Julie, sales support manager for a food brokerage company in Seattle Washington, told Session 4 of the Leadership Development Lab:

"In the spring of 1998, after the conditions in Eastern Europe began to open up a little, my husband and I learned about a homeless child who lived in a Romanian orphanage. Her name was Maria. We had wanted to adopt a child from one of these horrid places since we had learned about the deplorable conditions there. Now it seemed like there was a real possibility. We hired an escort to go with us to Romania to pick her up. One week before we were scheduled to travel, I received a phone call from our escort saying that the risk was too great and she had to back out. She was canceling the trip. The next day, my husband and I went to the adoption agency to find out what we needed to do. The agency told us that if we didn’t go now, we could lose Maria. They advised that my husband should travel alone because he would blend in better in Romania. They also made strong recommendations on the kinds of clothing he should wear; no shirts, pants or jackets with logos or brands that would signal he is an American.

The night before my husband left for Romania, the Seattle Times headline read ‘Bombing Has Started in Belgrade.’ Maria’s orphanage

was forty seven miles away from Belgrade. On Saturday morning, he arrived for his appointment at the US embassy in Romania, completed all the paperwork needed. The following Wednesday he returned home with our new daughter. She has become the love of our lives; we could not imagine life without her.

The lesson I learned from this experience is there are times in life when I need to take a risk and that risk is a requirement for achieving my dreams. The action I call you to take is find a dream that you can fall in love with that calls you beyond the world you live in today. Step out of your comfort zone and take the risk. The benefit you will gain is that you will achieve your goals. You will live your dreams, not just dream them!"

You have never achieved success at any level without risk – your future success is waiting for you to take the appropriate risks required for you to experience your true potential, your destiny!

If you or anyone you know is a motorcycle enthusiast, they will love the excerpts from Larry’s newest book, Motorcycle Meditations – A Vision Quest to Alaska, which can be found in the June, July and August issues of Twin Magazine. The June issue goes on sale at newsstands May 10th. Pick it up, read it and share it with your friends!