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A Winning Philosophy on How to Chase and Achieve Your Dreams
I was that kid. The one that everyone said was super talented, had a gift, and would someday be famous. "Please, don't forget us little people", they would say. They were so certain I would be rich and famous one day because I could draw things on paper to some degree of convincing accuracy.
I was a big kid. Stocky, they called it. Or "corn fed", if they were trying to be playful by comparing me to cattle raised specifically for slaughter. I played football, and grew up in a small rural community where I was not exactly a "popular kid", but I wasn't ostracized either. I excelled in academics, I loved art, and I was a decent athlete. I came from a hard-working lower middle class family. We didn't have much, and what we did have we worked hard to have. My dad held 2-3 jobs most of my youth, and was always putting in extra hours to make ends meet. I also had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a somewhat cherub-like boyish face. I didn't even have to shave regularly until I was well into my 20s. lol. All that combined meant people didn't see the low self-esteem, the severe lack of confidence, and the crippling social anxiety that I became very good at hiding. Their assumptions were my greatest fears. The pressure. The expectations. The fear of the unknown and the dreaded "what if?". I lacked focus. I lacked confidence. I lacked a healthy sense of self-esteem and self-worth. I compensated with anger, pride, and bravado as a teenager, but that soon turned to fear, depression, and reclusive behavior in my 20s.
I'll be 44 in August. What I've learned over the years is that you cannot go through life afraid of consequences. I've created over 700 characters set in a variety of worlds. Each with their own stories and adventures. I've dabbled in super heroes, fantasy, sci-fi, tons of mash-up genre stuff, and even children's books. I've worked on hundreds of products over the years, and brought hundreds of other people's dreams and imaginings to life in print, but this is the first year I will be publishing anything of my own. Why? It took me a long time to figure that out, but it comes down to this: I listened to the fears of others, and I began to buy into them. What if you fail? What if no one likes it? What if you put yourself out there and people make fun of it, or worse, ignore it? What if? What if? What if?
Enough.
You won't know until you do it. So, I'm doing it. It's not easy, but I'm doing it because I can't bear to live with myself if I can't be brave enough to at least try.
Failing, I thought, was the best thing that ever happened to me. Suddenly, the expectations and the pressures were gone. Suddenly, I was a normal guy with normal expectations. If I could only get through university and find a job, I would have achieved my highest potential - just like every other normal person out there.
I learned a lot from my failures, but ultimately, I let myself off the hook of reaching my potential and climbing to heights of greatness, which was what I had always wanted. I didn't admire Jim Lee or George Lucas because they were simply great at what they did. I admired them because they were the best at what they did! I wanted that. I wanted some notoriety. I wanted to stand out, but I was not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to get there. I didn't know that's what it took.
Some might call it compromise, or selling out, or accepting defeat, but as I age, I find I don't NEED that level of success any longer. What I do desire is to be respected as a creative, and to put out content people love. I want people to react to my works naturally and honestly. If that nets me some notice, then great, but if not, then also great. My joy is in creating and finishing works these days. I found comfort in that at long last only by failing and refusing to give up. I continue to fail, and I continue to stand up one more time.
This is the part that I grew up unaware of. I was told repeatedly that certain things were impossible and out of reach for me. Yet at the same time, I watched Jim Lee and the Image Comics guys completely change how comic books were made and received. I also watched George Lucas completely revolutionize film as an independent creator that made films that continue to resonate in popular culture 40 years later.
Change or new ideas are almost always considered impossible until they happen. They good news is that we now live in an era where technology is making the impossible probable. Any of us can download an app to our iPhones right now, and film and edit a feature length film on it. What? That's insane! But it's a reality we live with right now!
Impossible is just an excuse not to try.
Walt had it figured out way back in the 1930s. He knew being a dreamer and pushing your imagination was the way to go. Nothing happens if you cannot imagine it first, and then try to make it real. Even Nikola Tesla utilized this theory imagination before committing his ideas to any physical form.
If the greatest minds of the Modern Age agree upon a point, it is very likely true. Imagination - the ability to conceive an idea within your mind's eye - is the key to unlocking your true potential. What can you imagine for yourself? For your project? For your career? Life? How far can you take it?
Then figure out how to make actionable steps for practical application that will take you there. How did Steve Jobs eventually get to the iPhone? It was not an easy or quick process, but he got there!
And THAT is the key to unlocking your success. You have to be able to imagine things - to fully express your dreams - in order to find the courage to lift yourself up and truly soar to success. If you can visualize yourself being successful, for instance, then you can see the path to getting there in real life.
Ah, yes. The "what if?" monster. It nibbles at your heels and fills you with doubt.
Kick it away, and tell yourself, "what if you don't try?" or "what if you succeed beyond your wildest imaginings?" instead!
Doubt will kill you - or at the very least wither you until you are but a shell of who you could be. Don't let it win.
Visualize that wonderful future, and figure out how to get there!
After all...
My #steemgig posting:
https://steemit.com/steemgigs/@har5h/create-professional-illustrations-andor-graphic-designs-for-you
Follow my Patreon and become a Patron to see some of these projects come together!
See it, feel it, own it, make it. If it falls apart, you can always restart over and make it better. If you never try, you will never know, and you will always question why you did not try.
Exactly!
I saw this the other night, but it was just as I was going to bed so I didn't get a chance to read it until just now.. And I have to say.. It was a great read. I highly resonated with almost everything you said.
I think fear is good, and overcoming fear is good. I think we're all scared, but overcoming that fear to do what we believe in is critical in my opinion, especially if your goals are not infringing on anyone else.
Also.. Some of those big names, like Lucas.. Might have very well likely got where they are more for their occult connections than for their actual.. Skill in relation to others in the same field.
There's too many amazing artists of in my opinion higher quality who will never be discovered, just because they weren't part of the "occult' structure. Though.. You do have a point in regards to how any average person now has way huger chances of reaching large amounts of people.. That is an important game changer in my opinion! Perhaps a double edged sword. For all involved, especially those who created the internet.
Hopefully I didn't lose you too much with what I was saying there and you sort of follow me. I think it's great you're following your dreams, and I think the only reason a lot of people like yourself and myself don't get big like some others.. Is because they are part of a "club". Unfortunately in my research, few famous people are not tied to these secret groups, and I think that's a major reason why they get more access to huge audiences. Their messages are approved. It's much hard for us to get ours more validated. But.. All the more important too in my opinion!
It's critical we try to create our own spells and our own magic through our various art disciplines. We need less mainstream shit, and more unique every day person art. :) In my opinion anyways.. Thanks for the awesome entry! Really loved it. This is gonna be a hard round to judge.
Yes, I follow you very well, @apolymask. I think we have traveled similar rabbit trails. lol.
I have my beliefs/feelings on all that, but I'm not allowing myself to dwell upon it much these days. Upward and onward is my focus. :)
And yes, respect for fear and things that cause it, and common sense and moderation in all things, but again, the available tech, some stubborn determination, and a heaping dose of optimism can be the equivalent of pixie dust, IMHO. I'm certain there is an audience/market for my stories. No doubts. :)