This is one of my favourite ever quotes, because it puts the power in your hands. It reminds us that if we have the capacity to dream of something, we have the capability to make it happen, if only we begin…
“If you can do it or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” – Goethe
Back in 2010 I went on my first art retreat, and when I was there I distinctly remember picking up a copy of ‘Somerset Studio’, one of the beautiful magazines from American publishing house Stampington, and thinking “Just imagine getting published in a magazine like that.” Four years on and I am now a columnist for Stampington’s brilliant magazine ‘Where Women Create Business‘, and have been featured in several of their other titles in between.
If I think about how it happened, it was a combination of…
- Dreaming of what it would feel like to make it happen (Vision/Imagination)
- Thinking “Someone has to do it, why not me?” (Boldness/Naiveity)
- Deciding to go for it, because the worst that can happen is that an article proposal will be turned down, or ignored (Thick skin)
- Getting out of my door to network, meeting people, and getting introduced to people who know people (Deep breaths/Connecting)
- Getting clear on what I have to say, and then choosing to share that with the world (Authenticity/Belief that we each have something to offer)
- Taking steps to make it happen, and keeping at it (Persistence)
However big or small the dream, it can often be made a reality through a combination of the things above.
What steps do you find help you make your ideas happen?
PS: The column in Where Women Create Business is jointly-authored with Kelly Rae Roberts. In this third of four articles we talk about the importance of choosing to deliver products and services which serve your audience and support your purpose. It is a fab magazine – you can get a copy in all major US bookshops or via the Stampington site here.
