His life hasn’t been a cakewalk. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother was left to raise three boys on her own. Constant struggle surrounded the family, with everything from unpaid electric bills to living in the backyard shed of a family friend.
But that didn’t kill the ambition, the drive or the dreams that lived inside of Jonathon Prince. He graduated from high school and achieved his goal of attending Clark Atlanta University. But unfortunately, the trouble followed him there, too. At 17 years old, Jonathon found himself homeless after being robbed at gunpoint and being evicted from his apartment. But he didn’t even allow that to stop him. He eventually graduated and went on to become successful in his chosen career of television and film.
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Fast forward to the present: Jonathon has left the world of entertainment behind and has become a celebrated runner and philanthropist. He has run over 10,000 miles in support of a cause or ideal and raised more than $100,000. He calls himself a “athle-vist” – a combination of athlete and activist – inspiring hope and raising awareness for his philanthropic endeavors.
Jonathon plans on leaving the world behind to live his next big dream, which is to run a mile – on the moon!
Talk about dreaming BIG.
I got a chance to talk to Jonathon about his past and how it has impacted his present, but also his future goals and how he always shoots for the moon.
Jonathon says that he has always been a big dreamer. But where does that start?
I believe that children learn what’s possible in life from what they see around them. If all they see every day is their mother and father getting up, going to work, coming home, cooking dinner, watching TV and going to bed, then how will that inspire them to dream of anything more for themselves?
I found the following steps to encourage your kids to dream big and help them create a roadmap to achieve those dreams. I use them with my children and, over time, have tweaked them based on what seems to have been effective – or not so much.
Dreaming the Dream (Getting Their Heads in the Game)
It all starts in the mind. Encourage your children to dream big. Lend them an ear. Listen to their outrageous ideas. Remember, every great achievement began in the mind of one person because they dared to dream and believe that it was possible. Help them with their creativity. Ask them to write it down on paper or draw it out. The more they dream, the more that it is possible for them to achieve.