Take control of your future

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

I can’t take credit for this inspirational quote. It was Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945), who coined it.

But, I do admire those people who adopt this philosophy and take charge of their future by acting on their dreams.

I am talking about those adults who are prepared to step outside their comfort zones to boost their personal development. They are the ones signing up to learn new hobbies, to upskill in their chosen careers or to develop entirely new sets of skills.

I am fortunate to meet passionate folk like this every week when I present a five-week feature writing course for the Sydney Writers’ Centre.

They step tentatively to the door of the training room in that first week, furtively scanning the crowd for a friendly face, ready to flee if their barely controlled panic sets in.

The doubt on their faces says it all; they are unsure if they are up to the monumental task they have set themselves.

Over the next five weeks they furiously scribble on their notebooks in class, work hard on their assignments and furrow their brows in concentration as they try to absorb all the information discussed.

At the midway point, they are overwhelmed; there is just so much to learn. But by week five, they all stand an inch taller, their tentative half-smiles morphed into broad, confident grins.

They are smiling because the image of their dream is now vivid with colour and beauty. Not only have they learnt a new skill, they just widened their comfort zones and upped the mercury on their confidence barometer.

I applaud every single person who embarks on a journey of personal development and I offer them further inspiration in another famous quote. This one was uttered by former US footballer and baseballer Bo Jackson.

"Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there."

To learn more about WriteSmart or Pamela Wilson, log onto www.writesmart.com.au