Anyone that has read my column knows well that I am a collector of
success stories. I believe they are extremely important to us. Not to
look in awe at others, but instead to gain strength from them and in
turn apply their lessons to the challenges we face as we set out
towards our own dreams.

Recently I was flipping through the channels and as soon as I hit the
Oprah Winfrey Show something literally grabbed that channel changer
and stopped me... I am so glad that it did, because I believe I ended
up hearing one of the most inspiring stories I've heard in a while.

The story behind the story of My Big Fat Greek Wedding...

On the surface the Nia Vardalos' story might easily be fluffed off as
just another lucky person who made it big in a hit movie. I'm telling
you right now however that nothing could be farther from the truth.

While it is true that Nia reached super star status almost over night
in a movie that grossed 120 million dollars and was reported to cost
only 5 million dollars to make, the odd twist is the story behind the
film's production and phenomenal success.

If this was anything resembling luck, it was home made luck... Nia
explained that the story she'd written originally was born out of the
necessity to work. She was an actress looking for work and after
hearing the various reasons why she didn't fit into the stereotypical
roles that were out there, Nia decided to write her own role.

Hence was born the little one woman play that actress Rita Wilson took
her family to see after seeing a small clip advertising it in the
newspaper. Perhaps even more incredible is that the ad that led them
to the show was a one time running, because that was all that Nia
could afford at the time.

Rita was so impressed with the show, that she encouraged her husband,
Tom Hanks, to take it from the theater to the big screen. You see,
we're not talking just luck here. There are countless examples of
people, just like you and I that took that leap of faith and along the
way something far greater then us came up behind us and filled in the
missing pieces.

Set out each day believing in your dreams. Know without a doubt that
you were made for amazing things. Understand that it is ok to be
scared or uncertain, however right beyond those barriers ultimately
lies your dreams...

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