Push your boat out

“Push your boat out and launch out into the deep” were the first words that dropped into my spirit as I considered today’s post. I was reminded of two people who have demonstrated what this means.

I got a call from my baby sister, Dr Toyin Ajibade, about what to wear for the graduation ceremony following her Doctoral program. We talked colours, designs and accessories. Her journey to get to this point reminds me of what it means to push one’s boat out.

A few years ago she brought up the idea of leaving a ‘successful and lucrative’ banking career for academia. No doubt some people thought she had lost the plot considering such a move.

She sold her passion to me and talked about how joyful it was for her to stay up into the wee hours marking exam papers or preparing for a lecture. She lit up as she described the potential move.

My immediate response was, ‘Go for your passion. If this is want you really want, quit the job and go do it’. We discussed solutions to potential challenges like drop in income and impact on the family.

Just over two years later, I had the pleasure of proof-reading her thesis. Today I get the pleasure of planning her big day with her.

Another friend had an idea to put on a show celebrating creativity across our County – Yorkshire. He’s the first person to tell you that he didn’t have the money to fund this dream.

He approached a local venue and they said yes. I wish I was a fly on the wall when he told them he didn’t actually have the money to pay for the venue.

He sold them his vision. Miraculously, they still said yes and Paul Mirfin’s ‘True North’ was born.

Because he pushed his boat out and launched into the deep, many local artistes will get to showcase their talents and be celebrated.

The local community will be brought together and taxis, restaurants and bars will get more business.

Here are a few lessons I have gleaned from these amazing people:

Have a dream, vision or passion for something

Before anyone pushes their boat out, they must first see something out there that makes them believe it’s worth taking a shot.

Take a step of faith

Faith without action is dead. Unless you take a step of faith, your boat remains on the shore. Faith is described as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. You have to take the step to see the result.

Toyin quit a great job to go after the unknown and Paul walked in to the Royal hall to ask them for a free room.

Share your dream with those who will have your back

Toyin shared her dream with her family, friends and colleagues and she got the needed support and encouragement for the journey. Paul shared his dream with family, friends, and his church family.

Focus on the dream and not the obstacles

There will always be challenges you need to overcome. There’s a way round every challenge and if you ask around enough, there’s someone waiting to say yes even after many have said no. Don’t quit.

Be committed to your dream

You have to be willing to go the distance no matter how tough it is and no matter what it takes.

It takes hard work to turn dreams into a reality. It’s not enough to dream. It’s a great start but the finishing point is seeing the fruits of that dream. Put in the work.

Don’t wallow when you are knocked down. Get up, dust yourself down and move on.

Be thankful

Be thankful for the opportunity to birth the dream, for your supporters and yes, even for those who couldn’t see it. These are the ones who force you to reassess everything and they are dream-savers in disguise. Their doubts, concerns and questions push you for more clarity and help you to refine your plan.

This week, look at your dream, assess where you are at and what you need to do to move it along. It’s time to push your boat out and launch into the deep. Who knows what you will catch? You may need to call some friends over to help you with a harvest you didn’t see coming.

Thank you for reading and sharing my post with others. See you next week.