Make It Happen

Weekly column — I title these columns when I send them off each week. A few hours after sending this one I had this deep gasp realization: I gave my column a Mariah Carey title. Great! All I ever wanted to know, I learned from a pop rock tune.

Paul and I recently attended a graduation party for a dear friend. This woman, who proudly wore her nursing pin at the festivities, has been married over 25 years and with her husband has seven children. She just got her nursing degree.

Sarah married young and started a family right away. College took a back seat to the demands of home life and caring for her children. It took her a few years to figure out what she wanted to do, but she was determined to get her college degree, at some point.

At the party the other night, I was so proud of my friend. She had her seventh baby a few months after I had my first and I remember watching her deal with the challenges of a large family. The season she was in, with seven children at home, left little time for something as time-consuming as going back to college.

And then, just like that, her children grew up. A few moved out, everyone got fairly self-sufficient, and Sarah seized the opportunity to follow-up on this dream of finishing school.

As I was congratulating Sarah for all her hard work and perseverance, she told me that someone very dear to both of us had inspired her greatly – my mom.

A few years ago, my mom did this same thing – she was nearing the end of raising her eight children and decided to go back to college to get her degree. My mom started taking classes and oh the joy and immense pride I felt watching her begin this new chapter in her life. It was fun to listen to her talk about her classes, to hear her share about interactions with professors and classmates. She was on a totally new and exciting journey and it was incredible to watch the change.

How easy it could have been for these women to convince themselves not to pursue their dreams. It’s very unconventional to go back to school at that stage of the game and while neither woman is old, they certainly weren’t the age of the average college student. But they did it. They ignored the doubt and dove in and here they are, on the other side of their college journey and enjoying the fruit of their hard work.

I am so inspired by these acts of courage and adventure. Watching people set goals – and then reach those goals – I find myself wanting to do the same.

The new year is the perfect time to make plans. It doesn’t have to involve something as grand as pursuing a college degree – but there are races to train for or artistic skills to master. My mom (continuing to inspire me) recently took up playing the banjo and while she hasn’t been invited to the set of A Prairie Home Companion just yet, she’s having a lot of fun learning as she goes.

Years ago, Paul and I started a New Year’s Resolution book, where we all (boys included) write down what we hope to accomplish that year. Sometimes I wonder if the simple act of declaring a desire helps make it happen, offering even a slight subconscious nudge.

One year, I noted that my resolution was to “move to a bigger house.” I didn’t even remember writing that until I checked the book the following New Year’s Eve – two weeks after we had moved into our new (bigger) home.

A few years ago I declared that I would “write my book.” At that point, I had no idea how I would even write an entire book or who would publish it. But here I am and my first book will hit shelves in a few months. For me, it is a dream come true.

Here’s my advice to you (and a reminder to myself): just do it. Write it down. Set your mind to it. Make it happen. There is no time like the present. Now get moving and go follow your dreams! Look around you – people are doing it all the time.