I have been receiving an email newsletter from Leslie Riely for a few months now. Yes, I do like to read things that I feel are pertinent to my work. Her messages often ring true because she is speaking to the artist in all of us – and getting your creativity going – something dear to my heart. It was too hard to pick out sections to post, so here is her entire article! ENJOY!
Is This Your Leap Year?
Let’s make a pact that THIS will be the year you make significant
progress on your art dream(s). I mean really….what are you waiting for?
My favorite self-motivating question is, “If not now, when?” It is particularly motivating for me because I was such a late bloomer. I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up until a decade or so ago. Now I cannot make things happen fast enough.
I get overwhelmed and discouraged, too,with doubts like, “I’m too old” or “It’s too late.” And then I knock some sense into my head and take the next step. It really is as simple as that. Just take the next step. Other than the leap of faith, success – the realization of your dream – comes as a result of baby steps. Make that planned baby steps.
When was the last time you planned and executed something from start to finish? A dinner party? Your wedding? You had to follow through because you made a commitment to yourself and others that you would make it happen. You wanted it to happen.
Do you want your art dreams to happen? It’s as simple as planning a wedding or dinner party. Figure out what steps you need to take and the end date, create the plan, and then take each step in the necessary order.
Why is it so hard to do? Here are the TOP 5 Reasons:
#5. Nobody knows about this dream but you.
#4. You are afraid you won’t get what you want.#3. You don’t know what steps you need to take.#2. You do not have a detailed plan to follow.
And the #1 reason why you do not reach your dream…(drumroll please)…
#1. You fail to consistently take each next, small step.Let’s take a closer look at #2, because it is key to taking the baby steps. Jeannine Stein, LA Times Health writer (and a darn good book artist), says that most people fail to make the changes they want because they don’t plan out each and every step they must take to create that change. You have to plan out the details, the baby steps.For example, if your goal is a dinner party look at of these details you have to plan for:
- date? time? indoors or out? # of guests? who to invite? how to invite?
- seating – buffet or sit-down? how many chairs do you need? how many to rent?
- table – tablecloth? which one?
- food – budget? cook or cater? menu? cocktails or beer & wine?
And so on.Have you put that much thought and planning into achieving your art dream? You wouldn’t write out the invitations for your dinner party and never send them. You wouldn’t invite friends over for that party and then sit back and hope it all works out. You wouldn’t buy all the food and then wait for it to cook itself. So why do you treat one of the biggest, most important dreams in your life that way? You have to plan every single detail of every step. Vague doesn’t count.
And after you plan the steps you need to TAKE each one. You are the one who makes this dream happen. You must take consistent action. You take each next step in spite of fear, doubt or failure, because the key to overcoming all of those cracks in the sidewalk is to step over, around or through them. And poof! – they disappear.
And if all that isn’t enough to convince you, I’ll let you in on the hidden prize they award to those who take consistent baby steps. Someday, when you least expect it and are not even looking for it because you are so busy planning and taking your baby steps, the Universe will turn a baby step into a giant step, propelling you that much closer to your dream.
Now I’m not saying this all happens overnight. It can take years and that’s why most people fall short of their dream – they give up too soon. Or, sadder yet, they never start. And that’s not you. You want it. So, start right now. What small baby step can you take now? Right now?
Or better yet, get up. Yes, now, stand up and step out into the room. I want you to take a running leap into your future and shout “Today I am leaping into my future!” Then come back here, sit down and plan out your baby step. And then TAKE IT…and the next, and the next and on & on throughout 2012. You are closer than you think. You can do this. And if you need help, a nudge or a kick in the patootie, you know where to find me.
Lesley Riley, The Artist Success Expert, is the creative founder of Artist Success, Solutions for the Struggling Artist. To receive her bi-weekly articles on creating your own success as an artist, visit www.ArtistSuccess.com.
