Thanks for joining me. I am sharing a story with you that highlights both an opportunity and a trap. The opportunity is for great success and fulfillment. The trap is for failure and disappointment. If your dream, your passion requires putting all of your eggs in one basket, please do what you've got to do. It may work out just fine. At least, you need to believe it will. I'm sure you see the trap. Ignore it at your risk; and if all of your eggs are in that basket, the risk is extreme. Better would be to hold back an egg or two, just in case. Since I seem to be into old sayings, here's another one. Don't burn your bridges unless you will never need to go back across; and even then, don't burn them if there is any acceptable way to keep them open. My point is that this story could be true but the odds of its being true for you or me are slim to none. Does that mean that we shouldn't go for it? It definitely does not. We should. Here is the point. Hold back an egg or two and don't burn any bridges if you can at all avoid starting the fire. Now for the story. Just substitute your dream, your passion for those of the guys in the story. Give it your best shot. Just know how you will recover if your shot misses. Chapter 1: A Familiar Face The hustle and bustle of daily life in a big city was something that Ben had become used to since he'd moved to Los Angeles. It was a far cry from his childhood home in the small town of Leetonville, Ohio, where life was a lot quieter and simpler. It was during one afternoon stroll, when he was walking along the busy streets of downtown, that he noticed something out of the ordinary. A man walking towards him, wearing a blue plaid shirt and a baseball cap, that appeared very familiar. Ben had never seen this man before, yet he could not shake the feeling that he knew him from somewhere. The man's face was so familiar that it seemed as if he had known Ben for years. As the man got closer, Ben could swear that he recognized his eyes and the way he walked, his mannerisms, everything about him. He was confident that he had seen this man before, but he wasn't sure where. The two men stopped in their tracks, with Ben standing in front of the mysterious stranger. The man looked up at Ben and smiled, and it all clicked. "Ben?" the man said, "Is that you?" A wave of recognition swept over Ben's face. It was his old neighbor, Robert! Robert had moved away when Ben was still a child, so he was understandably surprised to see him here in Los Angeles. The two men embraced and shared stories of their lives since then, and Ben was delighted to learn that Robert had come to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a movie director. With the memories of their old home in Leetonville, Ohio flooding back, Ben saw that his old neighbor was still the same old Robert he had known and loved all those years ago. Chapter 2: Rekindling Dreams As Ben and Robert sat down at a nearby café, the memories of their childhood in Leetonville, Ohio flooded their conversation. They reminisced about their adventures in the woods behind their houses, their shared love for baseball, and the countless hours spent dreaming about their futures. Ben couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia as he listened to Robert talk about his passion for filmmaking. It reminded him of the dreams they had shared as kids, the dreams that had slowly faded away as they grew older and life took them on different paths. "I never thought I'd see you again, Robert," Ben said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "It's amazing how life brings people back together." Robert nodded, a wistful smile on his face. "Yeah, it's funny how things work out. I always knew I wanted to make movies, but life got in the way. I got caught up in the routine, the expectations, and I let go of my dreams." Ben could relate. He had always dreamed of becoming a writer, but the practicality of life had led him down a different path.
