Dero’s dare: Make your dreams come true!

(Joanne Rae Ramirez is on sick leave. She is yielding her space today to Allure assistant editor Ann Montemar-Oriondo).

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Who hasn’t been touched by Regine Velasquez’s powerful rendition of Narito Ako? Or waxed sentimental upon hearing Leah Navarro sing Buhay ng Buhay Ko? Or marveled at the richness of Filipino music after watching the first Filipino pop rock-opera ballet, Tales of the Manuvu?

With his timeless compositions, it may be said that Dero Pedero has already touched the lives of many Filipinos (he also composed the award-winning Isang Mundo, Isang Awit, among many others, and some of the most recognizable advertising jingles and corporate anthems around).

These days, the multitalented Dero–an Architecture graduate of the University of the Philippines and an arts and antiques enthusiast, he has produced TV specials, is a columnist of The Philippine STAR’s Lifestyle section, and is the author of the best-selling Jewels for the Mind–is busy touching people’s lives in a different way; after having realized many of his own dreams, Dero is now helping others make their dreams come true.

For the past weeks, Dero’s seminar "Make Your Impossible Dreams Come True" has attracted participants from all walks of life from all over the Philippines, including office workers, homemakers, students, and entrepreneurs who this writer met while attending Dero’s seminar recently.

While other seminar organizers or speakers could conceivably talk at length about making one’s dreams come true, Dero surely stands a head above the rest with his unique approach. Dero puts his orientation and training as an entertainer to full use, ensuring that there is never a boring moment in the nearly five-hour long seminar (there’s a snack in between). Perhaps because he is a self-confessed "seminar rat" who loves improving himself and getting the most out of life, Dero knows exactly how to arouse the same enthusiasm from the participants.

Dero also maximizes audio-visual aids with carefully chosen film and TV clips and songs to underscore his points. He speaks as though he were simply conversing, animatedly recalling anecdotes and his own personal experiences which have been enriched by years of traveling worldwide.

While "making impossible dreams come true" might initially seem an abstract topic, Dero makes it as real, as urgent, and as worth pursuing as it can possibly be–regardless of what one’s dreams might be. (I cannot reveal exactly what they are, but three dreams of mine have gotten off the ground, thanks to the push given by Dero’s seminar.)

The amazing thing about Dero’s "secrets" for making impossible dreams come true is that they’re really quite simple. So simple, in fact, they make you wonder why you never gave them much thought nor practice in the past.

"The most neglected secret of the universe," Dero revealed, "is that everything is already here; all you have to do is look for it (whatever it is you want), work for it, and claim it." The bounty of the universe, in short, is all there for the picking–if we want to pick them.

All dreams, according to Dero, must begin with a strong desire that is habitually pictured or "visualized" clearly in one’s mind. "The most powerful Secret of the Universe," he said, is that "everything has to exist in the mind first before it can manifest and become real in the material world. What you can visualize, you can realize. What the mind focuses on, expands. The clearer the visualization, the faster the realization."

"You must believe that you deserve success/love/wealth/happiness or whatever it is you want," Dero added. With such a mindset, one becomes a virtual magnet for the universe’s bounty. Or, as Dero paraphrased it, "You attract into your life people, things and events that match the energy you have. You attract that which you deserve."

Along the way Dero expounded on the merits of gratitude ("When you wake up," he said, "don’t say, ‘Egad! It’s another day!’ Say instead, ‘God, thank you for another day’!"), treating others kindly ("What you reap is what you sow"), ridding one’s self of negative thoughts and emotions ("You have to make space for blessings to come in," Dero said. "Let go of things you don’t need"), and passing good deeds forward: "If you open your heart, the universe will open up to you."

What Dero skillfully does is to tie up and integrate many diverse concepts in a way that they can be applied concretely in daily life ("A dream is a deadline with a goal," he said), throwing in a lot of quotable quotes from the most successful people for clarification (some examples: "When you don’t know where you’re going, any place will do" –Lewis Carroll; "Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right"–Henry Ford; "We become what we habitually contemplate"–Georg Russell; and "Failure is not the falling down but the staying down"–Mary Pickford).

While one may go on and on about Dero and his seminar, words can capture only so much. The best way to appreciate it–and get the most out of it–is still to attend it oneself.

Who knows? Doing so just might herald the start of those long-dormant dreams you’ve always wanted to come true.

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(For inquiries on attending the "Make Your Impossible Dreams Come True" Seminar, e-mail Dero at [email protected] or call Deena at 0920-4053233)