“When we kill the dream within us, we kill ourselves, even though the blood continues to flow within our veins.” — Richard Bode, First You Have to Row a Little Boat
There was a time of Kings, knights, wizards, and magical swords. That era predates Harry Potter. If you set out to define a magical time in a kid’s life, it could be the 6th century— the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
As a kid growing up, there were many times, in my own back yard, that I played the role of this British king who defeated the Saxons with his legendary magical sword, Excalibur. With my magical Excalibur I was invincible and lived to slay thousands of enemy soldiers and hundreds of fire-breathing dragons.
Over the years, I’ve searched for an Excalibur—a magical strategy to defeat the “Failure Dragon.” With this magical strategy sword, I would slay Failure and his two bodyguards: Yesterday and Tomorrow.
A life time of experience helps me realize one of the great truths of life: People spend too much of their time regretting the past and fearing the future. Former American journalist and author Fulton Oursler succinctly captures this truth in his statement, “We crucify ourselves between two thieves; regret for yesterday and fear of tomorrow.”
Regret and fear are not the ingredients of magic. Magic is the result of a dream fighting for authenticity. A contemporary knight, armed with his Excalibur, slays the problem at hand while giving birth to the dream.
Through the ages, mankind has searched for an Excalibur that would turn their dreams into reality. From the beginning of time, mankind feared darkness and the night; Thomas Edison’s Excalibur was the light bulb that transformed the night into day; from the creation wars and violence have exacted a huge toll; Mahatma Gandhi used his Excalibur to promote the practical actions of peace, nonviolence that lead to peace and harmony; confronting with mankind’s dream to fly, Orville and Wilbur Wright used their Excalibur to turn the dream into reality; faced with devastating diseases, Louis Pasteur, Dr. William Reed, and Dr. Jonas Salk used their Excalibur’s to conquer, Smallpox, Malaria, and Polio.
With an Excalibur the wheel and the printing press were invented to fight immobility and ignorance. Whether it be Alexander Bell, Helen Keller, Mother Teresa, Newton, Einstein, or Archimedes, a man or woman with Excalibur in hand is positioned to make magic.
HOG THOUGHT: California surfers like to say that they are waiting on the "Seventh" Wave, the big one, the wave that changes the scene. An Excalibur in the proper hands is like that Seventh Wave, a creative sword with the magic to change the scene.
When you live your dream, you have found the Wave. You have discovered the power to make magic.
HOG QUOTE: “When you think at the moment that it is possible—then the magic starts.” —Siegfried, master of magic and illusion
HOG ACTION: With your Excalibur in hand, slay all the excuses that hinder you from making magic.
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