Dream BIG

Dream BIG

Bob Hatcher

August 21, 2011

          It took me less than 30 minutes to read “Dream Big, starring Olivia” The Olivia drawings are marvelous.  This book is a popular gift for graduating students according to George Prater at Main Street Books on North Main Street.  It would also be a great book for a person heading off to college.

          I received Dream Big as a birthday present from Linda Beth Loughlin early in June and have been reading and rereading it as part of my daily reflections since then.

The book presents the wise statements and sometimes humorous insights of a number of people whom you have probably already learned to appreciate.

An Albert Einstein quote is one of my favorites. He said:

“Logic will get you from A to B

Imagination will take you anywhere.”

Don’t you love it when you can let your thoughts about an idea wander as you playfully think through all of its possibilities?  Little seeds sometimes get their start in this way and soon they are growing like mad waiting for your focused attention and nurturing.

Another quote from Dream Big offers us a suggestion from Dr. Seuss.  It’s a suggestion that could start each and every day for you: “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So….get on your way.”

The problem is that most dreams don’t lead to success without work.  It has been said a thousand ways that 90% of genius is hard work.  We have to keep our eyes on the prize or our attention flies off in a completely new direction. We have to nurture new ideas or we may soon forget them completely.

Here are just three more of the remarkable quotes from “Dream Big, starring Olivia”

Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.”

Lewis Carroll quipped:  “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Doug Floyd made such a wise comment when he said: “You don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note.” 

“Dream Big, starring Olivia” is a book that could lead to wonderful discussions between parents and children of almost any age from 5 on.  Yes, from when a child is 5 to when a child is 50! 

I asked George Prater to order 20 of these books.  He still has some of them. Go buy one and read it right there with one of his good cups of coffee.   

Robert A. Hatcher MD, MPH
Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia