Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

“Do whatever it takes
to make your dream come true!“

On New Year’s Day, 1988, I left home for Simon Fraser University. On a beautiful day in June, 1995, I received my Bachelor of Arts. Finally.

The seven years in between those two memorable end points were challenging and, oftentimes, lonely. It meant most evenings and weekends alone, studying and writing papers that only one person – the Teaching Assistant – would ever read. What was the point of all that work and consternation? I often – at least  once per semester – felt like giving up and walking away.

I have witnessed many dreams die at this point, when the work gets yucky and tough. People hit a bump in the road, a barrier, something they don’t know how to do or would rather not do and they forfeit their dream for seemingly easier or quicker rewarding pastures.

Just last week, I experienced that feeling again myself. I was attempting to write my positioning statement: the one sentence that defines my uniqueness as a speaker. Playing with words, I was frustrated; like I was stringing together clichés. No combination of words was quite right. I began questioning what I am even trying to do and what message I am aiming to deliver. Was my dream of being a well-known motivational speaker a mere fantasy? Had I misread all of the signs?

At this point, I cannot say my positioning statement has since come to me in a thunder bolt of genius. That has still yet to happen. However, I am fortunately surrounded by individuals with much expertise in the field who are standing by, willing to provide feedback on draft statements. The key is that I must do the tough, yucky work first in order to have something upon which they can provide feedback.

Even though I do not yet have my amazing positioning statement in hand, I do know – with absolute certainty – that one difficult-to-write sentence is not going to kill my dream. I have come too far and put in way too much work to not follow through and make my dream come true.

Please excuse me. I have some work to do before I can get to the red-carpet-and-tassel part of my dream.

Is there something you need to do before your dream comes true? You’ve got this!

(Read about those seven years and much in my autobiography I’ll Do It Myself.)