When I was in my mid-twenties, I lived in Monterrey, Mexico for two years. Officially, I moved there to work for an American company in their international marketing department. Unofficially, it was where I moved to fall in love for the first time, have my heart broken, and begin a long journey of getting to know myself. My road trip to love.
Monterrey is the third largest city in Mexico and the city is nestled against a beautiful large mountain range about 3 hours below Texas. I refer to it as the LA of Mexico because the city is full of beautiful people, everyone is really trendy, and they have valet everywhere.
One summer, the company I was working for sent me to a small town in the south of Mexico called, San Jose Iturbide. It was a very small town, I’m talking almost a village, but there was a project I was working on and my boss wanted me to be there for about three months. There was a lot I remember about living in this beautifully rustic and traditional Mexican town, but one of the things I remember the most is how kind and hospitable everyone was.
Before I left to move back to Monterrey, one of the women I worked with gave me a coffee cup that said, “Chris… ‘Lucha por tus suenos’…cuenta con nosotros, Mexico.” Translated, it means, “Chris… ‘Fight for your dreams’…count on us, Mexico.” That was over 10 years ago and I still have the coffee cup and, in fact, keep it on my dresser as a daily reminder. A few weeks ago I went to see the “unauthorized” rendition of Clueless the musical. Yes, there’s a musical about the movie Clueless. I was excited to celebrate my friend Alessio’s birthday by going to see a show because there’s not a person in the world who loves Broadway and musicals more than Alessio.
Similar to my experience in Mexico, officially, I was going out that night to see a musical with a friend who absolutely loves musicals. Unofficially, I was going to see Oprah. After the show, we went to pick up a friend who I hadn’t seen in a while. I used to work with Sean every Wednesday for almost a year. Every week we would have lengthy discussions about our dreams, why we were here, and the meaning of life. On many occasions Sean and I would talk about Oprah and Super Soul Sunday, our favorite show on her network OWN where she interviews people like Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, and other spiritual thought leaders.
While on the patio of a bar called Flaming Saddles in West Hollywood next to a guy passed out, waiting patiently for my friends to finish their cigarettes, Sean happened to mention a contest that Oprah is running for a show she’s filming in Los Angeles. A non-ticketed event where you need to complete a series of questions and submit an entry. I literally pulled out my phone and put the event in my calendar and said, “Sean, WE ARE GOING TO SEE OPRAH.” I later went home and spent hours answering four simple, yet profound questions. The questions were for a special Super Soul Sunday episode she was filming here in Los Angeles in front of a live studio audience.
On September 12th, I had the incredible honor of spending the entire day with Oprah and some of my favorite authors and teachers. It was by far one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. To be in a room with people asking the big questions of life for an entire day, truly has the capacity to change the trajectory of your life and propel you down a path you’ve always dreamed of.
It’s my belief that we all are here for a reason and that we all have a purpose. I think that every person dreams and has a vision of the life they want to achieve. Some people work towards their dream and it becomes their reality, but I think a lot of people get caught up with the hustle bustle of everyday life and put their dreams on the back burner. I remember hearing about a study a woman put together called the “Top 10 Regrets of the Dying.” A nurse who worked in a terminal care unit interviewed her patients in their last days to find out what, if anything, they could’ve done differently in their lives. Do you know what the number one regret of the dying was? The number one regret that people have on their deathbed is that they never pursued their dreams or aspirations.
The late Wayne Dyer said, “There’s a place deep within us that wants to feel fulfilled, that wants to know that my life has made a difference, that I’ve left this place, this planet that I’ve lived on better than when I arrived. That someone’s life has been profoundly touched because of my existence. We all want that. It’s not about age or about finding yourself, whoever you are at whatever age you’re only a thought away from changing your life.”
Who knew that while living in a small town in the south of Mexico a nice woman I barely knew would give me something that reminds me daily to keep pursuing my dreams. We all have a dream and it may not always unfold quite how we envision, but that does not mean we’re not on the right path. What you want, wants you. After spending the day doing one of the things I’ve always dreamed of doing, I’m here to tell you to be persistent, don’t give up, keep your eyes and ears open, and lucha por tus suenos.