A Joyful Journey of Success

© Duchess O’Blunt, 2010; all rights reserved.

Twenty years ago, Cynthia Clampitt, a woman on the rise, worked her way up the corporate ladder of success in a male dominated terrain. Her ability to figure things out, find the pieces that would complete complex puzzles, combined with her communications skills, ensured a swift climb up that corporate ladder.

Success? Perhaps - but Cynthia wanted something else. She wanted to work in a completely different field, one that encompassed all of her passions.

From the outside looking in, I expect many considered her corporate career a success. But it wasn't enough. Or perhaps more accurately, it was not headed in the direction that Cynthia wanted to go. While continuing to work full time, she started graduate school. Perhaps academe would be more fulfilling—and maybe it would enable her to do more writing, since writing had been her greatest love since childhood.

At the end of her first year of graduate school, one professor wrote a comment on one of her papers, and with that comment he flipped the light switch on. He wrote that while her writing was brilliant, the skills that make a good writer do not necessarily make a good scholar. For Cynthia, this was affirmation she should be writing. And she knew that she needed to have something to write about other than meetings and business plans.

Successful but uncomfortable and always playing an unwanted role in the corporate environment, successful but still not comfortable in academe, Cynthia made the decision to follow her dream and fulfill her passions.

Making a decision to leave a good job with relative security for a career path with many uncertainties was not a decision made lightly or quickly. After listing the pros and cons she came to the realization that the worst thing that could happen would be that she would have to come back to the corporate world, put her mask back in place and begin to play the part of a career woman again.  She could live with that.

So she began planning what she calls her escape. The planning process took more than 2 years.

Her desire to change the direction of her career and find something completely new ultimately led to her decision to visit and write about Australia - one of her new goals on this new journey. Cynthia had a direction, and now she began to plan.

Preparation

Many visits were made to the library and bookstores to find information on Australian food, culture, history, and geography. She read everything she could find about Australia, as well as books by Australian authors. She smiles as she adds that her "study" of Australian wine was more “hands-on,” than literary.

Saving

She made a life style change and stopped any impulse buying. As the dream gained momentum, she found it easy to become increasingly frugal, and before long, she found she could save nearly half of her earnings. In addition, she sold a lot of stuff that no longer seemed important, including her wine collection.

Travel

There were a great many details involved in taking a six-month tour. Thanks to her studying, she knew the best times and where she wanted to visit each region. She still left plenty of room for new discoveries and surprises, but she wanted to visit the maximum amount of Australia at the best possible time.

Plans at home

Because she wanted to have a home to return to, Cynthia found someone who needed a place to stay, and offered her an apartment for six months. It turned out to be a great arrangement for both women: the apartment would not stand empty, and someone had a home for the cost of utilities.

Riding Lessons

Three months prior to her departure she started riding lessons which resulted in an accident leaving her with several broken ribs. Here's where true grit comes in to play because that didn't stop her. She left as planned.

Cynthia did not just walk away from her job, but she did start saving and planning for that day when she could escape the corporate world and begin to pursue her dream. Courage, hard work, and frugal living finally enabled her to leave behind the status and income of a successful corporate career and completely change the direction of her life — pursuing another kind of success.

After a wonderful trip to Australia, keeping a detailed journal and taking picture after picture, she returned home and back to work.

Writing for clients did not immediately provide fame and fortune, but it was a start. In order to continue putting her energy toward her writing, and to stop the bleeding of her bank account, she worked at a part time retail job for two years.

Among other things, Cynthia's writing included educational work, and an award winning food column. With every article, column and client, she slowly and carefully built a reputation for excellence. She was eventually able to give up her work in retail and started to concentrate in earnest on her book, Waltzing Australia.

Cynthia writes nonfiction, but whatever your writing passion is, I'm sure these rules will help you.

1. Care Deeply

Care deeply about what you are doing, and it will show in your work. Care about the subject, the research, the readers and care deeply about your craft. Put passion behind your words and into your work.

2. Edit Ruthlessly

Now it is time to take a critical look at your compilation. This is when you decide what is redundant or superfluous and start cutting unnecessary verbiage. Change and move when needed to ensure it flows well.

3. Check Everything

Always check your words. "Irregardless" is not a proper word even though it has been adapted informally in the late 20th century as a blend of irrespective and regardless. This particular word is avoided by those who are careful with the English language. Know the difference between words like pour and pore; peak and pique and make sure they are used correctly. If you hear a word you don't know - look it up before you use it.

Always check your facts. Just because you hear something on the news, or read it in a newspaper or on the internet - does not make it true. Don't be guilty of taking everything you read or hear at face value. Check your facts. Always.

4. Copying and Pasting is NOT writing

Writing an article means you research the facts and present them in your own voice. It's difficult to find a subject that has not been written about. Assimilate the facts and once you have checked those facts, present them in your own unique format. Copying and pasting is plagiarism, not writing.

5. Just Do It

The difference between a writer and someone who wants to write; the writer writes. That pretty much says it all. You want to write? Write. Write every day and you will improve your skills.

Dreams have a price, but they can come true. Outline what it is you really want and what needs to happen to make your dream a reality. Make an inventory: what is the best thing that could happen if you follow your dream; what is the worst thing that could happen; what happens if you stay where you are? Usually, staying where you are is almost identical to “the worst that could happen.” Be realistic, but "never let what you can't do keep you from doing as much as you can do." It takes time, determination, planning and intestinal fortitude to see it, believe it and do it.

Cynthia’s outlook on success has some punch to it because she has lived it;

“If you are willing to pay the price dreams can come true”.

She is most assuredly the exception to Ross Perot’s view on success when he says, “Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.”

Cynthia planned well, worked hard, and made some sacrifices on her journey to reaching her one yard line. Determination, persistence and patience enabled her to boldly cross it.

From a success in the corporate world to a successful writing career - to date this journey has spanned more than 20 years and several continents. I expect she has many adventures in the planning stages, for her journey is far from over.

Her final word:

"Success is a journey, not a destination. The trick is to find the road that delights you." Cynthia Clampitt