Just do it

Over twenty-five years ago someone gave me a book which I still have in my possession. It is tattered and worn but extremely valuable to me. The title is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. The main premise of the book is that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to as long as you follow the thirteen basic principles outlined in the book. One of the basic principles is to start where you are no matter what and implement your plan even if it doesn’t make any sense or you really don’t know where you are going.


Twenty-five year ago I knew I had something to do but I wasn’t really sure what it was. So I took the first step and traversed a long and tough road but with each step I accumulated knowledge and experience which has served me well. It brought me to this place in my life. Looking back I can see how each goal that I accomplished was but a building block and although they did not always appear to be compatible, all the various journeys of my life led me here. The bits and pieces of my life all seem to be bound by a common thread…and in finding this common thread it all seems to make sense.

All dreams begin with a burning desire. Without desire nothing happens. It is the ability to hang onto that desire through all sorts of hard and discouraging times, which separate the winners from the losers. Dreams are not realized through laziness, indifference and lack of ambition.

As I spend the endless hours writing my book and developing my projects I do pass through those moments where I ask myself why I am working so hard. I don’t need to work. I could become the stereotypical Beverly Hills Housewife with nothing to do but shop and get my hair and nails done. I could kick back, travel and ideal away the time. But something in me is driven to accomplish my creative goals. It’s a burning desire.

I’ve been disappointed, rejected, abused, mocked, discouraged and broke. But deep inside there has always been a burning desire that no amount of failure could extinguish. I’ve always believed that the only failure is when you lose the desire and pack away your dreams.

My book may not make it to the best seller and it may get rejected by the publishers but I have a backup plan and fully intend to see my dream become a reality. Success I have found is not the end result but all the tiny steps along the way. It’s the little steps that are the essence of life.

If you are on your own creative path, whatever that may be, remember this story:

There was a miner who worked a mine for several years. He spent all his money and still nothing happened. One day he sold the mine to another person. The next person dug for one foot and struck gold. The first miner stopped just one foot from finding his fortune. In my journey through life I have learned one thing. When you have exhausted all your money and all your energy, just make one more call, take one more step, and move forward just one more foot. Never give up just one foot from the “goal”.

Doctor Lynn