I could not wait to jump into this borrowed treasure from one of my best friends that loves and appreciates the glass ceiling breaker just as much as I do, maybe even more.
I believe you can tell a lot about a book by its wear and tear. My favorites hold places next to the best coffee and keep me company at dreadful doctor's appointments.
“I realize why Christina's journey can end. Christina has learned what she needs to know. Her toolbox is full. She has learned to not to let go of the pieces of herself that she needs in order to be what some one else wants. She's learned not to compromise. She's learned not to settle. She's learned, as difficult as it is, how to be her own sun." -Yes To The Sun
Man, only a few chapters into this national treasure and already, I'm diving head first back into my to-do list that has been rotting since January. I haven't made it to Shonda status, where I'm able to dedicate an entire year to challenging myself to 'Say Yes' to things that I may not always oblige but already inspired is an understatement.
And then it happened;
Fairly early on in the book she discusses her making an uncomfortable commitment to giving a commencement speech to her alma mater, Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Funny enough, this was right around the time I found myself tasked with the daunting assignment of writing a letter of recommendation for the professor that taught me everything I know about journalism to become a tenured professor, talk about pressure! Not to mention the sprinkle of procrastination that I'd added over the course of about 30 days. To be honest, I wanted it to be perfect, I wanted to make her proud, and ultimately I wanted to make sure that she had the best shot for the job based off what I said, after all, she did see fit to make me her EIC...twice.
After a couple of nights of typing and deleting, editing, and drafting, I pause to read and take my mind out of the spiral for a second and landed at the points that Shonda had prepared to share with the new graduates.
Ditch the dream. Be a doer, not a dreamer. [ Eh, thanks for that encouragement as I'm daydreaming into the lovely pages of your book instead of doing the thing that I should be doing. ]
Tomorrow is going to be the worst day ever for you. [ It sure is, if I don't hit send on this email! ]
Anyone that tells you they are doing it all perfectly is a liar. [ Ah ha, let me get on the main line and get some help. ]
I'll have you know, I got that LOR done and...on time. Shonda makes it so easy to relate to and then empowers you to do the thing because no one really wants to but some of us have to. Some of us can't sleep through the dream because we're up all night taking notes of it to not miss an opportunity to bring it to life the way it came to us. At this point, even if it doesn't come out right or it's not perfect, not ready for the year of yes' but I am ready to be a doer.
コメント