This past weekend we went down to Newport, RI for my wife’s birthday.  Kathleen and I love Rhode Island.  Both of us spent a fair amount of time there after high school, and eventually we ended up getting married in Newport.  What a beautiful place.

Although it rained on Friday & Saturday, we still had an amazing time.  Sunday was in the high 50’s with not a cloud in the sky and a nice breeze.  We went down to the beach and the girls got to play in the sand.  It was one of those trips that I know we will all remember for a long time.  It was one of those trips that you wish didn’t have to end.

If you have been to Newport, you know that it is home to some amazing houses.  Actually “houses” may be a little bit of an understatement.  The correct word would probably be mansions…or castles.  Whatever the case, I have never seen such a large concentration of massive homes in my life.  When the owners of these residences decided to build in Newport, they spared no expense.  The amazing part about these homes is that they are not only are they enormous, they are also located right on the water!

While I was there, I spent a lot of time thinking about what the owners of these homes did to achieve such a great deal of wealth.  Unless there is a list out there that details their careers and accomplishments, I may never know.  One thing is for sure, I’m positive that a good percentage of them did not get to that point by merely drifting through life without any goals or purpose.

Which brings me to the point of this post…

DREAM BIG! If you want to have a home on the water, put it on paper and write up a plan to make it happen.  Don’t fool yourself and make a goal to own a condo when you know that what you really want is to have your own farm.  Don’t settle for a nice Honda if your goal is to be driving a Mercedes.  Don’t sell yourself short!

Everyone is capable of achieving their biggest dreams, they just need to have focus and come up with a plan to make it happen.

So what is my goal?

To live on the ocean where my girls can have the beach as their playground and I can use the ocean as design inspiration.