James Dean once said, "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today."
If only I had the courage to live as if I'd die today like James did. He was fearless. He fought for his dream to become a serious actor and succeeded when he became a great movie star. Unfortunately, he only starred in three major motion pictures and a handful of smaller parts in short films, commercials, and TV series.
You see, James was a bit reckless, as you might call him. He had other passions in his life other than acting. He also loved to race cars in competition. Might I also say, he wasn't half bad either. But it was the passion in him and the dreams he had that kept him going. However, it was unfortunately his own feelings of invinceability that lead to his demise. He and a friend were speeding down the road one day, as though he we're on a racetrack, passing cars left and right, when he couldn't quite make it back onto the other side of the road, in between two other cars before he was hit head on and killed.
I can't say that his actions we're smart or reasonable on September, 30th, 1955 at the end of his young life of only 24 years. There really is no denying though, he truly did live up to his words, "Live as though you'll die today."
There's nothing in the world, it seems, that will keep me from dreaming. But I don't think God would want me to stop. I may not have the courage to carry out all of my dreams, but I know there is a reason that God instills these passions and ideas in us. For without dreams no person would ever do anything in life different and worthwhile, groundbreaking, and historic.
Even if I do sometimes seem scatterbrained or desultory I assure you, I am... however, I'm also just a girl with a big heart and desires to match. I'm just a girl trying to make my mark on this world, trying desperately not to be forgotten when I'm gone, just as James Dean will forever be immortalized on our TV screens and in our pictures, I too would like to touch others with the dreams I make come true. And even if I fail along the way or cannot carry something out as I planned, just remember it's the fact that we don't give up that matters most, not whether we "failed." For to fail you must not try at all.
So, today I'm going to take a lesson from James Byron Dean, dream big, live up to your potential, buckle up, drive safely, and never be afraid to try. You only live once.
