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Guest Article by Sarah Gentili

The American Dream

July is an interesting time of year in our home and the July fourth weekend is filled with the usual combination of barbecues, fireworks and family gatherings. But it is also a time of refection and thanksgiving. July 4th is America’s independence day and a for us a time to remember what living the American dream is all about.

My son asked my husband why he bought American flags for independence day and not any Argentinian flags for their July ninth independence day. My husband explained that while he was born and raised in Argentina and would more than likely watch the Argentinian festivities online, America was his home. It was where his wife and children were born and where he choose to make his life and chase the American dream.

For us, the road to our own family independence has been a long and sometimes rocky one. We both have an enterprising spirit and love taking an idea and developing it into a working business. Some of our businesses have been successful and some have not. In either case, after a time we begin to get the “new idea itch” and set in motion plans to start the whole process over again.

For me this is what America is about. It’s about ideas and having the freedom to see where these ideas will take you. It doesn’t matter if it is running your own business, inventing something, writing a book, or perusing an education to get your dream job. It’s about finding that one thing or one idea that makes your heart race and hand pound just a little bit faster, and then running after it and capturing it. It’s about finding that one thing you want to do and then doing it.

This is something I think the American people have started to forget. There has been a shift in the thinking of many people about what is expected of them and what they should expect from the world around them. I know that the instant gratification mentality, which is being cultivated by today’s society, is counter intuitive to the do it yourself philosophy that is required to chase your dreams. I also know that after watching the nightly news, a person will have serious doubts about putting everything they already have on the line to chase after something that may nor work to their advantage.

While nothing can take away that feeling of success and pride at seeing your dream come, there is also a great deal of pride a person can get just from making the attempt, as long as you remember to keep on going after you’ve been knocked down a couple of times. Like the old saying goes, it’s not the end result that makes the man but the journey there.

What would happen if as a nation we once again ignored the naysayer and decided to take that leap of faith? I’m not suggesting you quit your day job and run to Hollywood to be an actress because that’s been your secret passion since you were Tinkerbell in the third grade school play. Instead, find a way to turn that passion into a more realistic and achievable goal. For example, join a local theater troop, volunteer with the local theater production company, or take acting lessons at the local community college. We might not see you at the next academy awards, but you will be a changed person.

It is liberating to know that we live in a place where freedom is more than fancy fireworks and something others have died to defend. Freedom is choice. It’s not a politically correct concept because a person siting on the fence in neutral is incapable of making choices or chasing dreams. So this month take some time and find the quiet fires burning inside you and make a choice. Choose to take one of those tiny passions and run with it. Remember, America is not just home of the free and the brave, this is where individuals can chase their dreams.

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