Pursue your dreams
Bring your talents to life
By Jim Huling
July 2008
A soft rain began to fall
as my wife, Donna, and
I walked up the narrow lane from Montefiridolfi
toward the Tuscan villa that
had been our home in Italy
for the past eight days. We let
the raindrops run down our
faces, walking silently past
waves of budding vineyards
on the rolling hillside. Rounding
a curve in the road, we discovered a path leading
upward to a massive iron
gate and decided to see what
might be on the other side.
The gate barred the
entrance to a small graveyard,
surrounded by brick walls
higher than our heads. We
knew not to go in out of
respect and reverence for
those buried inside. But as
the rain continued to fall,
we stood outside the gate
and looked silently
through the bars at generations who had lived,
worked and died in this
small village. Row upon row
of gravestones marked each
life, and embedded in every
stone was a portrait of the
one who had died. Dozens of
faces, infant and old, smiling
and stern, all looked back at
us, standing outside the gates.
Never before had I witnessed a scene like this one.
It was as though I stood on
the threshold between two
worlds, looking across at all
these people who had gone
before — people whose
faces would forever stand
sentinel in this quiet space.
My heart made a silent
request of each face staring
out from that graveyard — a
request for wisdom that would help me, still in the
land of the living, to truly
fulfill the life I had been
given. Though unspoken, the
reply was as clear as any
voice I have ever heard.
Bring no regrets in here.
Leave nothing unborn out
there.
You may think of death as a
tragedy, particularly if you’ve
known the deep pain of losing
someone you loved. But the
message I took away from
that Tuscan graveyard was
that the greater tragedy is
what can die inside you, still
unborn. The talents you were
afraid to share, the people you
were too busy to truly love
and the dreams you never pursued — these are the things
that can make death a tragedy.
There is no greater loss to the
world than the life you were
meant to live but didn’t.
What unexpressed talent
are you holding back? Is
there an artist trapped inside
you — a poet, musician or
painter longing to share a
creative vision? Were you
born to be a teacher, mentor
or leader but are still waiting
to begin? If so, then use that
talent today to help someone
else. Take a step toward
writing by composing letters
to soldiers serving in a distant land. If you would like
to teach, find someone in
your company or community
who can benefit from what
you know.
Even if you must balance
these activities with your current job, begin to say “yes” to
the life that calls you. Using
your gifts in service to others
will bring the double joy of both
expressing them and of seeing
the impact they can have on the
world around you.
What fears must you overcome to really live? The greatest obstacles you will ever face
are usually the ones you imagine but never experience.
Remember, fear lives in the
future, but faith lives in the
present.
Focus on the blessings that
surround you today and on
your belief in the dreams that
were placed in your heart. Then
take the smallest, safest step
and watch what happens. The
energy and excitement you will
feel at having faced your fear,
even in a small way, will give
you the power to take the next
step and the next.
As I turned to leave the graveyard that day, the rain ceased
and in its place a vibrant rainbow appeared, arching beyond
the farthest hill. Its beauty
reminded me of an ancient
promise: “If you bring forth that
which is within you, what you
bring forth will save you.”
I knew that visiting this place
had been no accident, for these
few moments I had spent
among the dead had taught me
how to truly live.
JIM HULING is CEO of The Jim Huling Group, a strategic consulting company enabling leaders and
their teams to achieve extraordinary results. Jim’s leadership experience spans over three decades,
including 11 years as CEO of a successful technology company recognized multiple times as one of the
“25 Best Small Companies to Work For in America.” Jim is also the author of “Choose Your Life! a powerful proven method for creating the life you want.” He can be reached at jim@jimhuling.com
