This morning, after having a yummy breakfast and even more delicious conversation with other guests at a B&B in Bisbee, I headed out for a solo adventure.

I had my map in hand, turned the key in the inition of my car and began driving to Coronado National Monument. I drove many miles past the turnoff, driving to the outskirs of Sierra Vista, before I realized I'd gone too far. I was simply enjoying the beauty of the desert with its diverse landscape made up of plants that can live in areas that would cause most people to wither and die.

After making a u-turn, I headed back towards Bisbee. I wasn't disappointed that I never made it to Coronado National Monument; I enjoyed watching the view from my car window change as if I was clicking the remote control on my television.

As I approached Bisbee's city limits, I found the exit for the monument, so with great joy, I made a right turn and continued driving, and driving, and driving. I was the only vehicle for miles on a two-land road with "nothing" in site — until I looked closer. There were wonderful rocks, trees, shapes made when the sun played with the trees, butterflies, birds and other of God's creations.

Phew! After driving about 20 miles, I finally reached the ranger station and the person on duty suggested that I would enjoy the drive to the top of the mountain. I got back into my car and proceeded to drive on an unpaved gravel road that seemed to just continue to spiral higher and higher. Am I driving to heaven? Will I find God at the summit?

Once again, I didn't know what was ahead of me; I only knew that something beautiful was "off in the distance" and I just needed to enjoy the ride. What a great metphor for life — if I humbly say so myself.

Since I'm not a fan of driving alone in unfamiliar territory, I kept being my own "coach." You can do it. There's nothing to fear. Look at the beauty around you. If you don't take chances, you miss out on a lot of the wonderful things that Mother Earth wants you to enjoy, etc.

After white-knuckling the last three miles, I came to the "end." A fantastic 360 degree view of a deep canyon embraced by huge mountains and populated by trees, shrubs, bugs and a car-load of hikers who arrived minutes after I did.

The views were breath taking. I found a bench and just absorbed the beauty. As I was enjoying the feel of the sun on my skin along with the soft wind that was swirling around me, I was looking at a tree where half of its roots system was literally dangling off the edge of a cliff and yet the tree was still strong, tall and beautiful. It was then that I had my "ah ha" moment.

Before a seed can grow and become a beautiful flowering plant or a tall tree, it must first send its roots down into the ground to gather nourishment. In the same way, if your dreams are to be achieved, you must first find a way to nourish and sustain them. Without an extensive root system, even the tallest, mightiest tree would topple.

Without learning, discipline, integrity, commitment, persistence, patience and effort, even the most magnificent dream will crumble. It is unrealistic to expect that your goals can blossom without first gaining a foothold on solid ground. Dreaming about what you want to manifest is the easy part. It's is easy, it's fun and it's effortless. Going after the dream in the real world requires persistence, inner strength and a substantial amount of effort.

Your dreams and goals are worth nourishing so do something everyday that will help your dreams become a reality. By spreading your roots deep enough and wide enough, there’s no limit to how high you can reach. Today is a wonderful day to work in the garden of your life. What you do today will determine what bears fruit in the future.