I promised to follow up from my last post- here it is: I talk a lot about following your dreams. I think this is because, after decades of working with people in the worst situations, I know that dreams are all we have to rely on.

I have some big ones. Dreams that is.

They are so big that I have no idea how I will make them happen. So, I just focus on the next step. I don’t look at the dream itself all of the time. I just focus on what I need to do next.

I want to get one of my books to film and an entire series to Broadway. But how. I live in Louisville, Kentucky. I am not well-connected. I don’t even know how to get a story off the page and into the movies or the theater, but I know I need to connect with people who do.

The next step was to connect with those people. I started following people I would like to work with n social media. I read their books. I see their shows. I read articles about them and I scour their websites. Because I follow David E. Talbert on social media, I saw an event he posted about. I knew I would have the opportunity to meet him. I had also seen lots of other clues on his social media that he is open to helping people who help themselves. I know some of his interests and the kind of work he loves.

On a whim I bought a plane ticket to California and I packed my hopes and dreams. I talked to the universe and released my anxiety to the heavens. Whatever will be will be, I told myself. Still, I had these moments in the very few days leading up to this meeting.

“Is this crazy?” I asked my best friend and confidante, my husband. His response was perfect. He said, “Baby, chasing your dreams is never crazy.”

And with that my anxiety was gone. I knew I would be able to meet David and I knew I would have the opportunity to give him some of my work. That was all I expected. However, I received so much more. It was worth the opportunity to hear him speak about his own life and dreams. If you are a creator, you must surround yourself to hear the stories of other creators because their journey will lift you. It also reminds you that you are not alone. All journeys take work and David E. Talbert’s story was no different.

Being a creator means:

• You take chances.
• You put yourself out there to be seen.
• Sometimes you will feel uncomfortable.
• Sometimes you will feel crazy.
• You go out on a limb to meet other creators.

But you will never truly know what you can do if you keep it all locked up in your basement. You will never know. I took a risk and if I get nothing else, I received validation from the universe I am on the right track. We will see what comes of this chance meeting, but… here is the part I want you to hold on to… it would not have happened had I not spent time researching people who I think will be interested in what I am working on. Small steps like reading articles and following someone on social media directly led to this huge meeting with a writer, producer, and director. Had I been obsessed with only the big picture, these smaller steps would not have been in place.

This is why I encourage you to develop a plan and work it. Just take the next step. You will know exactly where you need to go next.