My father was a dreamer.  He and mother were also overachievers.  Dad was the Director of Marketing for what was at that time the largest pleasure boat manufacturer in the world. My mother was years ahead of her time.  At age 16 she began her study of Veterinary Medicine and became the first woman to become a licensed veterinarian in the state of New York.

While Dad had big dreams for himself, he also had big dreams and high expectations for his two sons.  Dad’s plan was that my older brother would become a famous lawyer like Clarence Darrow.  For me, because I was studying journalism and broadcasting, his intent was that I would be the next Tom Brokow. He wasn’t kidding!  Growing up in a household with such high expectations certainly had an impact on me. But something happened. As I grew older I dreamed less and less.

Why do we stop dreaming?  Comedian George Carlin speculated one reason when he said, “Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that.”  I believe Carlin had it right.  It is the obligations and pressures of life that crowd out our dreams.