What are your dreams, goals and ambitions? We all have them. At Microsoft, we used a term called "BHAG" or Big Hairy Audacious Goals! What is your BHAG?
For me, I always wanted to be a writer. I never took the time to fulfill my dream of writing as I was busy with something called a career. But old COVID showed up after I retired and due to the lockdown, it gave me the excuse and ability to start working on this dream of mine. I remember taking an old PowerPoint on leadership that I used to use for speeches and turning that into a book on leadership. I worked with someone who is now a dear friend and writing mentor to me, Judith Briles, who is known as "The Book Shepherd." Now I considered myself to be a good writer. I mean come on! I had been writing in business for years. But as I soon found out, writing for business and writing a book are two separate things.
Like most writers, my first draft frankly sucked. But like most writers, I didn't let it deter me. With Judith's coaching, I went back at it and realized something. I truly enjoyed the art of writing. I took to it like fish to water. I relished the days in the week where I could carve out 3-4 hours and just write. I loved it! And I was learning. Learning by doing, by editing, by great feedback from Judith and my other editor, my wife Janice,. Learning to hone my craft of writing. I kept at it. I was fulfilling my dreams of becoming a writer. Eventually, I was able to get my first book published. But that wasn't enough for me. I wanted more!
So, I proceeded to write another leadership book. More of a "how to do" book based on feedback from those who read my first book. This was a fun one to do also as I could really delve into areas like how to build teams. Or, how to get C suite by in for your strategic goals. Or how to sustain success over time in your organization. Boom. I was able to publish the second book which was an Amazon Best Seller. But I wanted more!
I am an avid reader of thriller and action fiction. From the old days of the Mike Hammer, novels by Mickey Spillane to the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child and the Bob Lee Swagger novels by Stephen Hunter, I loved action books. I wanted to write one and hopefully join the ranks of these authors I so admired. But fiction is a different breed of cat than non-fiction. So I started watching Master Classes by authors I admired. David Baldacci, Dan Brown, Walter Mosely all had courses on Master Class and I devoured them all. Then I got to work.
I started writing my own action thriller and called it "Full Circle." It was exhilarating to write this new genre of book for me. Researching weapons systems, delving into places of the world where I had been as a CIA officer and then coming up with the plot, characters and dialogue, all really got my creative juices rolling! I realized that my new writing passion was fiction. I was fulfilling another dream of mine. The book is published and reviews from many people have been overwhelmingly positive. I'm now working on book two of the series.
The point of this blog and the picture above is that your dreams, goals and ambitions are a passport to seeing these desires go from thought to reality. No matter how daunting or seemingly impossible your dreams may be, I guarantee you, you can get there. It may not be easy and it may not happen overnight. In fact, I guarantee it will not happen overnight. But keep at it. Leaders and winners always do. They keep at it day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year, until their dreams are fulfilled.
Open up that dream passport and get ready to travel to wherever your dreams and passions take you to. And remember to enjoy the journey. Till next time!