It starts by giving an example of a little girl playing with blocks and being fascinated by what she realized she could do with them. She went on to discover other elements she enjoyed of building through school and college, and because she had always been encouraged by her parents and teachers to develop these desires, she became a highly successful architect. With this example, Cloud encourages the reader to dig up their heart's desire, to remember what it was when you were little that produced joy.
"The first thing a leader must do to succeed is to listen to their hearts and invest in their inner desires and drives."
The listening to my heart part was easy. I was either playing office or cooking or taking care of my million dolls. :) The first one is what I do now and why this blog exists, to give a voice to my childhood dreams of being a bilingual secretary. :) Second...I loooooove food and pretend I'm an official foodie. Last...I loooooove mentoring young ladies; we'll see if I ever make it to the million mark though. :) There was another love I had forgotten I had when I was young though: translating!! We lived at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave dessert in CA when I was 6-11yrs old and that is where I remember translating for the first time in my schools. Anytime they would come to my classroom to ask if someone could help translate for a student or parent, my hand shot straight up! I loved it! We later moved to CR and I continued having opportunities in my schools there as well. When we moved to KC, it wasn't necessary at my school, so the desire went to sleep for a bit. When I went off to college, I wanted it back and told my advisor I loved business and language so he told me to go for a degree in "International Business." First semester in I realized "¡nada que ver!" I then began praying for God to guide me on what degree to major in. Was reading through I Corinthians at the time and when I hit chapter 12, there it was...speaking of spiritual gifts:
1Co 12:10: To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
ICo 12:30: Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
Now, besides the biblical context of this passage was my personal context and prayers of seeking what I was meant to study...and there it was...to be an interpreter!! I'll never forget that moment. :) So, I went to school the next day and switched my major to Spanish/French (have always loved French too). I thought I was going to conquer the world through my one-day-amazing interpreting skills. :) After my first jobs of Subway, nannying, waitressing (all the classics to get through school), I moved to an immigration law firm where my responsibilities were solely translating and interpreting (Spa & Eng, sadly didn't finish my French degree). Even traveled a bit with one of the lawyers to interpret for her and enjoyed every moment. There's an instant rush when interpreting and a more subtle one when translating, but they're both such a thrill for me! I then moved to my current workplace my last year of college where I get to communicate daily in both languages, but with just a touch here and there of translating/interpreting. Over these last 11 years, I have kept an eye on a member of our church that is a professional translator and does, to this day, most of our in-house translating, along with interpreting when needed. He's amazing! I've told him all along he's a hero to me and ask him all the time to take me under his wings. He's a busy guy though!! I've also kept an eye on several organizations for translators and have been in love with the ATA (American Translators Association) for years now. They offer certification to/from your languages of choice, which if achieved, is professionally highly respected. I bring it up on the job every once in a while and it's not something they can give me the green light on. So, all these years this has just been talk, experiences here and there, dreaming, etc...
"We are given a heart full of treasure and talent, feelings and desires. God has granted to us potential realities for leadership and success at many levels. It is our job to dig up whatever potential we have...and invest it!"
Cue in the tears as the investing part came into play. I have been doing such a poor job in investing this "talent" (Matthew 25:14-30). I kept taking others' reactions to my dream as a reason to not pursue it yet. One day they'll say yes or be ready. But, I don't know if that day will come. And, is it up to them to invest my talent, or up to me? I think I'm the one responsible for it, and I think it's about time I do something about it.
"Make your invisible world visible"
My first step in making it visible is to go to the local chapter of ATA, MICATA's symposium. I signed up today and plan on gleaning as much as I can from what is discussed, and also from the members themselves for pointers on paving my way towards certification. I didn't want to take my first step into this new world alone, but was prepared to when my "mentor" told me he wasn't able to attend. And then a friend told me she was going, awesome! Takes the edge off any new experience when you know at least one person. :)
I get giddy when I think of this dream maybe, finally, possibly coming to pass?? I was a Spa to Eng interpreter for a youth conference two years ago and one of the others on that team was someone I'll never forget...he would not just interpret what the speaker was saying, but would even mimic his voices, sounds, etc, without ever missing a beat! Wow. I felt so unqualified next to him!! He got to do it on a daily basis though, so he had become an expert.
Another friend was an interpreter for a conference we hosted last year and I noticed the same thing in him, even down to crying when the speaker was crying. Amazing. I could have offered to be an interpreter at that one, but the "not being good enough" fear stopped me. This is just due to a lack of practice, experience, knowledge, etc. No más. :) If I get myself in motion, I can...no...will arrive to the level of all these mentioned one day too. :)
"One of the worst things you can die with is potential"
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