Pity this broken angel – she stands in the Bolton Cemetery and looks longingly towards the south and the sea. She’s alone – there are no other angels poised waiting – but whenever I see her I think she’s entirely good for it. It’s quiet, you see, gives her the chance to reflect on the changing tides and hives of humanity in the city below.

Maybe that’s the secret for us then – to take the time to reflect on the day in the calm and quiet. We might become a little less broken along the way.

Manifesto
03. Every day is an opportunity to reflect on the past.
10. Every day connect with somebody.
13. Every day be better than you were the day before.

We rest here while we can, but we hear the ocean calling in our dreams,
And we know by the morning, the wind will fill our sails to test the seams,
The calm is on the water and part of us would linger by the shore,
For ships are safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for. — John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928

Ah, our dreams, our dreams. Our dreams call to us no matter how much we try to repress them, reinvent them, shut them out, or ignore them. Like a ship chafing at the ropes, being dragged about by the waves and the tides, we get called again by our dreams.

The ropes, the ties, the everyday grind – in whatever form(s) they take hold us back, however I don’t believe that needs to be the end of the story. In the same way that a boat nudges away at the wharf or the various bowgraces, fenders, and buffers until it becomes comfortable albeit pinioned, it is possible to get some of the initial work done towards fulfilling the dreams. Can’t get to Paris, but can learn French. Can’t build a house, but could learn to use power tools by making dog kennels, or helping out friends with renovations. This is not being safe in harbour – a compromise – rather these actions are about getting the background learning done so that if and when the opportunity occurs it can be grabbed in both hands because the preparation has been done.

The achievement of a dream is normally the result of learning something and getting very good at doing something. It usually takes 10,000 hours to learn how to do something really well, the sooner you get started the better.

It’s not always possible or even appropriate to get stuck into pursing the dream to the fullest extent we’d like, but it is completely inappropriate, I believe, to abandon dreams. That is not what they’re for.

Manifesto
26. Every day take action. Every small step counts.
34. Every day focus on your dreams.
48. Every day there are things you can’t change. You can change the way you think about them and deal with them.