“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours. ” –Henry David Thoreau
When something comes to an end, one immediately reflects on the beginning. My Beau-nafide Bird’s-Eye-View concludes today, as does my internship with this collaborative, progressive, and supportive company. I would like to share with you the success I have found here, most usually in the “common hours,” and all the sweeter for that.
Inspiration: Jennifer Pharr Davis and her husband, Brew. Through Jen’s book Becoming Odyssa, and through the soon-to-be released diary of her record-breaking trek, 46 Days, I was able to learn from Jen’s determination to beat both the female and male thru-hike records on the Appalachian Trail. This resonated with me as a woman, one who is sometimes hesitant to take risks because of the risk of failure. She truly inspired me, and will inspire you, too. She’ll help you not only to go after your dream, but also to take each step with confidence. But what touched me most was hearing about Brew. He was her “first mate,” her partner on the trail who carried her supplies and took care of her every mile of the way. This was a growing experience in love. The further south these two traveled, the more they inspired all who knew them: go after your love in life and go there with all of your heart.
Determinat
ion: Barbara Gordon’s re-released I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can with new cover and preface. In today’s world, anxiety, depression, wearing oneself thin–they are all experiences which would seem to have obvious, cycle-of-life-type recovery steps. Barbara was hoping for just that when instead, her doctor wrote her a prescription for disaster. The reason the aforementioned stressors have sensible remedies today is due in large part to Barbara’s experience; that is, her experience helped discover the truth about Valium. Its numerous side effects have come to light since her struggle, and it has also prompted people to question the philosophy behind taking a little pill that “promises to solve it all.” Her determination to scream about this wrong-doing at the top of her lungs made me reflect back on how lucky and blessed my life is. If she could recover and come back from being, no joke, at rock bottom, then there is absolutely no reason why any of us should give up.
Confidence: Debra Beck and My Feet Aren’t Ugly. Think back to when you were a child, an emerging teen now called a “tween,” and fill in this blank: My ________ is so ugly! The point is, we all can fill in that blank; we all had something that, for no rhyme or reason, we hated about ourselves. These type of thoughts lead to low-self esteem and low self-confidence, always hoping that no one would notice an imperfection and make fun because of it. Debra’s life mission is to empower teens to love themselves, and it all stemmed from her childhood hatred of her feet. Her young adult self-help book opens the doors of communication. It also struck a chord with me, having once been a teacher who taught because I wanted to help children accept their weaknesses, work toward their strengths, and support others who were doing the same. Though my hang-up wasn’t worrying about “ugly” feet, I’d always had anxiety about not living my dream life and feeling that I wouldn’t be able to rest until my life was the way I envisioned it. Until I saw this book, that is. After working extensively with Debra, I realized something: each “common” hour is an “uncommon” one—each is special. (Especially if you’re surrounded by all the people here at Beaufort!)
Admiration: Susan Biali and the Sabbatical Sisters, Live a Life You Love and Reboot Your Life. These five ladies practice what they preach, so-to-speak, by rebooting their lives with a sabbatical in order to ultimately live a life they love. I admire people who take these types of risks: who follow their hearts, who find success in that. And who wanted to come to Beaufort to share their stories. How can one not admire another being for taking a chance to better themselves, ever? After reading their books and dabbling in email conversations with these ladies, it became evident that they’ve gone after what they want, and they continue to dream up more future successes.
Precision: William B. Bradshaw and The Big Ten of Grammar. For gurus of our English language, when you hold this book and soak in the “there-their-they’re” and “lie vs. lay” chapters word-for-word, it’s like Christmas come early on every page! (Lucky for us, it is the holidays now!) Nevertheless, the Big Ten earned a permanent home on my desk, and whenever a friend or coworker would ask for my “expert editing,” I’d hand them Bradshaw’s publication. Being precise, writing accurately and taking the time to reference the experts really goes a long way. Dreams tend to be precise, but the journey to achieving them usually is not. The precision of this book translates to being precise in life in order to keep us on track, ever focused on the dreams we hold so close.
Adventure: Margery Gray and Sheldon Harnick and The Outdoor Museum. This new title, full of images of New York that I had never seen before, completely captured all of us here at Beaufort. From the angles and beauty of the shots by Margery to the poetic rhymes that Sheldon created for each photo, there was a regular feast to be had for the imagination. In seeing these, I saw the city in a whole new way, a way that I had to get out there and see for myself. Last night, a month after my sense of adventure was ignited by this book, my coworker and I turned the corner and nearly tumbled over one of the thousands of possible pictures to be included in the book: “The Grilled Chicken” painted plywood mascot. This seemed bittersweet in that it was one of the photos that we all had never seen in our lives but always wondered about. And then on my last night in the city, we ran right into it. With so many more pictures to find and take myself, Beaufort awakened my sense of adventure in this gorgeous city.
Camaraderie: The Beaufort Team. This past summer, I embarked on pursuing my dreams of a career in publishing by applying anywhere that there was an opening, and Beaufort was the one who called. From being here, I’ve learned exactly how this well-oiled machine works. These titles are precisely picked for its readers, and no detail goes unturned. In pursuing my dream, my unexpected success came in the form of teamwork, working towards everyone’s strengths, and staying on task to get things done. When you are an intern, you are “a person who works as an apprentice or trainee in an occupation or profession to gain practical experience” (so says dictionary.com), but it also means you are in charge of the running around, of tying up loose ends, of making copies, and sending books out, among other things. Here, it was not only practical experience: it was also a humbling, unexpected one. It’s because of Beaufort, because of their support and their guidance, that I was able to find my first job in publishing.
From the outside looking in, if I could give you one insight into this company, I’d say this: passion. Each book is a milestone, a piece of a dream for both the author and Beaufort, and a piece of success. Here, every person who works with Beaufort will meet success unexpectedly in the “common hours,” and none will ever be the same again.