When I was a little girl, my grandparents had a caravan parked in their front yard.
I never saw it move.
It stood as a silent promise of travel and adventure a man made to his wife.
The caravan had actually gone on a few adventures with the family in days gone by… but the real fun was supposed to happen after my Pop retired.
Only… it never happened.
By the time my Pop retired, my Nana was too disabled to ever enjoy traveling in a caravan. So, the caravan sat in the yard until one day it was taken away… along with all of my Pop’s hopes and dreams.
I had forgotten about that caravan until yesterday when my Mentee Kenny told me he was selling his camper.
But the difference between Kenny’s camper and my Pop’s caravan is… Kenny got to do the travel he wanted to do. My Grandfather didn’t.
What happened?
Well, I know that times and circumstances are different, but… Kenny is a young man who built the camper and the dream of travelling. And then lived it.
He and his fiancée have travelled together across America. They have visited the places they wanted to go to. They have hung out with the people they wanted to hang out with.
You could say they have been living the dream.
But one thing you definitely can’t say is, “But they’re lucky!”
They haven’t had an easy journey… but at least they’ve had the journey.
Now it’s time for them to move on to another phase of their life together. But the point is, they had the courage to back themselves.
Now, I’m not judging my Pop at all. He had 7 kids and a wife to support, so his caravan symbolized a promise of future freedom.
But although he didn’t have the freedom the caravan promised… he still got to travel. However, he had to do short trips to visit family, but without my grandmother. And that makes me sad.
You see, many of us put our hopes and dreams on hold until we’re ready and things are perfect. But the cold hard truth is…
Knowledge Nugget #344:
Things Are Never Perfect, And…
We Are Rarely If Ever Ready!
But there is a way to be ready when we need to be.
When Chris Haddad interviewed me recently for his new podcast, a common theme of our conversation was courage.
I have never really thought of myself as a courageous or brave person.
But it appears that I just might be.
And this revelation came in very handy when I was coaching a young copywriter yesterday.
She was having trouble with applying for a few copy gigs that have been posted in a group.
She was curious to know what the secret to my success was. And before I could answer, I thought about my conversation with Chris.
And I asked her, “Have you seen the movie, We Bought a Zoo?”
She replied, “Yes!”
Then I asked if she remembered the core principle that made the main character, Benjamin Mee successful.
She couldn’t remember, so I reminded her…
All you need is 20 seconds of courage!
That’s all the time you need to get out of your own way and make a decision.
It sounds simple… because it is.
And I should know because I’ve done it many, many times.
Including the times when I:
- Decided to join the Army instead of living a life filled with regrets
- Suddenly stopped my car as it headed towards a tree… meaning I had to stay alive instead of taking the exit from Earth I’d spent months creating
- Followed my intuition and went to a Spiritual healing course on my own… while I was still in the depths of depression
- Asked Ted Nicholas if he thought I could be a copywriter
- Dared Mal Emery into giving me my big copywriting break
- Told Rae that we needed to go to the Titans of Direct Response event in 2014… despite us having no money to do so
- Borrowed money from a friend I barely knew to get to the Titans event
- Approached Parris Lampropoulos at that same event and told him I wanted to be one of his cubs
- Introduced myself to Gary Bencivenga at that event
… And when I nervously asked Joe Sugarman (who sadly died yesterday) if I could sit with him at lunch and ask him some questions.
As we talked, he gave me one of his infamous Batman Credit Cards… which I will treasure even more now.
The saying that time waits for no one, is so painfully true.
While we fuss and fart around trying to get everything right… time marches on regardless.
So, if you want something… go for it.
I am so glad that all those years ago, I decided to use those 30 seconds of courage to make a decision that would greatly impact my life.
But here’s the good news… it’s not a special superpower that only I have.
We all have it! 30 seconds of courage is all we need.
The difference is… you need to use it?
So, until next week, stay awesome and be courageous!
Pauline xxx
Pauline Longdon
a.k.a. “The Copy Alchemist”
P.S. I was so sad to hear of the passing of Joe Sugarman. I only got to see him speak twice. Once in Australia, when I had no idea who he was… but he inspired me greatly. And then at the Titans event. He was a true gentleman, and he was also a veteran.
The ripples of Joe’s impact in the industry are still being felt today and will be for years to come. The saddest thing for me is, so many people don’t even know the influence he’s had on them. It’s up to people like me who know to ensure his legacy lives on.
P.P.S. As much as it saddens me to think that my grandparents never lived their dream of traveling in their caravan… their experience lives within me as a reminder to not do the same thing they did. It inspires me to take chances and not put things off.
I’ve never been too comfortable with the saying, “Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow.” I guess the reason is, tomorrow may never happen. Or even worse… tomorrow may not look anything like what we expect it to be.
P.P.P.S. Thanks for the messages to check in with me last week. I’m ok, but my dad is sick again. As a family, we are staying as positive as we can and are determined to beat it once again. But to be honest, some news can absolutely knock the wind out of you. And it did! I appreciate your support and concern.
