When I was a child I dreamed of being a dancer. I wasn’t choosy. In my dreams my feet would fly as I choreographed tap dance routines or flew across a stage with fine-tuned ballet skills. A well-known young dancer lived across the back alley of our neighborhood, and occasionally I would quietly lift the lid of their family trash can beside the garage and peek into it with the hope I would find a discarded pair of ballet slippers. I was never successful at that 1940s version of “dumpster diving” and my dreams of becoming the next Ginger Rogers were dashed early on by my battle with weight. And, by the time I got smart and turned that around I was chasing another dream—writing a novel.
My writing career was primarily non-fiction writing—news releases, radio public service announcements, family communication, and my book Wellfamilies, published in 1990. In the midst of all that research and meeting deadlines I never escaped from my dream. So, when I finally wrote my first novel, Corporate Prince, the protagonist was, naturally, Phillip Groton, who shifted gears and chased his dream and a mysterious CD around the world to a poor African mission. Yes, Phillip was wealthy and could afford to turn his back on the family business and start a new life. But, while strategically important, chasing dreams is not always about having the financial resources to make it happen. It’s more about the magic word needed to turn any dream of value into a reality—PASSION.
Articles appear everywhere today with stories of entrepreneurship and small business startups. The “up” side of a “down” economy is that layoffs and the whole tangled web of unemployment often are the catalyst for people to move ahead on their own. Loss of a job, shaky job security, budget cuts, or simple boredom often ignite long-dormant dreams and, when unquenchable PASSION fires up the chase, those dreams can become a reality.
I am awed by the imagination shown in some of the small business development I see. “What are they thinking?” is my reaction to some, while others provoke a “Why didn’t I think of that?” reaction to the ingenuity. But, one thing I know. If they have PASSION for their idea, they will find a way to make it work.
Do you have a dream to chase? What’s your PASSION? Writing is my PASSION and every book I write is a new chance to chase my dream.
Now, let me hear about yours.
Terri Clamons, author
Corporate Prince, ebook at synergEbooks, amazon, and The Kindle Store
Corporate Prince, ebook at synergEbooks, amazon, and The Kindle Store
The Toy Room, ebook and paperback at wingsepress and amazon, ebook at The Kindle Store
Visit my website at http://www.terriclamons.com
So glad you're following your dreams, Terri. I've followed every dream I've ever had and actually made most of them come true. I still have a few left to go. ;-)
ReplyDeleteTerri--Passion definitely is the key ingredient for following our dreams. Whether we realize our dreams is another part of the process.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I think being slightly obsessive is also needed. I could never have written so many manuscripts if I hadn't caught the fever of obsessive behavior.
I look back and realize an obsession took over when I decided to try something new. Attending college with two preschoolers at home definitely required something more than "a desire." I was obsessed and practically nothing stood in my way. Although learning to play golf is entertainment, I set out with the same kind of one-mindedness to learn as much as I could...because I was so far behind.
Excellent thought, my friend...Celia