Don’t wait for the door to open. Open It!

From the time I was young, there was always this feeling that someone was going to come along and sweep me off my feet, or I’d be discovered by an agent and get a role in a movie, or maybe even win the lottery and become a millionaire. It’s a fun dream that requires little effort. It’s rarely the reality.

When I became a teacher, I’d watch students jot down two or three sloppy sentences when asked to summarize, hand it in and expect an A. It was then that I began talking about effort. There seemed to be an expectation of a reward without the work. The reality is that if you want to be successful at something, acting, writing, teaching, cooking, parenting, even relationships or marriage, you must put in a lot of effort. Nobody is going to come along, wave a magic wand and make all your wishes come true. You must make your own wishes come true, which requires dedication, persistence, a belief in yourself, and hard work. It means picking yourself up when you fail and moving on. There is no perfect life, the one in your mind that tells you you’ll be happy when (fill in the blank)__________ happens. There is today, right now. Ask yourself what you can do today to work towards your dreams. Then relax knowing you’ve opened the door and you’re all you need to make your wishes come true.