Taking
a break from Netflix this past weekend, I came across a documentary on PBS that
highlighted various women who were successful in their own ways. One person made
an exceptional impact on me from that film. Her name is Sara Blakely.
Blakely
is the creator of Spanx, a brand of leggings and undergarments. Although her
story about creating a trademark clothing by “accident” is interesting and I
admire her journey as a successful and wealthy entrepreneur – those are not the
things that grabbed my attention. It was one sentence she uttered that stopped
me in my tracks. Paraphrasing, she said something like, “Sometimes you have to
keep moving forward with perseverance and determination while at the same time,
not having all the answers.”
I
thought that statement was brilliant. If anything, it was what I needed to hear
at that moment.
You
see - there is a small group of individuals of which I am a part who are
working to establish a non-profit in the area that would help assist those facing
hardships in one particular and much needed way. We are reaching out to other
groups to pitch our idea with hopes of gaining support – and to be a part of
this non-profit.
This
is a huge undertaking and I often feel intimidated by the process. In fact, I
have my moments when panic sets in and I want to put on the brakes, jump out of
the car and run away as fast as I can.
That
experience happened last Sunday as one of my cohorts and I presented our idea
to another group. We did the best to provide answers to the many thoughtful
questions we received.
Unfortunately, there were a lot more questions than we
had answers. After about a half hour of doing our best to provide the most intelligent
responses we could muster, one gentleman in the crowd said, “I say we bring
this idea to our whole group for consideration. We obviously are not going to
know all the answers but it’s like broccoli. You try it and see if you like
it.”
Another
brilliant statement spoken by another brilliant person. His justification relieved
a bit of the terror I was feeling at the moment. In fact, he made me laugh.
“Can I steal that analogy,” I asked him. (Fair warning. I’m serious if I ask
you that question. Be careful what you say around me – I’m a writer who is
required to pen an Insight/Editorial every week, and that too, can be
challenging. So, I have to steal my ideas from whomever and wherever I can.)
With
all joking aside, the endeavor we are trying to pull off is no easy feat. But,
for whatever reason, I believe in it. As a result, I continue to move forward
in this effort, despite my pounding heart. You could say I, along with the
others who are considering this big venture, are hanging on the coattails of
perseverance and determination even though we don’t have all the answers.
I
for one, love broccoli.
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