Have Vision

It’s not always easy to have hope. I know I’ve always have a vision for my life, even those it’s changed quite a bit over the years. When I was younger, I wanted to be a veterinarian and knew exactly where I wanted to live and how many dogs and cats I wanted to have. Along the way, I realized that becoming a veterinarian was pretty unrealistic, since I wasn’t good at anything needed to make that work. Could I have learned it? Maybe, but as much as I wanted to be a veterinarian I knew I wouldn’t enjoy the journey it took to get there. They say that’s what it’s all about, right? Life isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey.

Although the vision was less clear from there, I decided I saw myself as writing for a magazine. I entered the multimedia journalism program at Oklahoma State University. I loved to write and I loved to learn. I also loved being in the background and observing. I thought the journey to become a journalist seemed like something I could enjoy. Clearly, I never became a journalist and I still very much enjoy the journey I’m on, allowing me to have hope. My vision was always unclear on what I would do with this degree because I don’t necessarily chasing down action, like a journalist needs to do. But I knew that program would help me find many things that I do enjoy. Blogging, for instance. Videos, definitely. Finding information, check.

My vision now is a bit clearer. I want to make videos that help show people a better way to live. Whether that’s upcycling, helping others, eating better, or being part of something bigger than themselves. There were times then seemed impossible.

Small Steps are Key

Now I realize, the key to doing the impossible is small steps. I will use my documentary as an example. It has been a huge overwhelming project and I thought I would never get through it. It went so slow, I thought I might as well give up. But even when I wanted to quit, I made small, even sometimes microscopic steps and now here I am. Having hope.

To those following my documentary progress, you might be thinking ‘is she ever going to finish that thing?’ I’ve wondered it a few times myself, but I always have hope because I have the vision. It’s coming along slowly, but I’ve made so much progress, I sometimes can’t believe it. I have the interviews edited and in the order they need to be in. I have collected much of the b-roll to reinforce the story, recorded the extra voice over to help the stories flow better and now I am just putting the rest of the b-roll in and making animations for certain parts. The last time consuming part of gathering b-roll from different sources is being completed slowly, but once that is done, it will be an easy ride from there.

Have Hope

I’m definitely not the most optimistic person in the world. Not even close, but I’ve always had a vision, albeit slightly blurry, but still there. For the most part, I have thoroughly enjoyed that journey to get here. Because of the vision, I always have hope that someday I will reach a level I can be proud of. Right now I’m enjoying the journey of learning all these different techniques and helping others along the way. I have great joy helping others, but I would never have that opportunity, if it wasn’t on my list of things to do with my life. Help others, inform to help others make better choices, never have a day where I have to do the same thing over and over, and live a life of constant learning. I’m doing it now.

What do you want?

To have a vision and to have hope, you have to decide what you want. What do you want to your life to look like? What do you hope to accomplish? But don’t just think about the end result, think about the journey to getting there. As long as you have a goal and you enjoy the work it takes to get there, you will always have hope. But don’t confuse hope with being happy. You might not always be happy staying up until 4 in the morning then going to work at 8 or cutting back on good food to pay for more equipment, but you will know why you’re doing it and you’ll have hope to get there.

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