About five weeks ago on an early December afternoon, my wife and I made an anxious drive to the doctor’s office. It wasn’t the typical doctor visit. This time it was one of those potentially life changing moments. I remember sitting in the waiting room as my wife filled out the usual paperwork, and I couldn’t help but fiddle with my BlackBerry because—I’ll admit it—I was nervous.
The waiting room was busy that day, and since most of the patients were probably there for the same reason we were, I was trying to read their body language, their emotions, and in my head I was wondering, “Are they scared like I am? How did they find out? I wonder how far along they are….” My mind was going a hundred miles an hour along with the tapping of my fingers on my phone.
Finally, after about a 20-minute wait, a young nurse called us back and greeted us with a smile, escorting us to a small room to wait for our doctor. The room was cool, and there wasn’t much talking going on between my wife and me other than a few smiles and small talk to keep us occupied. What was getting ready to unfold during the next 15 minutes in that tiny room was a moment I will never forget nor take for granted.
Soon the doctor came in, sat down in front of us and asked a series of routine questions I’m sure she asks all of her patients, and before we knew it, she was prepping a machine to transform our uncertainty into a definite reality. As our nervousness began to peak, suddenly there it was on the small black monitor—the proof that at that very moment we were witnessing a miracle.
My heart couldn’t have pounded faster, and as I focused on the screen, I saw the most beautiful and amazing gift I will ever receive—my nine-week-old baby moving his or her little arms and legs for what seemed like eternity. They were more like little nubs at that point, but to me he or she was already perfect. For those few minutes, my life stood still and nothing else mattered .
This moment paints a great picture of what I mean when I encourage you to live for something larger than yourself. From the day I first saw my wonderful little baby move, I have been determined to live my dream not only for myself but for my wife, my child, my family and for all of those out there who this magazine has the potential to reach. I was just a small-town boy from Arkansas with a huge heart and a passion to create a magazine that could actually make a difference, stand for something positive, act as a mentor and inspire you to be as hungry to live your dreams as I am.
I understand that the token phrase, Live your dreams, is probably one of the most overused marketing adages ever, but it’s definitely not as easy as it sounds. “Live your dreams? OK, I’ll do that tomorrow.” This may sound easy, but it’s not how it works. Pursuing a dream takes sacrifice, patience, strength, determination and lots of exhausting work. Something that best illustrates this process is a conversation I had with my mentor in the early stages of my journey.
It was about five years ago, and I was ready to reach the world with my magazine—or so I thought. But this mentor said something to me that put my dream into perspective. Sitting there with my bright eyes wide open, I was waiting for him to agree that I was ready to conquer the world. Instead, he said, “David, right now you’re way up here trying to fly.” He held his hand high above his head and continued, “And you’ve never even learned how to walk.” I looked at him, puzzled, as he told me, “David, if you want to succeed at your dreams and really make them a reality and have them last forever and touch the people who you want to touch, you have to learn to crawl, then walk, then run. Then you can fly, but only in that order.” I sat in the chair in his office and looked into his eyes, knowing he truly wanted me to succeed and that those words were from his heart.
I’ve since thought about that conversation almost daily. My hope is that I will one day take flight and that on that flight I will see each of you on the mountaintop. The year 2010 is going to be the year in which many of you reach your dreams, and I hope that your dreams will not only be special for you, but for everyone around you. Remember that each of us has the opportunity to impact the world in our own way. I hope and pray that, as we look at the big picture, we will see more than ourselves.
For me, 2010 holds the birth of the newest little Kiggins, my first child, and I sincerely wish you all a joyful and safe New Year. Let us cherish the memories of 2009 while keeping our eyes and hearts on the great things to come. This was published in my last editor’s letter, but I want this to be my anthem for 2010:
“I want to be passionate enough to live my dreams, inspirational enough to make you want to chase yours and compassionate enough to revolutionize the way we give back to the less fortunate.”
Cheers,
David Kiggins
Tags: Editor Letter