“God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow into them.”
~Author Unknown
Was it unrealistic for me to think that I could have a successful and fulfilling life as a writer? Just doing what I love to do full time and not having to make it a side job that I only get to do whenever I am not completely exhausted from working a job that I hate just to pay the bills. Maybe I was crazy to think that that would be possible in the beginning stages of my writing career and not have a plan B for just in case things went downhill quickly.
Well the other day I stumbled upon this clip from Youtube of a compilation of comments by actor Will Smith on success and fulfilling your dreams, and his philosophy about different aspects of achieving that success. One of the most standout statements that he made in the clip was that “the first step, before anybody else in the world believes it, is you have to believe it. There’s no reason to have a plan B because it just distracts from plan A.”
When I heard that it made so much sense to me. Why would I spend all of this time doing something that I hate doing, that keeps me from doing what I really love and really want to be doing, for the sake of just in case. The time spent on putting together a plan B does two things; it distracts me from the original plan, and it creates doubt as to whether or not plan A was really the right one to begin with.
Yes it may be unrealistic to bank all of my hopes and dreams and livelihood on plan A without a safety net but why be realistic when it comes to your dreams. Another thing Will Smith said in this clip was that “being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity”, and I believe that to be true. I’ve never been one to just settle for only what seems possible and within reach. I’ve always wanted way more than what was within my grasp and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
We should never settle in life. You have a dream, you make a plan to attain that dream, and you go for it. You protect that dream at any and all cost. It’s really just that simple. Yes there are times where you are going to have to include things in that plan that you are not thrilled about doing, but in the end it has to be included simply to attain that plan A, and not just in case plan A doesn’t work.
I think that once you set a plan in motion towards what it is you want, and you decide that you are going to stick to it, everything else will fall into place. I am glad that I stumbled on that clip because it reminded me that I should never lose faith in myself, and what I believe is possible for me, and more importantly, in what I have decided I want for my life. To, once again, quote Will Smith, “I know who I am, I know what I believe, and that’s all I need to know.”
Jimmetta Carpenter
Writer/Editor
The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)
Writing as “Jaycee Durant”
http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm
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