Failure: not an option

There is a great book that has really been inspiration to me lately, and as soon as I saw it in the bookstore I laughed out loud as it completely sums me up – “I Could Do Anything… if only I knew what it was”. Yep, that’s me to a tee!

We all have these grand ideas in life and while some ppl know exactly what they want to do and where they want to be, I’ve more so just traveled along some great paths, but haven’t necessarily sought them out. Passion is the key here. So basically this book helps you when you’re feeling a little lost, a little aimless, a little under-utilised. It tells you to go and do a course, to move outside your barriers, and best yet (this part really got me) it asks, what would you do if failure wasn’t an option? What would you do if money wasn’t a problem?

I studied journalism and communications at Uni, and finished a year long internship at a magazine during my last year. Then I fell into the world of music and publicity, writing all the while, doing a couple of freelance bits and pieces, and always hoping in the back of my mind that I could – someday – be a ‘real journalist’ working at a magazine or newspaper etc. I have fallen in love with lots of other paths in the meantime – I would love to open my own yoga studio, and work part time as a publicist, and then be a freelance writer around that. Yep, I’m one of those that loves stimulation.

But one thing I’ve always wondered about, and keep coming back to, is my writing. So I started researching – and soon found that I need an updated portfolio. Enter an old friend who works at a glossy teen mag. I followed her up, asked her for some advice, and ended up with an article to write! Woohoo! So I’ve got a couple of weeks to research and interview and present that article. And by the time I finish that, it will soon be February 2007 – and time for my freelance writing course. Double woohoo!

I love courses and learning but lack of money dictates what you do (or don’t) so I’ve really bitten the bullet here, paid the deposit, and have a month to come up with the rest of the money. And indeed I will! We always put things off that we don’t deem ‘vital’, but really, following your dreams is all we really should look at sometimes. So I’ll be heading over to the Sydney Writers Centre early February for a week long intensive feature writing course, and I couldn’t be happier.

Now over to YOU – what would you love to do if failure wasn’t an option? Or if there were no money worries?

Think about it and enjoy :)