Dreams Defined...

2018-03-21T18:27:00.001-07:00

A dream is a clear vision of hope. And you’ll see as you continue in life, if you haven’t already, that there will always be a need for a dream. One reason for that is that human beings by nature have no choice but to imagine. It’s within our DNA to imagine. No one had to teach us how to dream when we go to sleep at night, it just happens. That’s one proof if there ever was that there’s a God. Another reason for dreaming is life can often times be difficult and present all kinds of challenges. Challenges that train us to become champions or failures, and I’ve come to find that the difference between the two lies within who’s more willing to pursue their dream. For example, take two people confronted with the same problem—a money problem. One dreams of becoming a real estate guru, building multiple streams of income, and the other has no dream. The other has no creativity on how to tackle the problem. Who’s more likely to solve the issue of the money problem? The one with the real estate dream, and it doesn’t even matter whether or not he becomes the real estate giant, what matters is he will start doing something to get out of his situation because he has a dream that’s fueling him. The other one won’t because he has no fuel; he’s lifeless.

A clear vision of hope supposes that you truly know what it is that you’re after. You’re not confused about it whatsoever, because for you this is it. This is the thing that I’ve desired, this is what I was made to pursue. I want to keep this as simple as possible. All of us have a clear desire to eat food because we were hungry. The negative reality was being hungry and the clear vision of hope was some kind of delicious food gliding across our tongue down our throats. Every day you have a clear vision of hope when it comes to eating food. And in order to get it, it demands that you do some specific things in order for the food that you desire to end up in your stomach. What’s my point? My point is that the hunger didn’t come from outside of you it came from within. Some of you may be saying that you don’t have a clear vision of hope and you don’t know what it is that you want to do. Truly if you really want to know what your dream is, all you have to do is give sometime to your heart. Your heart will speak to you and show you what inside is craving for most in life.

What is the thing that has kept you up at night, and what is it that lights a fire in you when you hear someone start to speak about it, what is it that gives your life meaning and value aside from financial profit? That’s how you find the door to the dream inside you, and that’s how you find the door to the real you that’s been hiding behind the life of fear that you’ve settle for because you were too scared to chase your dreams. One thing I noticed is no matter where I am; if I’m hungry no one is going to stop me from eating. I could be in the craziest part of the world but if I’m hungry then I’m going to eat. You’d better put your craziness on hold, because I want my food. Well, it should be no different with the things that you desire in life. If you truly desire to have your dream, then you’ll do whatever is necessary to get it.

2018-03-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

Allen Gabriel was in first grade when he started drawing sneaker designs that would pop into his head. Around that time, his father walked out, leaving his mother to raise three kids in Asbury Park.

Those experiences — one enlightening, the other jarring — planted seeds for a dream that is on the verge of coming true.

Gabriel, now 32 and living in Neptune City, has started his own brand of luxury sneakers. He has samples, the interest of at least one high-end boutique and plans to start taking orders online in the coming weeks.

And there is a twist: His new company’s long-term goal is to employ local teenagers, especially the ones he encounters at his day job as a drug-addiction counselor, through internships and other resume-building positions.

“I want to be able to go into rehabs and get kids — kids who I know are going back into negative environments, and let them be a part of something like this,” said Gabriel, a Rutgers University alum. “I want to give them an opportunity that wakes them up and helps them say, ‘I don’t have to do drugs. I don’t have to be in a gang. You know what, there are opportunities for me out there.’ ”

He also wants to donate 10 percent of profits to three teenage drug recovery units in New Jersey. As a result, Gabriel said, he has rebuffed potential investors who didn’t see eye-to-eye with his vision.

A vision comes alive

To do that, though, Mascavii shoes have to take off. It’s not an easy market to break into. Gabriel spent four years researching and making the right connections.

He found a designer, Mario Sagastume, to bring his vision to life. Then he lined up a manufacturer, which produced eight samples.

“I bootstrapped it,” Gabriel said. “I was working as a counselor, making $30,000. So I would pay whatever bills I had and the rest went toward this project.”

The first sneaker, the Mascavii Prospect, is on the way. It’s a high top that will retail for $450 in luxury boutiques like New York-based Kix and Stylz. Gabriel said a forthcoming Kickstarter campaign will offer them for $105 to those who donate.

‘Possibilities are endless’

When asked how he reconciles pricing a pair of shoes at $450 with his mission to help kids in need, Gabriel stressed that “our target consumer is 21-35 years old, not the teenagers we’re helping.”

He added, “I’m more focused on kids learning to create products, so they can gain the tools to create financial freedom for themselves.”

Otherwise, Gabriel said, poverty’s vicious cycle will keep chewing up young lives.

“The only people they see with money are people on the street, and they gravitate toward that,” he said. “I want to show them there’s another way to be successful and it doesn’t involve hurting anybody.”

It took Allen Gabriel 25 years to bring his daydreaming doodles to life. He doesn’t want others to wait that long.

“If there were more people like Allen, Asbury would be a very different place,” Clancy said. “If everyone tells you that you can do something and they believe in you, the possibilities are endless.”

For more information on Mascavii shoes, visit www.mascavii.com or the Facebook page www.facebook.com/mascaviishoes/.

Allen G.

Dreams Defined...