Daily Gratitude: “You cannot cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”

Dolly could have accepted her fate of poverty. She could have just stayed in her 1 room (or 2 room depending on who you read) cabin staring out at the world wishing and hoping for something better.

You can too.

But Dolly wasn’t satisfied. She wanted more. She wanted to be that lady she saw on the street corner every time she got to go to town. Did you know that’s why she picked her look. She thought that woman represented success so she vowed she would look just like that woman when she “made it”. She had a role model. The woman may have been a “lady of the night” but Dolly didn’t know. She didn’t even know what that meant.

But she had something to aim for. She had a goal.

She didn’t just sit back and whine over her misfortune. She decided to do something about it. She had a goal. She was going to Nashville.

And she did. She took action.

She didn’t just stay with Porter Wagoner. She knew she was being stifled. She knew that to be what she wanted, she had to get away.

It was hard but again she took action. To further her progress towards her greater goal.

She then began to give back. Little gifts became massive gifts. Just like the snowball that is tipped over the top of the mountain and eventually becomes an avalanche. Dolly’s gifts were definitely avalanche material

And the rest is history.

Notice the simple (but not necessarily easy) steps.

She had a goal.
She took action.
She kept taking action.
She gave back.

You can do this too. What’s keeping you stagnant? What’s holding you back? Stop standing and staring.