While vacationing in Hawaii, my wife came out of a gift shop and handed me a little bag as she said, “Here, now you can listen to it anytime you want.”

I opened the bag and there was Iz Kamakawiwo’ole’s CD containing one of my favorite songs of all time, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” done by one of my favorite artists. We were driving to the other side of Oahu so I hurriedly tore off the plastic wrapping and fought with the stupid tape across the end of the jewel case (don’t get me started on what I think of opening CD’s; DVD’s; Blu Ray Discs; etc.) and put it into the CD player as we lowered the top on our convertible.

We began driving up Highway 61 heading to Lanikai Beach on the other side of the island as we listened to Iz’s songs. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the views were simply stunning as we drove steadily upward to Nuuanu Pali Lookout where the highway crested the Ko’olau Mountains. A few miles from the summit I decided to replay “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and just as Iz began strumming the ukulele a rainbow came into view, appearing to be just above the summit.

Let me just tell you, I almost believe I heard angels singing at that exact moment. It was so saturatingly beautiful. All my senses were sent into mega-overload. There was the music from the song and the wind from having the convertible top down. By having the top down on the car, we had an almost 360 degree view of all the beauty surrounding us. The mountains, the sky, the clouds, the rainbow, the trees and everything else seemed to be enveloping us in a cocoon of exquisite artistry unlike anything we had ever experienced before. I had my lovely wife and love of my life in the seat next to me holding my hand so tightly my fingers were turning pink. We had gotten high enough in elevation that it was really cold, and both of us were now shivering from the temperature and from the emotional impact that all of this was having on us.

We pulled into the parking lot and climbed up to Nuuanu Pali Lookout putting on our jackets as we walked. With each step we realized what we each knew in our heart as we approached the railing of the lookout.

The rainbow wasn’t here.

The rainbow was far up in the sky and far out over the ocean in Kailua Bay. We stood with dozens of strangers on the windswept peak, leaning far out over the railing, staring at the beautiful but illusive rainbow which was present for a few brief moments as it hovered above the dazzlingly, brilliant sparkles of a million ocean waves, before disappearing from everywhere but our memories.

And so it is with life. Many of us have dreams that have disappeared from everywhere but our memories. We have suffered disappointments and given up believing that our dreams will ever come true. Whatever dreams we had, we had in the past, before life happened. Our dreams have disappeared and we are ready to give up.

Never give up!

Start living your dream right now. Start living your dream today, this very moment. Never give up!

If you’ve forgotten your dream. Get out a piece of paper and start writing down, in great detail, exactly what your dream is. Read it. Write more. Read it out loud. Think about it. Pray about it. Meditate on it. Write even more.

Get the spark started, again. Believe again. Dream again.

Start towards your dream just like my wife and I started towards that rainbow. You have to see it, first. Once you see it, start moving towards it, one step at a time.

Never give up! Never stop dreaming.

Now give me 3 minutes and 26 seconds. That’s how long the video up there on top of this page is. I want you to listen to it again, or listen to it for the first time. I want you to imagine you’re in a beautiful convertible with a beautiful someone you love going someplace you’ve always dreamed of. Feel the wind blowing on your face and the sun warming your skin. Experience the exhilaration as you feel that special someone holding your hand, tightly, as you make your way to your dream.

Keep Believing…