Today I want to share an inspirational story with those of you who have been tempted to lose heart when it comes to realizing a treasured dream or goal.
A very close friend of mine had an amazing thing happen recently.
This friend has been working in the news and entertainment industry for decades with solid success both in front of the camera as a reporter and then as a writer for TV shows such as Unsolved Mysteries and the like.
That said, it is a particularly tough industry for women and gets even tougher as you age. My friend has certainly had her share of shadow-side experiences during her career. Currently, there is quite the conversation going on in this field led by well-known women actors, comedians and musicians shining the light on earning disparity as well as gender, age and race bias when it comes to career opportunities.
One of the luminaries leading the charge is Meryl Streep. This year she used her own money to help fund a screenwriting lab for women writers over 40. Women writers were invited to submit scripts out of which a small number of those writers would be chosen to the attend the lab.
My friend leapt at that this chance because her long-held treasured dream has been to have one of her screenplays made into a film. The first day of the competition she submitted two scripts.
Long story short…my friend ended up being one of 12 chosen out of 3800 women who submitted scripts to participate in Streep’s writers’ lab. In fact, both of her scripts were in the final running. She, of course, was delighted to be a part of this prestigious and groundbreaking event – made all the more meaningful coming at this point in a long career.
The twelve women chosen – who call themselves “Meryl’s Girls” – bonded during the weekend lab, experienced interesting input from mentors who have successfully had scripts made into movies and are now leveraging their participation in the writer’s lab to hopefully get their own scripts produced.
So their journeys to realize their film-making dream continues and, for each of these women, this “win” was an uplifting shot in the arm to stay their course….something to be celebrated and savored for ongoing inspiration.
How do we apply any inspiration from this story to our own lives?
There are strategies that have sustained my friend and others I know on their path to stay the course to realize their personal, professional or creative intentions no matter the field of endeavor:
- Commit to a vision, an accomplishment or dream that has heart and meaning for you. Your dream may morph or shift over time, but it’s that heart-felt abiding passion that will keep you going through any dark night of the soul when you are stuck or the journey feels like the never-ending upward quest.
- Build confidence, skill level and know-how through nurturing your dream on a regular basis in a way that works for you. For years, my writer friend has had a discipline of writing every workday (at least 5 days a week) until 3 pm. This is a sacrosanct, focused time (whether she is working on a job or writing for herself) when she doesn’t take calls or distract herself.
- Balance out the time you commit to working on your goal by taking time for yourself to just be, play and decompress. As a long time meditator, I’m a big proponent of quiet, reflective time. But my simple favorite way to quickly refresh (even in the midst of a workday) is to unhook from technology and walk in nature. Even a short walk around the neighborhood – just allowing my mind to roam while getting the body moving – can do the trick.
- Trust your journey and take the twists and turns in stride. In fact, sometimes your darkest moments can lead to your greatest breakthroughs.
- Get support that resonates for you to access insights, guidance and, perhaps most importantly, to find help during the tough times. Writers like my friend often belong to a writer’s group to get trusted feedback and encouragement from fellow participants. I totally depend on my triad support group that I’ve been a part of for years. I know these women have my back. We have met without fail weekly year after year and assist each other personally, professionally, spiritually and emotionally with fulfilling and sometimes miraculous results…and it’s fun.
- Finally, celebrate your breakthroughs – whether they are small or large. Someone I know who is a race car driver says: “Always honor your checker flags even if it wasn’t your finest race. Every race matters.”
It’s been said that, no matter the outcome, the journey is everything. What I wish for each of you is the vision, courage and perseverance to stay your course enjoying every step of the way!
