Sharing passion is the gift that connects us all. It is the glue that makes a dream a reality. When we connect with others who are where we want to be, we start to believe the dream is possible. All we need to do is define our dream and then give everything we have to making it happen. Once we identify what it is we love, we find ourselves in pursuit of it. If we are driven, we put everything into the dream being realized. Obstacles appear; some are higher than anticipated. We can get over some but others may test our commitment to our dream.
Collectively, in the past weeks, we watched the London 2012 Olympics and shared in the gift of seeing dreams realized when medals were won. We also shared the pain with those that faltered or fell as they pursued their dream – the gold medal. We think about how this feels in our own lives. Are we doing everything we can to realize our dreams? Are we going for the gold or are we losing the race? Are we sharing our passion with other like-minded individuals or did we leave our passion somewhere along our path? If we abandoned the dream, can we get it back?
I’d like to share a moment where I truly felt the power of shared passion in connection with the dream. During the second week of the Olympics, I was in Chicago speaking at the Chicago Screenwriters Network and participating in the UFVA (University Film & Video Association) conference with my publisher, Michael Wiese Productions, and other screenwriting authors from his company. University and college professors from across the U.S. congregate for the week-long UFVA conference to participate in panels, workshops and screenings and to connect with the numerous authors also in attendance, whose goal in attending UFVA is to get their books added to a professor’s curriculum.
I arrived in the Windy City on Saturday, August 4th, just in time for a huge thunderstorm. On Sunday, I taught my class “Selling Your TV Pilot Script” for the Chicago Screenwriters Network at a restaurant called Porkchop. I looked out at the room full of writers hungry for knowledge. It filled my heart. I thought to myself, there is no greater gift than imparting knowledge to a group that has a shared passion to create. I could see their dreams and I wanted to fuel them. I’ve worked in the entertainment business for twenty years now. I’ve seen dreams realized and I’ve seen dreams abandoned. I wanted to send the message to this group that the dream is possible.
At the UFVA conference, I moderated two panels on “Pitching.” The panels consisted of brilliant writers from Michael Wiese Productions, all of who had realized their dream and written a book. Some of them knew what it was to experience only success in their area of expertise and some of them knew what it was to succeed and then fail but find success again in writing about their experience and the value that they gained from their field of expertise. They all realized their dream by putting their experience into words. They shared their wisdom by offering tools to succeed to the participants. To hear the wisdom that was shared and recognize that I was part of this group was enlightening and empowering.
My own dream started with the pursuit of being a head of a studio. Aaron Spelling inspired my dream and was my mentor for twelve years. By believing in my path, he enabled me to believe in my dream. I climbed the ladder to Vice President of Current Programming. I was almost there. Then, my dream was interrupted when my contract was not picked up. I had to quickly define a new dream and begin a new path. I decided to start my own business working with writers and guiding them toward their dream. I had a new dream and it awakened a voice inside of me. I wanted to write to inspire others to believe. And, I just turned in my third book to my publisher, Michael Wiese Productions. Michael Wiese picked up where Aaron left off. Michael helped me to believe in my new dream — writing books that help others realize their dreams.
The trip to Chicago was a gift. I was part of a platform about shared passion. I was inspired by the energy of the many gifted writers who are on their way to realizing their dream and the gifted writers who have already realized their dream and were there to share their passion. The week showed me that anything is possible. Do not lose sight of the dream. If your path is interrupted, create a new one. Use the energy of the shared passion to fuel the possibility. Reach for the gold. It is possible.
