F J Lam - The Not So Ordinary Life: Daring to pursue your dreams

Copyright 2022 F.J. Lam

The Not So Ordinary Life
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F.J. Lam - info@fjlam.com
ISBN 979-8-8471-6969-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 979-8-8337-1023-4 (softcover)
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Book design: Aldo Fratti
Author Photo: Emily Saenz
First Printing 2022 / Printed in the United States of America

To my wife Lani and our two sons, Christopher and Benjamin.
I will have won the whole world if I have inspired you
to become all that you were created to be.Author's Notes All the stories I share in this book are stories of ordinary people Ive personally met. Ive had the privilege of coaching or advising some of them at one point or another. For others, Ive had the joy of following their stories from afar as they dare to pursue their dreams. All of them are ordinary people living a not-so-ordinary life.
I hope you enjoy their stories and are encouraged by them
so you, too, can dare to pursue your dreams. IntroductionOrdinary People D ead dreams, we all have them. Im talking about the dreams, goals, or aspirations that most of us ordinary people have buried and left behind on the side of the road of our lives at some point. Somehow, life often has a way of making us realize that some dreams are just not for us, that we should just give up. And the idea of pursuing dreams seems impossible for everyday men and women like me and you, even the brave ones who dare to try. Take my friend Samuel for instance, he is just an ordinary guy pursuing his dream of creating contemporary Latin music with a positive message. Yet, as he pursues his dreams, Samuel battles questions and doubts that constantly run through his mind. Questions like, Am I sacrificing too much? Is it fair for my family that I am investing so much in this personal dream? Is this worth the time and effort? I met Samuel a long time ago and have had the privilege of following his journey and seeing his ups and downs, so I think Samuels questions are valid. He tried to pursue his dream a few years ago and it did not work out. And now, life seems just too hectic to pursue any dream. Samuels life is busymarriage, raising two kids, a full-time job with an hour-long commute, kids music lessons and homework. It seems impossible for him to find time to pursue his dream. On top of that, just like most of us, Samuel does not have piles of money laying around to invest in his music career. Every penny he invests is a sacrifice he and his family are making. He also does not know influential people in the right places who can make things happen for him. In short, Samuel is just another ordinary person who struggles to find the time, the money, and the energy to pursue a dream.While these particular problems and dreams are unique to Samuel, his story is one among millions. The truth is, for ordinary people like Samuel, me, and most likely even you, there seems to be too many obstacles to overcome in order to pursue our dreams. Whether its the craziness of everyday lifejuggling responsibilities and problems at home, work, or school. Or the reality that we dont have the money or know the right people to make our dreams happen. Or the hurts and disappointments of past experiences that lead us to believe were not capable. It appears that many of us are destined to live our ordinary lives as ordinary people and not reach for more.Now dont get me wrong, living an ordinary life is not necessarily something to complain about. After all, an ordinary life can mean that we have a place to live, loved ones to care for and that care for us, enough food on the table, maybe even time to relax and enjoy ourselves. All these things are comforts for which we can be very thankful! However, more often than not, the reality is that most of us have dreams, talents, and potential that we dont understand or dare to explore. As a result, the majority of us end up going with the flow and not daring to pursue our dreams or goals.Sometimes, this translates into living our lives with a certain level of disappointment for never having tried or accomplished some of the things we longed to do. Other times, we end up stuck in jobs or relationships that make us feel miserable and internally frustrated for never having pursued our dreams. This group is larger than we think. Its the: Artists and creatives who are afraid to pursue their dreams
because they are terrified of being vulnerable. Great cooks who dream of opening their own restaurant but have never even tried so now theyre stuck in dead-end jobs they dread.People who fail in a relationship, or in a business venture, or in the attempt to live a healthier lifestyle and give up trying because they fear another painful failure.The ones who are convinced that amazing things, or maybe even good things, wont happen to themso they disregard the potential within themselves and think that the idea of pursuing a dream is for other people, not for them.How do I know what all these ordinary people think, feel, say, and do in their struggle with living an ordinary life? Ill tell you. I know because Ive been there . And perhaps you have been there, too.As a life coach and pastor for over 15 years, I am always striving to help other people see their potential and pursue their dreams. It pains me every time I see people wasting their talents. I want to grab them by the shoulders and scream: You can do much better than this if you would just believe in yourself! If you would just notice your amazing talents! But Im aware that this kind of passionate response will frighten people away or land on deaf ears. Most people end up going with the flow, trapped in what they believe to be their only option. They accommodate this false belief with a job, a relationship, an attitude, or a reality that only makes them feel miserable because they think being miserable is their only option. Well, I believe its not their only option! And if this is you, Im here to tell you that you dont have to live an ordinary life where you never pursue your dreams or goals. You have the potential to live a not-so-ordinary life .Samuels story did not end with a failed music career. A few years later, he and his wife decided to give it another try and he began pursuing his music career as Samuel Troc (@samuel.troc). Since then, he has been pushing through obstacles and staying persistent on his journey to pursue his dream. Samuel keeps a daily notebook where he annotates lyrics and ideas as they come to him. After the kids are in bed, he reviews his notebook and then, together with his wife, starts fleshing out the ideas he captured. Together, they edit music and videos, post on social media, and much more. Theyve also picked up photography gigs to make some extra money to pay for the expenses associated with his music career. He still has a long way to go, but these past two years have been very fulfilling for Samuel as hes achieved some of his goals. He has stayed consistent in releasing new music at least every two months and now has hundreds of thousands of views and streams on his YouTube and Spotify channels. He has collaborated with artists that he always admired. And he recently partnered with a sponsor who will pay for his upcoming music recordings.Yes, Samuel is definitely an ordinary person living a not-so-ordinary life, and his story is not the only one. Millions of other ordinary people like Samuel are trying to live a not-so-ordinary life by pursuing their dreams. I am one of them. And I believe you are, too. I refuse to give up on my dreams, goals, passions, and talents by simply conforming to an ordinary life of feeling just okay, or maybe even miserable. I want to live a not-so-ordinary life, too. But it hasnt always been easy.A Snippet of My Own Story