Several years ago I went backpacking with a group down to Paria Canyon in Southern Utah. Located within the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness Area, this beautiful 50-mile hike was a breathtaking adventure in some of God's greatest creations. With stunning sandstone "sculptures" molded by wind and water and overwhelming 300-400 foot tall cliff walls, this trip was where I fell in love with Southern Utah.
Oh sure, the whole world sits down to write out resolutions for New Year's, but what about the other 364 days of the year? What goals have you set for today? What dreams have you had for tomorrow? How have you let your inner child create a beautiful vision for the future?
I am convinced that we must make it a daily ritual to dream, to imagine, to hope, to meditate and to exercise some faith in our lives. I think we also need to make a conscious effort to reject pessimism, negativity and hopelessness. Believe me, I'm fully aware of how tough life can get. I know what it is like to have your dreams come crashing down, your heart broken, your hopes smashed. But I also know that it is in those very moments when everything feels like its going wrong that we can stand with courage, with strength and with belief.
You can only see the stars when it is dark, after all. So I challenge you to reach for them, stretch, jump if you have to. Take a leap of faith. In the end, dreaming, hoping, creating and imagining has great power for our lives. So stop looking at the world like its a harsh place. Life is beautiful and so are you.
Make every day a masterpiece.
-Jeremy
