From Thought to Action – Dan’s Story (Book Excerpt)

I have a friend who was working in the marketing department of a large company. Dan was satisfied with that job, but not Totally Fulfilled. He was a passionate photographer and he loved to travel and shoot lots of pictures. He gave them away to friends, and everyone told him he was so talented he should sell them to magazines.

He’d been discouraged from pursuing a college art degree by his parents. They thought he’d wind up one of those starving artist types. They preached safety and security – don’t take chances with your future. So when people told Dan he was good, he didn’t really believe them. He thought they were just being nice. Eventually, he heard that from enough people that he thought they were being honest and that he did have a really good eye.

One day at work, Dan was talking with a client. The client was saying how he was satisfied with the marketing pieces the company was doing for him, but he was never happy with the graphics – particularly the photos. Dan had been having a particularly frustrating day, and he was surprised to hear himself say, “You know, I’ve done a lot of photography work myself. If you ever need someone for an assignment let me know.” Dan and the client then talked about Dan’s travel experiences, and the client asked him to email some of them to him.

Dan did as asked but didn’t hear back from his client and soon forgot about the conversation. A month later, Dan picked up the phone at work. It was a call from a local branch of a travel agency. They were putting together a brochure and needed someone with photos of beach and mountain locations in the US. They’d heard through a friend that Dan was a good photographer and they’d seen some of his work. Could he put together a portfolio and have it sent over?

Dan was thrilled. He sent the pictures over to the agency. Eventually, they bought several of his existing shots and asked him if he could go on location to a new Mexican resort on the Yucatan to do some more shots. Dan managed to get the vacation time off from work and did the shoot.

Now, three years later as a result of opening his mouth to his client, he’s represented by a top photo agency. He no longer works in the marketing department, and supports himself and his new wife as a freelance travel photographer. He is doing what he was meant to do, what makes his heart feel passion because he voiced that was what he wanted for himself.

Dan wasn’t lucky, he didn’t have all kinds of connections, he simply let it be known what he really wanted out of life, and the universe took over. He didn’t just let him dreams ponder in his head, he voiced them, took action and got results.

He managed to get over those negative assumptions and Limiting Beliefs that held him back. But it all started with that first step – from Thought to Action.