But where do you start?

Fort Collins writer Graciela Sholander and co-author Sharon Cook offer inspiration and practical tips in their new book, "Dream It Do It: Inspiring Stories of Dreams Come True" (Planning/Communications, $16.95).

The book is a collection of 37 minibiographies of successful people, both famous and obscure, who have uncovered their dreams and reached them. Included are Harrison Ford, Barbara Walters and Tiger Woods, as well as people with little name-recognition like Nancy Archuleta, who went from being a teenage mother and high-school dropout to CEO of a high-tech company.

"We present stories and show the obstacles and how obstacles were overcome," Sholander said. "The reader will find that Harrison Ford was rejected early on. He was told by a powerful Hollywood producer that he couldn't act."

Fort Collins readers will recognize some of the "dream achievers" in the book, including Doug Ishii, professor of biomedical sciences at Colorado State University, and Wendy Ishii, founder of Bas Bleu Theatre.

Loveland residents Binh Nguyen Rybacki -- who founded Children of Peace International, which has helped more than 4,000 orphans in Vietnam -- and David Howard -- who gave up a secure engineering job at Hewlett-Packard to become an independent engineering consultant and launch two computer startups -- are also featured in the book.

Through the stories of ordinary people who found success, Sholander and Cook identified 10 characteristics that all of the dream achievers cultivate in their lives. Those include confidence and courage, passion and persistence, resilience and risk.

Together, Sholander and Cook call the qualities "Dream CPR," because they help you to resuscitate long-lost dreams.

"We go through the motions of life without really thinking. Sometimes we are motivated by money or an image of success instead of trying to do what is in our heart," Sholander said. "People don't listen to that intuition. We don't stop to ask ourselves what we really want to be doing in life."

Stories of successful people in the book are coupled with questions and suggestions, prompting readers to develop a gameplan for working toward their dreams.

"They get to write their own Dream CPR-journal, which will act as a road map to begin the life of your dreams," Sholander said.

Originally published Thursday, January 8, 2004