BELIEVE YOUR DREAM IS WORTH IT

LEADERSHIP ENDURANCE

 

He was two weeks into this major project and on this particular morning, it seemed as if everything was ruined.

Things were buried.

Literally.

He had chosen the Tunisian desert to film this movie. It hadn’t rained for seven months. Everything was dry. Trucks could navigate the sand without any problem.

But on this morning, that was different.

He awoke to a massive storm.

The rain wouldn’t stop.

As he opened the curtain of his tent, he saw camera trucks sinking in the sand.

Tens of thousands of dollars were literally being lost.

This seems to be the last straw.

This process hadn’t been easy.

One of the props was to be remotely controlled. That broke, so they tied fishing line to the prop and pulled it through a particular scene so the camera could get the shot.

One actor wore a costume that was giving him a great problem. That costume was made of plastic and had tremendously sharp edges. Anytime he would turn or bend, it would cut him. It seemed as if this character spent more time in first aid than he did on the set.

The guy who was overseeing this huge mess?

George Lucas.

The film? Star Wars: A New Hope.

Lucas almost packed it all in.

Watching the camera trucks sink in the sand was almost more than he could bear.

It was aggravating to tie fishing line to his beloved character R2D2 so the droid could roll through a scene.

Poor Anthony Daniels, who played C3P0, had bandages with blood stains when he wasn’t in character. Lucas had so much guilt.

But Lucas believed in the story.

He had faith in the cast.

And he wasn’t wrong.

Star Wars went on to become the greatest movie franchise in cinema history, forever cementing characters and actors in our hearts and minds.

What if Lucas had given up?

What joy would have been lost to kids all over the world!

But he persevered.

He created a story that captured not just one generation but multiple.

Don’t quit.

Stay in the fight.

Believe your dream is worth it.

Know the team has the talent to perform even in the most horrible of circumstances.

You might be using fishing line.

Folks could be bloody and bandaged.

The key equipment you need might be sinking before your eyes.

Keep going.

People need to hear the story you’ve written.

They need to hear your voice.

Keep the organization alive and moving forward.

It’s hard, but it’s worth it.

Remember, easy never changed the world.

 

– Brian Sanders

Brian Sanders is an author/speaker and Executive Vice President of Positive Alternative Radio. To contact him or for more information about his book, Leadership Endurance, visit www.briansandersauthor.com .