Secrets to Success Deborah Cole Micek and John-Paul Micek

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Regret hurts more than failure

From the same studio that brought us "The Rookie" and "Remember the Titans," we now have "Invincible," a movie inspired by the true story of Vince Papale.

Vince, played by Mark Wahlberg, is a man with nothing to lose - a man who ignored staggering odds and made his dream come true. When the coach of Papale's beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time -- no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way.

No one would have thought about Papale -- a down-on-his-luck, 30-year-old substitute teacher and part-time bartender who never played college football. But, against these odds, Papale made the team and soon found himself living every fan's fantasy -- moving from his cheap seats in the upper deck to standing on the field as a professional football player.

Fulfilling your dreams takes discipline. The discipline is easy if you truly love what you do. Enjoying the road to getting there is important since it makes any sacrifices bearable and the discipline easy.

Following is an adaptation of an anonymous story that illustrates why we must follow our dreams:

A woman lay on her bed at the end of her life waiting to die. Her "dream" came to pay its last respects and bid farewell to the woman who had never used it. As the dream entered the room, the woman hung her head in shame and embarrassment.

"Why did you not realize me?" the dream asked.

"Because I was afraid," the woman replied.

"Afraid of what?" asked the dream.

"I was afraid I would fail."

"But haven't you failed by not attempting to use me?"

"Yes. But I've been busy. I always thought there would be tomorrow to pursue my dreams."

"You foolish woman!" said the dream. "Did it never occur to you that there was only today - the moment that you are in right now? Do you think now that death is here you can put it off until tomorrow?"

"No," sighed the woman, a tear gently slipping down her cheek.

The dream was softer now, because it knew that there were two types of pain, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret, and while discipline weighs mere ounces, regret weighs pounds.

Then the dream leaned forward to gently wipe the tear away from her cheek and whispered, "You need only have taken the first step, and I would have taken one to meet you, for the only thing that ever separated us was the belief in your mind that you couldn't have me".

Then they said goodbye and they both died.

Make your dreams come true. Don't let yours die.