14 Videos You Should Share on “Make Your Dream Come True Day”

Jan 4th, 2012

Each year on January 13, wedged in there between "Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day" and "National Dress Up Your Pet Day" lies "Make Your Dream Come True Day." The idea is to use the day to move yourself a little closer to your lifelong dream by taking at least one step towards accomplishing it, or helping someone else take their own step. To get yourself motivated, take a look at these 14 videos, then inspire your friends by sharing with them.

Jason McElwain

This moving video and others like it have gotten millions of hits since 2006 when the story took place. Jason McElwain is a highly-functioning autistic kid from New York who had served for four years as the team manager for his beloved varsity basketball squad, but had never been given a spot on the roster. During the final minutes of the division title game, McElwain's coach sent him in where he made six three-pointers and became the game's high-scorer.
Braeden Kershner

At the age of 18, Braeden Kershner's dream was to conduct the Boston Pops. The problem: the privilege came at a cost of $10,000. So he set about earning the money by working 11 jobs, somehow finding time to also learn every instrument in the orchestra. Kershner did not stop once he fulfilled his dream. After joining the Marines, he now teaches music, where he has mentored band kids and given them a reason to stay in school.
Bobby Henline

Bobby Henline's dream of becoming a stand-up comic came true by way of a hard road. This particular road was in Iraq, laced with roadside bombs. Henline was severely disfigured by the blast that killed other members in his unit. But Hemline was determined not to let his injuries prevent him from achieving his goal, not only for himself but for the other soldiers killed in his vehicle and throughout the war. He is now a motivational speaker and comedian with "more doors open to him now than before."
Susan Boyle

In an industry that prizes beauty just as much as ability, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges on Britain's Got Talent took one look at Susan Boyle and thought the same thing others had thought: she won't be able to sing. But this woman who "never had a proper chance" took one breath and blew them all away with her amazing voice. She's since become a household name, selling over 14 million albums. And that first song she sang? "I Dreamed a Dream," of course.
The Tipton-Smith family

The Tipton-Smith family went through back-to-back tragedies when their home burned down, and their son Ransom was killed in a car accident. Faith Tipton-Smith wanted to finish the family home Ransom had helped plan, but did not have the funds. In the video, the folks at Extreme Home Makeover help them finish the home. The family also gets to meet Rachel, the girl who received Ransom's heart, which saved her life.
J K Rowling

You've heard the name, but what you may not have known is before she was worth $1 billion, Joanne Rowling was a divorced single mother living on welfare with an infant child. In this video, she recounts how she made her dream of making it as a writer a reality by writing whenever, wherever she could.
Rudy

The film version took a few creative liberties, but the real-life Rudy really did fulfill an impossible dream of playing football at Notre Dame. At 5'6", 165 pounds, Daniel Ruettiger slaved away on the practice squad before finally getting on the field for the last play of the last game of his senior year. He recorded a sack and was carried off the field, the first of only two times in the history of the school.
Dustin Lance Black

When the film Milk won the Oscar for Best Screenplay in 2009, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black gave this short but moving speech about gay rights in America. He recounts how his dream of being able to live his life freely came true, and he sends a message of hope out to homosexual kids everywhere, telling them to hang in there because one day soon their dreams of equal rights will be a reality.
Walt Disney

As far as dreamers go, they don't come any bigger than Walt Disney. This video is a clip from a special about the life of the man who was once fired from a newspaper for having "no creative ideas." Disney dreamed of making wholesome entertainment for kids, and he succeeded with his movies and ultimately with his biggest dream, Disneyland.
William Wallace

Maybe you're one of the three people who still hasn't seen this movie. William Wallace dreamed of a Scotland free from the tyranny of British control. His (fictional) speech before the battle at Bannockburn is in the canon of classic inspirational videos. If you haven't watched it in a while, go back and listen to the words…If you're fearing taking a risk, you may regret it one day.
Margie Warrell

This practical video is an interview with Margie Warrell, author of Find Your Courage, a best-selling book about dreaming big, overcoming your fears, and chasing those dreams down. She tells you to quit procrastinating and lay out a plan for becoming the achiever you always hoped you would be.
Dream On by Aerosmith

Here's Steven Tyler reminding you not to stop dreaming when you fail, because you got to lose to know how to win.
Kriss Carr

Kriss Carr had a simple dream: to not let cancer kill her. Some people tried to tell her that her rare form of cancer had a 100% mortality rate, but she refused to acknowledge such a thing. Instead, she made cancer "her guru." This video from the Oprah Winfrey Show is a montage of clips from her documentary Crazy Sexy Cancer. Eight years later, Carr is still going strong and still dreaming big.
Dead Poet's Society

This is a great clip to get you in the mood to go out there and seize the day. Robin Williams' Professor Keating exhorts his young pupils to look over the faces of the young men who went before them, who are now long gone. "Make your life extraordinary," he tells them. If this video doesn't fire you up, nothing will. Carpe diem!