Have you read The Secret? I did. Years ago. And it resonated with me; the whole idea of creating the world you want through vision and belief. How else can you do it?
When I sit down to write a one-hundred-thousand (plus?) word novel, I do so without certainty of what words I’ll use. Or in what order. But I know–I believe–that if I hang on to the vision, the end goal of the story–in Romance, it’s a HEA (Happy Ever After)–and create enough conflict in, and between, characters, I’ll arrive at The End. And I do. Provided I keep typing.
The same principle applies to anything and everything. Education, love, home ownership… once a dream or goal is defined, it’s important to not only envision how it looks, but to imagine how it feels–how it will make a difference–and then use that feeling to power through doubt; to act to bring about the desired result.
When I met my husband, we each owned small pickups. Trucks perfect for single people. Completely inappropriate for a growing family. By the time our fourth child joined the fold, we were squeezed. Physically. Financially. Emotionally. But we had a vision.
We wanted a bigger home. We wanted a bigger truck. And with a lot of budgeting, hard-work, and help from family and friends, we got there. Not right away. But by the time our youngest was six, we’d traded our single-wide mobile home for a three-bedroom house with unfinished basement (which we finished) and our small trucks for one large one capable of lugging our entire family up mountain roads to picnic and collect large slab-style stones to build our backyard patio. I was a stay-at-home mom during this time, which meant we achieved this on a single income. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.
View from the passenger of that old truck that brought so much to our family
That is something I’ve come to recognize as the tenet for success in anything anyone wants to achieve: worth.
For us, our family and our family’s living experience, was worth the sacrifice, and literal blood, sweat, and tears we invested to expand our home and enjoy the things we loved; camping, backyard BBQs, birthday celebrations, sports, and weekends at the lake. These are still the same things that power us now, that drive my husband out of bed to face a barrage of meetings and conflicting agendas in an effort to advance his employer’s interests while at the same time shielding his staff’s well-being; that compel me to strive for the author life, so I can work from home and adapt my schedule to assist my mother or mother-in-law, or anyone of my four children, or other family members and friends when needed, despite the fact almost all are adults. Being an adult doesn’t prevent you needing help (though sometimes it fools you into believing you shouldn’t ask for it, because, you know, you’re an adult).
I believe everyone needs help at some point. Heaven knows I’ve needed–and will need–my fair share. I also believe everyone is deserving of a vision, a desire, a want–a Worth. But no one is better positioned to give help, or achieve a dream, than an adult.
Children–the fortunate ones–often get what they want. A Barbie. Lego set. Hockey equipment. Sleepover at Annie’s. Because their parents help them achieve it. Squirreling away overtime. Rehashing leftovers. Packing the Frozen-themed plastic suitcase, and leaving the car keys on the bedside table for the inevitable late-night plea to ‘Come GET Me, Mom. Yeah, yeah. I’m on my way.’ Dragging weary behinds out of bed to make toaster waffles, before early-morning practice. Gagging while spritzing the post-practice gear with Febreze (seriously, why does it smell like something died in it?!) Less fortunate children get what adults around them are able, or willing, to offer. That’s the power of being Adult: the right, the ability, the authority to do, and have, what you want (within legal limits). So it’s critical to have a vision. Preferably, a positive one.
A vision powered by belief in one’s self, and the outcome, is key to making what exists in thought–or heart–reality.
Harry Potter manifested from JK Rowling’s imagination. Microsoft is the result of Bill Gates’s vision. The youngest child of a low-income working family worked his dream of becoming a Country music star; the world knows him as Garth Brooks. And of course, there’s Oprah.
The only thing any of them–a billionaire British writer, billionaire American computer geek, multi-millionaire blue-collar singer, and billionaire African American talk show host–have in common, is an internal drive, a belief in themselves and the worth of their vision; and their refusal to give up on that dream, no matter the obstacle. And that’s the secret.
The secret to achieving any dream, is first in having one. And then in envisioning how it feels, how it will make a positive difference in your life. From there, it’s like writing a novel, one keystroke at a time keeping your heart and mind open to possibility, trusting in your ability to handle what comes, because it’s worth it. Because you’re worth it.
You are. So, keep going.
Deborah
We must look for the opportunity in every difficulty instead of being paralyzed at the thought of the difficulty in every opportunity. ~Walter E. Cole
