A Leap of Faith - If You Build It, They Will Come.
“If you build it, they will come.”
That’s the mysterious voice Ray Kinsella hears in his Iowa cornfield in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams. That voice inspires and compels Ray to plow under his corn and build a baseball diamond, even at the risk of financial ruin and losing his farm.
I have a list of my favorite baseball movies that I watch before the start of each MLB season. Field of Dreams is at the top. But it’s much more than just a movie about baseball.
This page isn’t for movie reviews. Field of Dreams has been around for over 30 years, so chances are you’ve seen it and know the magical realism depicted in the film, representing themes such as the importance of family, healing old wounds, mending broken relationships, the power of belief, and faith in the unknown.
And doing something in your life, even if people think you’re crazy.
A leap of faith.
Not too long ago, I took a leap of faith when I decided to retire early and spend my days writing fiction, hoping that one day I’d become a published author. There were a lot of unknowns: Could I pay my bills? Will the money I stuffed away for retirement last? Will my wife get tired of seeing me all day?
Just kidding. I’m lucky that I have full support from my better half. You need that support system in any endeavor. I once took a writing class with a guy who was very talented. He had a great sense of humor and wrote funny stuff. But he ended up quitting the class over pressure from his wife, who apparently was scared to death that he would quit his job and take on some damn fool thing like writing.
Sound familiar?
That was a shame, and that’s why I consider myself lucky that I have the support of my family. Others... not so much.
I’ve shared with some people that I’m a fiction writer, and they look at me like I’m a two-headed monkey. Or, I get the subtle “eye roll,” and a look that says, “Aww, isn’t he cute, having big unrealistic goals?”
I don’t take offense. It’s not disrespect. They just don’t understand.
But I digress...
I can honestly say that so far, everything has worked out. Except for the published author part. That’s a process that will take a while.
But I have faith.
I also know I’m not the only person who took that leap.
James Dyson worked on his bagless vacuum cleaner for 15 years, failing on 5,127 prototypes and mortgaging his home to finance production on the model he finally got right.
J.K. Rowling faced poverty, focusing her energy on her passion project, even writing notes on napkins while she worked as a waitress. Her manuscript was rejected 12 times before finding luck with publisher number 13, and Harry Potter was introduced to the world.
Theodore Giesel’s writing was turned down 27 times by publishers, but he wouldn’t quit. Today, Giesel is better known by his pen name: Dr. Seuss.
Jim Carrey was homeless at age 12, scrubbing toilets at age 15 to help support his family, and actually booed off stage early in his stand-up career.
Stephen Pressfield wrote for 32 years in obscurity, living in a van and working odd jobs before finding success with The Legend of Bagger Vance.
Alan Rickman quit his career as a graphic designer to become an actor at age 42.
Morgan Freeman didn’t get his first major movie role until age 52.
Sylvester Stallone had to sell his dog for $40 to buy food before he sold his Rocky script.
These are just examples of people who believed in themselves and never quit. There are others out there. I use the stories above as motivation in case my faith starts to wane. I know that if writing doesn’t work out, I’ll do whatever I need to do to support my family. Even if it means going back to work.
But right now, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, living a creative life, working on projects that bring me true joy and satisfaction. And in the end, that’s all that really matters.
Sometimes, to find true happiness, you just need to take a leap of faith.
Ron Clyburn
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