THE STORY BEHIND INSTA-TEAM

American Dreams Come True

The last century was very young when my grandfather temporarily left his wife and infant son (my father) to begin a journey from the Ukraine to America and a  better life. As with many who came before and since, his journey was not an easy one. But he came because of a dream so powerful nothing could stop it from coming into reality.

What was it like for my grandfather as he saw the Statue of Liberty for the very first time? What was it like to be amongst the masses at Ellis Island—waiting, hoping, praying to be found worthy of entering this land of dreams? What was it like to work days and months and years to save one penny at a time in order to bring the rest of the family to America? One day after another my grandfather and others found the strength and the courage to keep their dreams alive, until one day all the money was saved, the steamship tickets bought, and their loved ones on their way.

My father was a toddler of three when he and my grandmother boarded a ship bound for America . . . the last German ship to cross the Atlantic before World War I. If the dream had been delayed by even one month, if my grandfather had worked a little less hard, saved a little less diligently, his family could have been trapped in the Ukraine, which was soon to become part of the Soviet Union. If the dream had been delayed by even one day, my family’s history and my very existence could have been changed forever.

My mother’s parents arrived in America two decades earlier. They were two teens who ventured across the Atlantic, met in New York, and married. My mother, the youngest of eight, was born nearly a year before the ship carrying my father docked in New York Harbor.

In courage, my grandparents set goals, planned, saved until their dreams of coming to a free land were realized. They traveled thousands of miles from home; coming with some family members, leaving others behind with the knowledge that they might never see them again. They were willing to risk everything to make a better life for themselves, their children, and their children’s children.

Keeping the Dreams Alive

My parents’ generation grew up in a country overflowing with opportunities. They worked hard so that they and we could live the American Dream of having a good job, a nice home, time to relax and enjoy life. Yet, there were other dreams only partially realized or not realized at all—dreams of expressing their talents and gifts.

Of all my relatives, the only one I am sure lived his dream was my father, who was a professional musician for nearly 30 years. However, shortly before I was born, my mother gave him an ultimatum: quit or she’d leave. Dad chose love for his family and, thereby, putting aside his music forever.

I was outside one day when I was about 10, as sounds of a beautiful solo floated through an open window in the row of garden apartments where we lived. Once inside, I realized it was my father playing my little elementary school plastic recorder. The little plastic recorder from which my classmates and I only got squeaks and whistles, made wonderful music in my father’s hands. That was the first time I ever heard him play . . . one of the only times I heard him play. Then I knew a musician is always a musician; the music lives on . . .  trapped inside . . . waiting to be set free.

How many others live with dreams trapped inside waiting to be set free?—big dreams and small dreams; personal dreams and world-changing dreams. How many others are asked to choose between the two most important loves of their life, rather than finding ways of having them both? How can we live the dreams born out of desire to express our talents and gifts, while maintaining balance in the rest of our lives? How can our dreams be realized when there doesn’t seem to be enough money or time or energy or education or . . . ?

These are some of the questions I’ve asked myself over the years. The answers have come from a variety of sources. Lessons have come from books and from trainings. Many lessons have come from my personal successes and failures—from falling down really, really hard and learning how to “pick myself up, brush myself off, and start all over again.” Other lessons have come while assisting clients and business associates with various steps toward realization of their goals and dreams. Some of the greatest lessons have come from watching on the sidelines as masters brought their dreams into reality.

Now it is time for me to embark on the biggest dream realization journey of my life. That dream is to share what I have already learned and what I will continue to learn about the dream realization process so everyone can make their dreams come true.

And, thus, Insta-Team was born.