by Loren Williams

Halloween is just around the corner, and let me tell you, you are never too old to dress up. When I was little, my parents threw a big Halloween party for all of our friends. I had a costume change in the middle of the party because I couldn’t pick out just one thing to be. For the first half, I was a cheerleader and I wore my cheer uniform from pee-wee football at the city park. Half way through the night, I disappeared and came back as a zombie princess. It kind of sounds like a bad Hallmark movie, right?

I loved playing pretend as a kid. As soon as I got home from school, I would become a teacher to all my stuffed animals. I would make math worksheets for them and give them spelling quizzes. Waddle the penguin always failed his tests. Then after dinner, I would become a world-famous horseback rider. I would gallop around my backyard on my imaginary, trusty steed, Freckles, weaving through cones and jumping over poles that I had set up.

I just became whatever person I wanted to be. It was as simple as believing it and doing it.

Sometime, somewhere someone said reality means your dreams don’t come true. As we all grow up, we are faced with reality, and suddenly it’s not acceptable to let your imagination run wild. Wrong! Your imagination is what makes you unique. It’s where you get all your great ideas and where you dream your wildest dreams.

Don’t let people tell you that you have to sit behind a desk for the rest of your life or that the best jobs are the ones that make the most money. You have the ability and power to become exactly who you want to be, if you work hard enough. Being successful has nothing to do with the world, but everything to do with you. You will be successful when you are happy.

To this day, I still love dressing up in costumes. I have been everything from Nacho Libre to a giant shark. And yes, I will be dressing up for Halloween in my squirrel costume complete with an inflatable tail.

Halloween might be scary, but life doesn’t have to be. Find something that you are passionate about, commit yourself to accomplishing your goals (even your wildest ones) and surround yourself with people who support you.

To all the goal-getters out there, fly to the moon in your astronaut suit, but make sure you’re home in time for dinner.