The Thread of a Dream By Denis Waitley

When I was researching the history of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge
as a major illustration for the ideas of success and motivation, I became
engrossed with the story of how the first bridge was built over Niagara Falls.



You see, to build a bridge over a giant gorge, first you have to get a line
over the canyon, from one side to the other. Easier said than done at
Niagara Falls.



The engineers couldn't cross the falls in a boat to take the line from one
side to the other because the boat would go over the falls. And the airplane
hadn't been invented yet. The distance was also way beyond the bow-and-arrow
range, which had been a common method at the time of getting the first
line across to build a bridge.



The designing engineer, Charles Ellet, pondered the question until he came
up with a revolutionary idea. He decided that, while solving the problem,
he would also have some fun and generate some publicity for the project.



Ellet sponsored a kite flying contest and offered five dollars to the first person
who could fly a kite across the gorge and let it go low enough to the ground
for someone to be able to grab the string.



In 1849, five dollars was a prize similar to a small lottery today. The boy who
won the prize relished his accomplishment until his death, nearly 80 years later.



It all began with an idea and one thin kite string. The kite string was used to
pull a cord across, then a line, then a rope. Next came an iron-wire cable
and then steel cables, until a structure strong enough to build a suspension
bridge was in place.



I'm struck by how that string is like a single thought. The more vivid and
clear the thought, and the more you come back to it, the stronger it
becomes - like the string to the rope to a cable. Each time you rethink it,
dwell on it, or layer it with other thoughts, you are strengthening the
structure on which to build your idea, like building a bridge over Niagara Falls.



But unlike a kite, there is no string attached to how high and how far your
goals may take you. They are limited only by the power of your imagination .
and the strength of your desire.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Denis Waitley is one of America's most respected authors, keynote lecturers
and productivity consultants on high performance human achievement. Visit
his website at www.deniswaitley.com, tell him Mr. Positive sent you!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++