A Book – A Dream – A Reality?

Picture courtesy of Google.com

---

When I read this quote, I remembered all these people telling me about their plans and dreams to become an author ‘one day’.

When they find out I’m an author, I suddenly hear: “Oh, I ALWAYS wanted to write a book if I only had more time!” My reply usually is: “Well, it needs a bit more than only time to write a book… like a plan, a plot, an outline, character sheets, character voices, character development, knowing the craft, editing, an editor, a cover designer, a publisher, networking… AND TALENT!” The regular reaction to this bravery is generally a more or less polite excuse and the welcome departure of my conversation partner.

But there are a few people I met who dream of becoming an author and have the time but not the courage to write that book. and to them, I’d like to show this quote by Estee Lauder.

No book was ever written by dreaming about it!

Get up, plan, plot, outline – AND WRITE!!

Only by writing that story will be written, and only when you work on that book will the story be told to the world. Some dream forever about their hopes for success. Others, like Estee Lauder, wake up, roll their sleeves, and start working! Do the same; only then will your dream come true!

Don’t think about ‘becoming’ a writer. You have that story in your head – you already ARE a writer! But only by hard work and the guts to get that story out into the world will you become a successful published author!

What you need is the courage to start. Find it. It’s hidden within yourself. Dig it up, sit down, and write. It doesn’t matter HOW you write it. Take a pen and paper – or use your laptop, a desktop, a tablet… whatever rocks your boat. But without your investment and emotions, your story will be lost.

Get up, write that book, bring it into the world, and be proud of yourself!

Maybe nothing will ever last from me… nobody will write my biography, ever… but my books, my stories, are for eternity.

And that’s something to be proud of, isn’t it?

---

Estée Lauder (/ˈɛsteɪ ˈlɔːdər/EST-ay LAW-dər; néeJosephine Esther Mentzer; July 1, 1908 – April 24, 2004) was an American businesswoman. She co-founded her eponymous cosmetics company with her husband, Joseph Lauter (later Lauder). Lauder was the only woman on Time magazine’s 1998 list of the 20 most influential business geniuses of the 20th century.

Lauder graduated from Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens, New York, and much of her childhood was spent trying to make ends meet. Like most of her eight siblings, she worked at the family’s hardware store, where she got her first taste of business, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to be a successful retailer. Her childhood dream was to become an actress with her “name in lights, flowers and handsome men”.

When Lauder grew older, she agreed to help her uncle, Dr. John Schotz, with his business. Schotz was a chemist, and his company, New Way Laboratories, sold beauty products such as creams, lotions, rouge, and fragrances. She became more interested in his business than her father’s. She was fascinated watching her uncle create his products. He also taught her how to wash her face and do facial massages. After graduating from high school, she focused on her uncle’s business.

Lauder named one of her uncle’s blends Super Rich All-Purpose Cream, and began selling the preparation to her friends. She sold creams like Six-In-One cold cream and Dr. Schotz’s Viennese Cream to beauty shops, beach clubs and resorts. One day, as she was getting her hair done at the House of Ash Blondes, the salon’s owner Florence Morris asked Lauder about her perfect skin. Soon, Estée returned to the beauty parlor to hand out four of her uncle’s creams and demonstrate their use. Morris was so impressed that she asked Lauder to sell her products at Morris’s new salon.

In 1953, Lauder introduced her first fragrance, Youth-Dew, a bath oil that doubled as a perfume. Instead of using French perfumes by the drop behind each ear, women began using Youth-Dew by the bottle in their bath water. In the first year, it sold 50,000 bottles; by 1984, the figure had risen to 150 million.

Lauder was a subject of a 1985 TV documentary, Estée Lauder: The Sweet Smell of Success. She explained her success: “I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard.”

Lauder died of cardiopulmonary arrest on April 24, 2004, aged 95, at her home in Manhattan.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Advertisement