It always takes vision to take a leap of faith and give it all you have. Without vision, there is no direction in which to exert our passion; it becomes a directionless explosion of passion into a million directions with little impact. But with vision, one can walk with boldness, embracing fear and unknown to take a step at a time towards this thing that causes them to eat, sleep and breathe.
The vision for Hopeprint has always involved houses (plural). Even before a single house was identified, moved into or bought, before any individuals outside of myself were raised up to move in or even be interested, it’s been houses (plural). Yet for several months in the fall, the little Hopeprint Home on Lilac Street sat with two empty rooms and I found myself in a conundrum… was the vision ever going to make that fantastic leap?
There is nothing more challenging to the heart of one who has invested every drop of their passion into a vision than the thought that it might not come to fruition. It is likely the greatest fear of the entrepreneur as they launch a business, a medical student as they start medical school, a lawyer as they start to defend their first case, or a student as they open the letter from the college they always wanted to attend.
My friend Perry, a professional strategist, has taught me that we ought to always make objectives that are SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Defined. There have been times when the vision of Hopeprint has felt too specific, too measurable, barely attainable, unrealistic and too long. But then there are times when the vision draws near. When its specific and measurable nature become a beautiful measurement of the way in which it is becoming truly attainable, quite realistic and sooner than I might think.
This season is one such time. The one house we have doesn’t have enough bedrooms to fit all the girls that want to move in. There are enough people wanting to move into a second house to fill three apartments, and there’s still not enough room for all the people that are interested. Another family is about to put their home on the market to sell it and move themselves and their young children into the neighborhood. It’s a moment when you realize you might just be part of the movement you envisioned. It’s a moment I live for.
