“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
E.L. Doctorow, Author
I came across this beautiful quote from the prizewinning author, E.L. Doctorow, when I was first starting my business in January 2003 (“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”) I loved what he was pointing to, and used this idea as the basis not only for how I wrote, but for how I developed my business. You see, there are three powerful things implied by this simple quote:
– You have a “good enough” sense of the destination you’re heading for. You may not know exactly how to get there, and you may not be clear on every single detail of what your destination looks, sounds and feels like, but there’s something you know for sure: You have a sense of your destination that’s “good enough” that once you get there, you’ll KNOW that you’ve arrived. This mean you’re already in a position to begin. You don’t need to know what every step of the journey will look like in detail.
– You have a power source and a means of moving forward. In the case of the car, this includes the engine, driveshaft and wheels, as well as the fuel in your tank. The fact that you can sense the destination means there’s a way for you to move forward.
– You can sense your terrain and respond accordingly. The combination of your headlights, the instruments on your dashboard, your controls, your own senses and your understanding of driving mean you can respond to the ever-changing environment and make adjustments where necessary. We’re capable of so much more than we think we are, and we’re better than we realise at responding in the moment.
These three implications are probably why Doctorow’s quote resonated so deeply with me when I first read it. I wrote my first newsletter in January 2003, and have written an article pretty much every week since. But the resonance was even deeper than that. I intuitively sensed that we all have this “inner guidance system” capable of guiding us through life. As I’ve grown my business, I’ve often taken paths which looked unwise or even insane to others, but that I intuitively knew were the right move for me. For example…
– Calling my first business “Salad”. I received incredulous messages from some of my colleagues asking “Are you serious? Have you really called your personal development business Salad?” But it turned out to be one of the best business decisions I’d ever made.
– Launching my first card deck in 2004. I had a real sense of urgency because I somehow got that these cards were just what people in my community needed at that time.
– Leaving the field of NLP at the height of my success to explore something that seemed way more “out there” to many people in my community, the principles behind clarity.
Each of these decisions was guided by insight and intuition.
Of course there have been mistakes along the way, but it turns out that the decision to deepen your grounding, attune yourself to that inner wisdom and take the next step is one of the best things you can do.
To your increasing clarity!
Big love
Jamie
PS. I’m looking for six super-specific people for my next pilot programme. Here’s what I’m looking for:
– You are an experienced and successful coach, trainer, consultant or change-worker (E.g. Management Consultant, Transformational Coach, Platform Speaker, Workshop Leader etc)…
– You've been in business and seeing clients *professionally* for at least 2 years, and have been developing your understanding and approach for quite a bit longer than that (i.e. you’ve got your own way of working, complete with "war stories”, your own insights and a proven track-record of engaging and impacting your clients in ways that they pay decent money for)…
– Chances are, you came to the conclusion quite a while ago that if you had your own book, it would further establish you as an authority in your marketplace, and make a big difference to your business in terms of visibility, credibility and cash-flow, HOWEVER…
– You simply don’t have the time, patience or inclination to spend years developing a unique writing style and furiously word-smithing between 25,000 and 35,000 words of hard-wrought, non-fiction goodness. In fact, if you’re the person I’m looking for, you’re probably too busy hustling (growing your business, serving your clients and bringing home the bacon) to embark on an extended literary write-a-thon…
– You have a book in you, but you haven’t written it yet, and you may be starting to wonder if it’s ever going to get written…
– You have a coachable spirit, and are willing to step out of your comfort zone if necessary…
– You’re decisive and effective; you love getting things done and making things happen…
– You’re aware that your expertise has limits, and are willing to accept high-quality guidance / support where necessary…
– You’re an enthusiastic, friendly people-person, and…
– You can keep a secret.
If that’s you, then send me an email to info@jamiesmart.com and let me know where you’re located and a little about yourself and about the book you have in mind (if you don’t know what to tell me about, look at the list above for inspiration). Change the subject line to “Project Dynamo”. I’ll be drawing up a shortlist in the next few weeks. Talk to you soon! J