Build That Door

Issue #45

The doors we open and the doors we close hold the keys to our success. What doors have you failed to open that would catapult you miles down the road? What doors, if you learned to shut them and throw away the key, would prevent others from zapping your energy?

The door was an amazing invention attributed to the Egyptians thousands of years ago. It keeps out those people we don't want in our lives yet allows us to choose who can enter and keep us company. The door serves a similar function for creative leaders. We can keep out those elements of our lives that we don't want to appear in our creative work, and we can invite in what we want to appear in our work.

To paraphrase the poet Robert Frost, doors make good families. Doors give us privacy and keep prying eyes from seeing what we don't want them to see. Some doors are simple, and others are complex. Some doors have intricate designs, and others are plain. Doors help us to manage and control our lives. Doors allow us to hide things we don't want people to see and to reveal things we want people to see.

Can you identify the doors in your life? Do these doors help you be more creative, or do they restrict your creativity? Do you need to replace some of the doors in your life? Do you need to add doors to your life?

Many times, we have to create our own opportunities. People often complain that they were not given a chance. They fall into "If Only"thinking: "If only I could have gone to school." "If only my boss would have promoted me." "If only my parents loved me." "If only I had a job." "If only someone would publish my book." If only. . . . If only. . . . If only. . . . 

If you are going to achieve your dreams and goals, you must move beyond "If Only" thinking to "Opportunity" thinking. You must build your own doors and knock on them.

In 1975, I took a job writing policy and procedure manuals for a nursing home company. While I was thrilled to have a job in the field in which I was trained, I was being paid less than I made as a carpenter. After I had proved my worth through hard work and dedication, I proposed a new job position in the company. I was building a door where one did not exist. And when they promoted me, I walked through the door.

What doors can you build today that you can knock on tomorrow? Building the door to opportunity does not just happen by accident. It takes hard work, belief in oneself, and persistence.

Plant seeds of hope in the hearts of others.