Lady Liberty has been a beacon of hope welcoming scores of dreamers to America’s shores for many decades. The role Ellis Island played in our nation’s history is so immense it is estimated that close to 40 percent of all US citizens can trace at least one of their ancestors to it.

For generations we’ve been told that with a dream, hard work and determination we can pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and achieve whatever our imagination holds. With our country more politically polarized than ever, it is easy to get caught up in all the cynicism and to start to question whether or not the American Dream is still possible.

The United States is the only nation in the world that has been built solely upon a dream and an idea.

It is often easy to question American idealism as we as a nation are still striving to live into the ideals spelled out by our founding Fathers. Much has come out of that idea, and much of it was, and still is, very messy. A country in which people are free means we are free to succeed and to fail.

But the real truth is this: We have each been endowed with the power to create a life we love. That success is not dependent on the government or the economy, but on how we choose to manage our thoughts and on the small, but courageous action steps we take each day.

As our nation pauses celebrate the anniversary of our independence, take a moment to step back from all the negativity. Take a deep breath and reconnect to YOUR dream…

And then remember this:

There will be haters and doubters – and then there will be YOU, proving them wrong!