Following Your Dreams: It’s Not Always a Walk in the Park

Note: I wrote this blog a week before publishing my book.

I can tell you from experience: following your dreams is not easy. One of my dreams, one that I’ve had forever, has been to write a book. I knew going into the process that it would not be a simple project. I knew that it would require a lot of work, but knowing it and experiencing it are two very different things.

Not every step of the process was difficult. I wrote the book more quickly than I expected. At various times during the writing stage, however, I struggled to express what I wanted to say adequately. Additionally, from there, the publishing and editing process took longer than I had previously thought it would.

[Photo: Joyce McCown/Unsplash]

Currently, I am a short distance away from the finish line, preparing for publication. I have to admit that right now, I feel tired. It’s been a lot of work. I tried to make it as easy as I could for myself, but I nevertheless had to go through many stressful situations, and as a result, I am honestly tired. I’m sharing this because the road to this point has been long and intense.

Despite everything, I am glad I did this. Looking back, I know this is something I HAD to do. I could have easily rationalized not writing this book. I could have told myself (as I have in the past) that I did not have the time, that what I had already done was enough. But I also knew that I would not have felt good about myself.

It has taken two and a half years of nonconsecutive effort, but I can see the end of the tunnel. What I derive from all of this is deep satisfaction. I am finally sharing my ideas and thoughts with the world, and I’m very proud of how it’s turning out. I did my absolute best, and now I am ready to send the book to the world.

Its Hidden Gifts

As I was writing the book, I came to understand, at a much deeper level, a lot of what I’d experimented with and tried to do at Celaque. I remember telling my husband at one point during the writing phase that the book had already repaid my effort because I was able to put together in a coherent framework how I had built the company. It also showed me some of my mistakes and where I could improve.

The process of writing this book also made me better at my job. As I wrote, I polished the Celaque as an organization and designed it better. Celaque, in turn, made the book stronger. And so, I already feel like the book taught me what it was meant to teach me. It might have more in store, of course, but only time will tell.

I think in the end, more than anything, the satisfaction is intrinsic. I learned so much along the way, and I ultimately reached my goal.

[Photo: Joyce McCown/Unsplash]

Sharing Heptagram

And now, I’m ready to share what I learned through my work and research with the world. I hope that it might help others in the same position I was in a few years ago. It’s not easy being a founder and leading a company, and after parenting, I would say it’s the hardest thing.

Following a dream is not easy. If it were, achieving dreams would not be as special. So, if you are feeling down, defeated, or unmotivated, know that you are not alone. When we reach for these types of goals, it is not the final result that matters as much, but it is who we become in that process. You will not always feel great as you are evolving, but the process is just as valuable as the result.

Keep going. Remember why you decided to embark on that path in the first place.

Heptagram: The 7-Pillar Business Design System for the 21st Century is available on Amazon and Kindle.

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