I told myself I would not be a clock watcher. This morning I woke up to post my last update, plea, and posting in the 30×30 fundraising campaign and then told myself I would NOT sit there and anxiously watch the minutes tick away, wondering if the funds would come in. I would not.
I’m working on it, thanks cookie.
With just hours to go in the fundraising campaign to raise dollars for the 30×30 book publishing project, I was 80% to goal and had roughly $1,400 left to go. In a normal world some might consider that success. After all, $7,100 is a lot of money in just 30 days. But in the Kickstarter campaign world of crowd funding it’s either all 100% raised by the 30 day deadline or no funds are collected or exchanged. Nothing. Not even the funds that were already raised. That’s the beauty and the beast side of Kickstarter.
As I logged out of my computer with 4 hours left and 20% to go, I went to go pour myself a cup of coffee and give my thanks to God, no matter how this turned out. I figured He’s the one that gave me the dream and desire to share the stories and go to print, He could open up the hands and hearts to make this happen. Every single pledge, every single backer to this project is an answer to prayer. I could have easily busted out a credit card and forced this to happen. Trust me, I thought about it. But that is not the tale I want to tell and that is not how I desired this dream to go down. Personally, if He’s not in it and not involved, I don’t want it.
God is never late. But He’s also never early either. As I was taking deep breaths and getting ready to ignore on purpose the last few hours of the campaign, I stood in the kitchen in shock as I got really good news. The 30×30 project is officially 100% funded! The phone rang with congratulations and the news that the 30×30 project was 113% funded with $9,635. I could hardly breathe.
It’s really happening. After roughly two years in the making, this book is really going to happen. I have a sneaky feeling that as this project moves forward in the publishing process that there will be more “God winks” and more tales to tell. I am taking the rest of the day to let my heart sing, smile uncontrollably until my face hurts, and do the happy dance while reflecting on all the amazing faces that have played such a key part of this process…and then it’s time to get to work and keep moving. I have a book to publish.
So from me to you, I raise my cup of coffee in celebration and cheers–thank you for being a part of this journey. Nicely done everyone.
Can you say “summer book launch?”
What good news looks like…The 30×30 project is 100% funded! It’s happening–THANK YOU!
As a Bronco fan there was nothing more painful than watching the team in orange go down in flames against the Seattle Seahawks. (To all the non-football fans out there, the Denver Broncos lost in an 8 to 43 spanking in one of the most embarrassing Super Bowls this last Sunday.) Seattle’s defense was nothing short of amazing, and kudos to every player that touched the field. Their win and first Super Bowl title was well-earned. Bravo gentlemen, bravo.
What Defeat Looks Like
Today I wore orange.
Nothing is more natural than to want to hang a head in shame after an embarrassing crash and burn. To throw off and stamp out any hint that reminds us of the shameful failure. No one wants to talk about failure, let alone represent it. So I was not surprised when I got a few eyebrow raises and mocking comments thrown my way. All in jest–but their version of reminding me just in case I wasn’t aware, that my team lost. And lost big. Oh, I know. But I’m still wearing orange anyways.
In the sports world, there is an incredibly interesting trend of “bandwagon fans.” People who show up out of no where as super fans when the team is doing well, and then mysteriously disappear and are no where to be found as soon as the team does poorly or there is a loss. This does not just happen in sports. Sadly, it happens when it comes to a lot of things in life. Everyone wants to be your friend when you’re in the spotlight and viewed well by others, but we all know it can be very, very lonely when we’re in a pit and fall on hard times. It’s in those ugly moments when we find out who our true friends are…who our true fans are.
But what about the under dog? People also like seeing “overcoming stories” and cheering on those that rise above adversity. We need to see examples that real people with real problems can conquer the impossible and prevail over the tough stuff. We need it. We crave it. We long for it. We need to know it can be done. We need that encouragement. Sometimes it’s those stories that we remember and learn the most–not the big winners.
Here’s a little reminder from an article I read recently:
Unlike Carl Lewis and Daley Thompson, Derek Redmond is not a name that conjures up memories of Olympic gold medals. But it is Redmond who defines the essence of the human spirit. Redmond arrived at the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona determined to win a medal in the 400. The color of the medal was meaningless; he just wanted to win one. Just one. Down the backstretch, only 175 meters away from finishing, Redmond is a shoo-in to make the finals. Suddenly, he heard a pop in his right hamstring. He pulls up lame, as if he had been shot. As the medical crew arrives, Redmond tells them, “I’m going to finish my race.” Then in a moment that will live forever in the minds of millions of people since then, Redmond lifted himself up, and started hobling down the track. His father raced out of the stands, and helped his son cross the finish line to the applause of 65,000 people. Redmond did not win a medal, but he won the hearts of people that day and thereafter. To this day, people, when asked about the race, mention Redmond, and can’t name the medal winners.
Now THAT is something to cheer for.
I have to remind myself of this as I am coming upon a situation that can either be an amazing reason to celebrate, or something that I’ll be tempted to tuck tail and run from. In three days I will either have fundraised the $8,500 needed for the publishing of the “Life Before the Lottery – 30×30” book I’ve been working for two years on, or not. It’s an all-or-nothing campaign on Kickstarter where I have 30 days to raise 100% of the project funds or absolutely no funds are exchanged. Zero. Zilch. Not even the $4,300 that’s already been raised. (That’s the beauty and the beast side of Kickstarter.) Victory or defeat comes in three days. I’m halfway to my pledge goal and well into the 4th quarter.
Deadline for pledges is February 7th at noon. It is then that I will be either celebrating my own personal Super Bowl or crying in my beer.
I know people are rooting for me, for this. There’s over $4,300 in pledges that says so! And it is because of that very thing that I am touched by the support and so grateful to the backers of this project. So no matter what happens on February 7th when the fundraising clock runs out…I will be wearing orange then too.
Thank you to all the fans out there pulling for me.
“Winning is an outcome. However, when people become obsessed with outcomes, they can lose sight of the journey, lose sight of who they are and how they got there, lose appreciation for the value of people who don’t win.” – Wired For Success, Psychology Today
Life Before The Lottery . . . The 30x30 List 