Are you Stepping Boldly?

I got the following email from tut.com today:

"Always, it's the one with a certain and definite dream, who boldly steps into the uncertain and indefinite, who goes the farthest and throws the best after-parties."

Are you stepping boldly into the uncertain and indefinite?

I feel I have the first part.  I have a certain and definite dream to make a living as a fiction novelist.  And the second part, to step boldly into the uncertain and indefinite... I feel I did that too, it just didn't work out.

When I quit my last full-time job as an educational interpreter, that was a pretty bold step.  I took the leap of faith.  I stepped out on that limb.  I focused on writing full-time, and self-published 3 full-length novels, and one novella.  Yet, I didn't see the monetary reward of doing that, and that's the hard part.

Sometimes dreams take a little longer to come to fruition though.  Think about the professional athletes who spend all those years through their childhood, into high school, college, and sometimes beyond, before getting chosen by a professional team and before they can make any money through doing the sport they love.

Think about the stories of authors, dancers, and actors who didn't "make it" until they were later on in life.  Morgan Freeman, I think I read, was in his 50s before "making it" as an actor.  And he's an exceptional actor!  Stephen King has MANY books out there that didn't take off, until the ones that did.

Stories like this abound.  Perhaps the only way to truly know if you want something is for it not to come easy.  For you to try and "fail" on multiple accounts, but to stick with it.

When I started my current traditional job as a job coach, I thought I might be done with writing.  For a period of time I wondered if I had written the books I was meant to write, and it just wasn't meant to be for me... that I was meant to stick to working a traditional job, with the steady paycheck and nice benefits.

But seeing as how I've only been in that job 3 months and I'm already getting that spiritual urge to "run," I don't know that sticking with traditional employment is for me after all.

I say "spiritual urge to run" because it truly feels spiritual.  It's coming from deep within me.  My job is secure.  It's comfortable.  It's a good job.  But my spirit is still calling out.  My spirit feels discontent.

This reminds me of part of the book I'm still reading by Robin Roberts, "Everybody's Got Something."  I can't find the page to quote it exactly right now, but the gist is this:

Many of us don't like to hurt others' feelings, disappoint people, or come across as rude.  So we often make choices that take that into account.  But when it comes to our LIFE, you've gotta drop the fear.  Do what you need to do.

Of course that still doesn't mean to be purposely mean, hurtful, or inconsiderate.  But it's your life; it's in your hands alone; and the outcome is up to you (to a large extent).

In Robin's case, she was talking about a time in the course of her treatment, when she wanted to make a change, but didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  Hers really WAS a potential life or death situation.  Most of our dilemmas aren't so dire, at least not in that sense.  But your life is just as important.

Think about your dreams.  Are you taking bold and consistent action towards them?  That doesn't mean you have to drop everything and dive head-first into the water that is your dream.  But make your way there.

I saw an interview years ago with Po Bronson on the Oprah show after the release of his best-selling book, "What Should I Do With My Life."  If you haven't read it, I also highly recommend it.  To give you a brief summary, Po had a high-profile, very high-paying job.  But he wasn't satisfied with his life.  He was discontent and unhappy.  He made the choice to walk away from his job and be an author full-time.  In his interview with Oprah he said it like this (paraphrasing): "I wasn't going to choose money and then my dream.  Instead, I chose to work my way there, little by little."

Also remember (as I am now) that we don't know HOW things will work out.  And it's not even important that we do.  What's important is to focus on what you desire.  Focus on the end result.  HOW you get there... leave that up to the Universe.

In peace and love,
Sarah