:31

What do you dream for yourself? Is there something you dream of that would benefit others? Later this month, we’re going to open up dialogue on the blog. I’m going to share what I’d do if I didn’t have to worry about money, and I’m going to give you an opportunity to do the same. Think about what you might say. I’m looking forward to hearing all of those dreams!

 

 

 

*This post is a part of a month-long 31 Days series titled Dreams from the Street. If you’d like to read more from my series, click here and you’ll be brought to the series landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked! You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson! I’m so glad you stopped by. Make yourself comfortable and take a peek around the place. You’re welcome back anytime.

Meet Cali.

She stood cutting strawberries at the far end of that most adorable and welcoming crepe shop. After I spoke with Carlo, I waved and said good-bye to Cali at the back. But when she began engaging me in conversation, that’s when I knew I needed to stick around. This was one lovely and interesting woman.

I asked Cali one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

This was her response.

Cali admitted. “I like the places that I work.” Cali works at the crepe shop, and she also runs a bike shop. The bike shop is “very seasonal.” In the winter, business gets slow, so she works other places.

If Cali didn’t have to worry about money at all, she’d “work to make it so other people weren’t suffering.” She’d “travel, but would still want to have some roots in life.”

And Cali made a good point. You’d probably “still worry about something” even if you had everything you need. Hmmm…I bet that’s true. We’re all a little prone to worry about something, aren’t we?

So what can we learn from Cali?

Cali was awesome. She was super warm, authentic and down to earth. We engaged with ease. No pretenses about this girl, that’s for sure.

I wonder. What if every human being was 100% authentic at all times? If everyone around us was living authentically, wouldn’t we be more inspired to live authentically as well? And if everyone around us was living authentically, don’t you think more people might be inclined to live out their dreams? Because life would no longer be about impressing and meeting the world’s expectations, but about seeking, finding and living out your purpose within the greater body of humanity.

So you can live a life built to impress.

Or you can live a life designed to inspire, equip and complement.

You decide.

Be a second-rate version of yourself?

Or be yourself?

You decide.

Live someone else’s dream for you?

Or live your dream for you, God’s dream for you?

You decide.

Oh, yeah. I can’t forget Cali’s profound statements, that she’d “work to make it so other people weren’t suffering,” and that she actually “likes the places she works.”

Amazing. Bold. Beautiful.

We might not have all the time or money in the world, but what if we all worked, even just a little every day, to make it so other people didn’t have to suffer as much? What kind of world would we live in then? And what if we all decided to do work we really like or really love? What kind of world would we live in then?

So tell me….what speaks to you most about Cali’s story? There are several great discussions that could be had from Cali’s response to my question. What’s the greatest take away for you?

 

 

 

*This post is a part of a month-long 31 Days series titled Dreams from the Street. If you’d like to read more from my series, click here and you’ll be brought to the series landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked! You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson! I’m so glad you stopped by. Make yourself comfortable and take a peek around the place. You’re welcome back anytime.

Meet Carlo.

I met him in a tiny crepe shop downtown Minneapolis. It was one of the warmest, most welcoming and chilled-out places I’ve been in a long time.

I asked Carlo one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

This was his response.

“I’d enjoy every day to the fullest.”

He spread, then flipped the crepes on the griddle.

After some thought and a little discussion, Carlo added “I’d be happy.”

So what can we learn from Carlo?

Carlo understood that my hypothetical question is a trick question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

Does not worrying about money mean you’d have all the money in the world? (In that case, you’d hypothetically be freed to buy anything and everything you ever wanted.)

Or does not worrying about money mean that money wouldn’t matter anymore, that it wouldn’t carry currency or weight in your life at all? (In that case, you’d hypothetically be freed to do and be whatever you wish.)

I prefer the latter. When I conceived this series, I really didn’t want to know all the things people would buy if they had unlimited dollars. I wanted to know what they would do, or who they’d want to be if they didn’t have to worry about money.

I guess we’ll leave the ultimate interpretation of this question to philosophy class, but I think Carlo was on to something. If we weren’t so driven by money, more of us would live our lives to the fullest.

We’d take in the day.

We’d do what we love.

We’d love more richly.

We’d sigh in relief and peace.

And we’d be free to just be who we were meant to be.

So here’s my question. Obviously, money is here to stay. So how can we learn to enjoy our lives to the fullest, anyway? How can we make the dreams of our heart come true, anyway? If you have thoughts, I’d love to chat.

 

 

 

*This post is a part of a month-long 31 Days series titled Dreams from the Street. If you’d like to read more from my series, click here and you’ll be brought to the series landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked! You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson! I’m so glad you stopped by. Make yourself comfortable and take a peek around the place. You’re welcome back anytime.

Meet Emily.

As I passed the storefront, I saw her inside bagging caramel corn. The scene was quaint. I entered without hesitation.

I asked Emily one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”

This was her response.

“I’d travel everywhere” and “would do volunteer work with animals.”

I asked Emily if there was anything else she’d do, anything else she’d like to add.

“Nope, that’s it!” she said.

So what can we learn from Emily?

When it comes to dreaming, when it comes to living and loving life, simple works.

 

 

 

*This post is a part of a month-long 31 Days series titled Dreams from the Street. If you’d like to read more from my series, click here and you’ll be brought to the series landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked! You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson! I’m so glad you stopped by. Make yourself comfortable and take a peek around the place. You’re welcome back anytime.