The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – Living the Dream

Most of us have big dreams. Few of us live them.

In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Walter is a prime example. He has big dreams. Specifically, big daydreams. His mind is full of action-packed fight sequences, steamy romances, and tremendous accomplishments. But in real life, except for skateboarding as a kid, he’s never been anywhere or done anything. He works at LIFE Magazine, reporting on the exploits of other people who have grand adventures around the world.

But when he’s responsible for a vital picture for the magazine’s final issue, Walter sees no choice but to travel to Greenland in search of the intrepid photographer who took it. And chasing down that elusive photographer proves more difficult than Walter could have imagined. It takes him on a travel adventure through land, sea, and air, braving shark-infested waters and a volcanic eruption.

He soon discovers that the most difficult part of any such adventure is taking that first step. Once he does, pushing himself to take big risks and step into the unknown, he discovers that he has much more ability, ingenuity, and stamina than he ever thought possible.

For many of us, our dreams seem destined to remain just that: dreams that are never attained. Because they are never truly pursued. Our fear of failure keeps us immobile.

When we choose to take that first step, we’ll discover that the journey is full of failures and frustrations, surprises and discoveries, and ultimately, success in moving toward our goals. We don’t have to have everything figured out to get started. We just have to find the courage to try.

It won’t happen overnight, and we can’t ignore our family or other responsibilities to follow our heart. But if we want our dreams to become goals that we work toward, we have to bravely take that first step and begin our life’s adventure.

Dare to start living your dream.