Moving forward with a ‘make it happen’ target

THE type of person I like most are ‘make it happen’ people.

That’s someone who figures out how to make something happen rather than saying no and refusing to try.

Make it happen people are critical to the evolution of the human race.

What if Galileo believed his critics and said, “Yeah, I’m a bit daft thinking the moon has craters, you are right, I’ll put this silly little eye glass stick away”.

Galileo made it happen and so did the Wright brothers with their invention of the aeroplane.

People told them they were mad and laughed, and I am fairly confident their mum wasn’t too impressed either.

There have been many pivotal moments in human history where someone has persisted despite being told they are wrong or stupid to think the way they do.

If you think an idea is a good one, pursue the dream and make it happen.

If the door doesn’t open, find a window and if those are shut, break down a wall.

People come at you from their perspective and that doesn’t mean they are right.

Dad and mum wanted their children to be resilient and raised us using a series of lessons.

We hated them for it at the time but in hindsight, they did a good job.

I was in my early 20s and lost a job as a salesperson.

I was a horrible salesperson and talked too much, so much I could see the love for life fading from a person’s eyes.

I foolishly thought mum and dad would step in and support me but no, lesson incoming.

They paid for me to do a ribbon making course at the craft centre.

I pushed against the idea and argued my case but did it anyway.

They bought me ribbons and I spent the next two days using my newfound skills twirling soft twine and materials into pretty little things.

I put them into a basket and went to industrial parks showing my wares to staff in the offices, the stock in my basket sold bit by bit.

One woman was so impressed with my basket she paid me a decent amount to make some in tartan for her wedding.

The lesson it turns out, was if we can walk and talk and use our hands, we shouldn’t expect a handout.

There are ways to earn money and you have to make it happen.

Around that time, I took a handful of stories I’d written to the local newspaper and asked for a job.

The editor opened the top draw of his filing cabinet and said, “Look at all these resumes, they’re all from people who have degrees and we have no vacancies for them either”.

Mid-20s, I moved to a small farming town some distance away and began work as a salesperson at a Mercedes Benz dealership.

I suck at sales and spent most of the day writing short stories and dreaming about having a book published.

I hated the job and knew I needed to make a change, I had to make something happen.

I made an appointment to see the editor of the local newspaper much like before.

I spoke of my dream to be a journalist asked if I could work as a cleaner or anything really that would help me learn the ropes.

Turns out they needed a cadet, and I was told a few hours later I had the job.

I made it happen.

A year or so later, I moved back to my hometown, this time as a journalist with experience.

I took a bundle of papers back to the same editor who’d denied me, saying I was now a journalist and would like a job.

They had an opening and he liked my determination … I was in.

There are many times in life when we are at a crossroads; there’s the option of giving up on a dream or persevering.

There is a first for everything, even something simple like eating an egg.

Kudos to the one who thought, “I wonder what that round thing that came out of my chook’s bottom tastes like?”

Or mushrooms?

They’d have gone through trial and error, “This one tastes like beef, this one killed Tom immediately and this one makes you see unicorns for a week”.

Make it happen people take calculated risks and don’t give up on their dreams, unless they’re of the unicorn persuasion or inside a beef wellington.