I have a friend who always dreamt of being a published author.
She’s now the author of five books, one of them that hit The New York Times best-seller list. She’s been so successful at
writing that quitting her day job to become a full-time author is actually
within her grasp. When someone asked her what was the best advice about writing
that she ever received, she said something so simple yet profound that it’s
stayed with me. She said that she just took the first step and sat down and
started writing.
The advice she received was from Mark Batterson’s book In a Pit with a Lion On a Snowy Day. The
book is about how to thrive when opportunity comes, and Mark describes the idea
of “one small step, one giant leap” moments. He writes, “One courageous choice may be the only thing
between you and your dream becoming a reality. And it may be as simple as
placing a phone call, downloading an application, or sending an email.”
Essentially, small choices can have major consequences.
My friend took this advice to heart. She dedicated her lunch
break to writing her first novel. She closed the door to her office, put up a “Do
Not Disturb” sign and cranked out the story. She risked rejection and submitted
the manuscript and eventually got a book deal. The journey to becoming a
published author began with taking the time to write a few hours every week
and the courage to send her manuscript to a publishing company. Such a simple
first step, yet the consequences have been life-changing. Essentially it boils
down to this: She stopped talking about writing a book and actually started
writing a book.
It’s not a complicated concept, but the idea of just doing
the next thing and taking the first small step isn’t easy. Why? Because it’s
easier to stay in the safe zone. What if my friend had finished her book and no
one wanted to publish it? What if you ask a girl out, and she says no? What if your
boss doesn’t think your idea is a good one? What if you study for months and
still don’t pass the final exam? What if …
As young adults it can seem overwhelming to actually
start achieving our dreams, right? We can become paralyzed by all the possibilities
that we freeze up, and instead of taking one step, we don’t take any. We
think about taking that one small step someday … someday when I’m done with
school … someday when I’m financially secure … someday when I’m married. But the
problem is someday comes and goes, and we still haven’t take the first step to
pursue our dreams and live out whatever God has called us to.
Is there something in your life requiring you to just take
the first step? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by where to start, what’s one
thing that you can do to get started?