Posted on September 24, 2019
By Nan Russell
“That’s my dream,” I overheard her telling a friend in the dressing room next to mine. “But it will never happen,” she added quietly, “I might as well forget it.” But she hadn’t given up. Not yet anyway. An unmistakable sliver of hope was embedded in the word, “might.”
The substance of her dream didn’t matter. What caught my heart was the ache in her voice. That overheard conversation happened more than a decade ago. At the time, her words reflected my own dream-struggle, barely held together with a frayed emotional tether being weakened by each rejection. I was seriously considering giving up my life-dream of being a writer.
My growing fear about that happening nudged my persistence, as a long forgotten line from the movie Flashdance, echoed my biggest worry that: “When you give up your dream, you die.” It was around that time, my husband gave me a plaque that sits on the bookcase in front of me. It reads “Dream Really Big” in bright colors. He knew, like I did, that something in my soul would die if I gave up on my life-dream.
I didn’t give up, and a few months later I got the opportunity to write for a regional magazine. Two years later, I (continue reading →)
Posted in: In the Scheme of Things, Life |
Tagged: aspirations, dream big, dream progress, dreams, dreams matter, In the Scheme of Things, inspiration, life dreams, Nan S. Russell, passion, pursuit of your dream |
Posted on August 8, 2018
By Nan Russell
Last week, I ordered an item from the world’s largest retailer. While it arrived quickly, its contents were not as expected. The plastic that held the toe protectors was taped, the items stretched, and the gel-lined fabric dirty. How did such a used product get resold as new?
I expect occasional quality issues when I buy online at an auction or estate site for my vintage shops, but not from the world’s biggest retailer. My expectation is people who work for that organization are engaged enough to notice dirty toe protectors and empowered enough to decide they can’t be resold. I also expect it’s an outlier and won’t happen again.
But expectations are funny things. They’re beliefs about what should happen, how it should happen, or that it will or won’t happen. We all have them about everything from food and movies to places and people. We’re influenced by what we expect to find. If we think online retailers sell junk, we won’t be disappointed if that’s what we get. Expect terrible bosses, difficult spouses, or untrustworthy people and you’ll find them; expect engaged, compassionate, and wonderful people and you’ll find them.
Some believe if you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed. Others say (continue reading →)
Posted in: In the Scheme of Things |
Tagged: beliefs, doing it, dreams, engagement, expectations, future, In the Scheme of Things, let your life speak, limiting beliefs, make a difference, Nan Russell |
Posted on April 19, 2017
By Nan Russell
I was born in Montana, left as a toddler, returning in my fifth decade for a second act career as a writer. It was then I first met and worked with Native Americans. Previously, I hadn’t known anyone who didn’t have an arriving-to-America story in their family history.
While many of us have relatives, perhaps generations ago, who made a conscious decision to come to this country, that’s not true for everyone, of course. A few people were already here, some tagged along as children, and others were brought against their will.
Along my life’s way, growing up in California, attending graduate school in Michigan, raising a family in Pennsylvania, living in the Rocky Mountain states of Montana and Colorado, I’ve heard hundreds of why-we-came stories from people I knew personally.
Some stories are fresh with tears and struggles, others generations old where details have been lost or blurred. But the why seems to remain. On my mother’s side, they came for religious freedom; on my father’s a chance for (continue reading →)
Posted in: In the Scheme of Things, Life |
Tagged: America, determination, diversity US strengh, dreams, immigrants, In the Scheme of Things, Nan Russell, statue of liberty, welcome light |
Posted on June 22, 2016
By Nan Russell
Reading in the airport while waiting for a flight, a housekeeper was tidying around me when approached by another facilities employee. After a few minutes of easily overheard chit-chat, she received coaching from her now apparent supervisor.
“You know,” he said “I’d like you to pace yourself.” Intrigued by his words, I stopped reading to eavesdrop and heard as he told her, “You’re doing too good a job. You don’t need to work this hard.”
“I like my area clean and looking good for everyone,” she said, confused by his direction. “Anyway, I get all my work done.”
When they parted several minutes later, her body language was not one of relief, but despair. Clearly a person taking pride in her work, the boss’s unfolding message was not about (continue reading →)
Posted in: Winning at Working |
Tagged: achievement, career path, different talents, dreams, high performance, Nan Russell, promotion, Winning at Working, your work |
Posted on June 8, 2016
By Nan Russell
I was born in Whitefish, Montana, leaving without choice at age three when my father couldn’t find work after the Hungry Horse Dam Project finished. But my grandparents remained and Montana stayed part of my life.
My grandfather was a mechanic on the red busses in Glacier National Park and I have great memories as a child hiking its trails, boating on Flathead Lake, and go-carting at my Uncle Ole’s wheat farm in the eastern part of the state.
As long as I can remember, Montana has been part of my life. Even as an adult, living in Pennsylvania with my husband and son, we’d plan most summers around a trip to Glacier. Eventually, Glacier became my extended family’s gathering spot for reunions every few years. So much so (continue reading →)
Posted in: In the Scheme of Things |
Tagged: dreams, dreams change, family, love, Montana, moving, Nan Russell |
Posted on April 20, 2016
By Beth Pelkofsky
I’m a colleague of Nan’s. I frequently post here about work, life and sometimes the blending of the two. Nan is busy this week working on her new book, It’s Not About Time, being released this Fall. So, I offered to post to her Current Musings blog.
Many of you know Nan is an avid quote collector. “A good one can encourage alternative thinking, offer nuggets of wisdom or nudge me towards new areas of consideration,” explains Nan.
Here is one of my favorites of Nan’s —
“While wishing and hoping makes you a dreamer, acting and doing makes you someone who can turn dreams into reality.” – Nan S. Russell
Is there something you can do this week to move forward one of your dreams? Go do it!
Posted in: Quotes |
Tagged: Beth Pelkofsky, Doing, dreams, hoping, Nan S. Russell, quotes, reality, wishing |
Posted on March 11, 2014
By Nan Russell
![MWCoverImage[1]](http://www.nanrussell.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/MWCoverImage1-140x150.jpg)
This is my 133rd “In the Scheme of Things” article for Montana Woman magazine, and it got me thinking about why I continue to write these monthly life reflections columns, and what it means to try to do something one thinks they want to do. Let me explain.
A decade ago I left a successful career on the east coast to return to Montana where I was born in order to fulfill a life dream to work from the mountains I love, and launch a second-stage career as a writer. Despite extensive research into how to be a successful writer, the actual-doing was different from my imagining-of-doing. Like many things, what we think something is like and what it is, aren’t the same. And so it was with becoming a writer.
That’s why after all this time, I still volunteer to write every month for Montana Woman. It reminds me of the difference between being and becoming. I believe life is (continue reading →)
Posted in: In the Scheme of Things |
Tagged: dreams, go for it, In the Scheme of Things, Nan Russell, try vs do |
“That’s my dream,” I overheard her telling a friend in the dressing room next to mine. “But it will never happen,” she added quietly, “I might as well forget it.” But she hadn’t given up. Not yet anyway. An unmistakable sliver of hope was embedded in the word, “might.”
![MWCoverImage[1]](http://www.nanrussell.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/MWCoverImage1.jpg)
