One of all my favorite children’s book authors, Madeleine L’Engle, who wrote A Wrinkle in Time, has great advice for writers [bold added]:

“First, if you want to write, you need to keep an honest, unpublishable journal that nobody reads, nobody but you. Where you just put down what you think about life, what you think about things, what you think is fair and what you think is unfair. And second, you need to read. You can’t be a writer if you’re not a reader. It’s the great writers who teach us how to write. The third thing is to write. Just write a little bit every day. Even if it’s for only half an hour — write, write, write.”

L’Engle’s advice is translatable to how to realize your Big Vision for your work in the world:

Reflect: Take time each day to reflect in some way (e.g. journal, think, meditate, pray, create, walk) about where you are in your Big Vision Journey, how you’re feeling, what’s working and not working, and what actions you need to take next.

Learn: My biggest takeaway from my recent read of The Crossroads of Should and Must is the importance of learning one new thing each month. Keep a running list of things you’d like to learn that could help you realize your big vision. Between library books, blogs, podcasts, webinars, e-courses and MOOCs (massive open online courses), learning something new can be affordable, and fun!

Act: Take action on your reflections and what you’ve learned. As L’Engle says, it can be, “a little bit every day. Even if it’s for only half an hour.” Even if your life feels packed with work and friends and family and everyday chores, a small action each day towards your big vision can add up to something great.

Which of the three steps comes easily to you?

Challenge yourself this week to spend a little bit of time on the step that feels like a stretch.

All photos by me.