6.30.2008

Learning to Walk

At some point when we are babies, we decide to roll over onto our bellies, put our knees and hands on to the ground and crawl to get around. Eventually we decide to raise up from our hands, take some steps and walk. We probably fall - or our parents screaming scaring us but eventually we try it again and the baby steps give way to real steps and we walk. At some point during those early stages of walking we might feel like we've got it down pat and then we encounter stairs, things on the floor, pets and other obstacles. But did we stop walking and say forget that I give up? Nope, eventually we got up and tried again.

I have come to a realization that the way we learn to walk is much like we should approach the big huge challenges and obstacles we face in pursuit of our dreams. Our dreams come to us in different ways - for me at some point I got a vision that I should be in Los Angeles with the stars. The vision was very vague in the beginning - I could just see myself amongst the people I saw on TV. As time went on this vision got more specific and stronger. I had no idea what these things even meant at the time because I was at Purdue working in the athletic department.

When I did finally get the guts to move to L.A. in 2005 equipped with a law degree and tons of how to make it in hollywood type books, I was on very shaky ground (sort of like a baby taking that first step). I didn't have a place of my own, I had to work at a bar I didn't particularly love and I was getting rejected time and time again for the jobs I applied for - I was constantly falling down but something kept forcing me to get back up and try it again. I finally got a job in the business and got my walk on.

As time went on, my vision began to increase even more and I felt as if I were farther away from where I wanted to be - or to be more specific, farther away from what I was seeing in these visions. In the meantime, I just kept grinding and working - not without complaint, in fact kicking and screaming the entire way. But now I finally feel it is all coming together. Like a child I took some small steps one step at a time and now I feel I'm finally able to say I can walk in this Hollywood game. I have worked for the best in talent management and just accepted a job working for another leader in the game. This next job will be the most challenging of my life, but I look forward to it. EVERYTHING I've experienced in my career has seemed like the most challenging moment of my life at the time but using the step by step approach, I walked through it. We walk by faith and not by sight and my career is a prime example of that motto. I've only had this vision guiding me - true I doubt it a lot when the times are hard, but I have no choice but to go after it ... I have no choice because I REALLY see the vision as clear as day. Even when I try to veer from it, it literally pulls me back.

I encourage anyone that has or has ever had some vision or dream to go after it. Take a step in the direction of your dreams. God gives us the desires of our heart meaning He has placed them there. And what kind of God would place such strong desires in our heart that we can not achieve? It just takes a tiny step - I think my first step was as simple as buying a Hollywood career book - to start the greatest journey of our lives. That journey is the pursuit of a dream. There is nothing like it!

No comments:

Blog Widget by LinkWithin