Your Promise To You.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about keeping the promise you've made to yourself.

Yesterday, I took my son to meet Jeff Kinney, author of the "Wimpy Kid" book series. During his talk, Jeff described the long and sometimes humbling journey he took to achieve his goals. Despite receiving numerous rejection letters from publishers, he continued pushing forward. Jeff had an idea he believed in and he never gave up. At the end of Jeff's presentation, he showed us a picture of a giant float made of Greg Heffley (the main character from his books) for the Macy's Parade. In his closing remarks, he said, "If you have an idea you believe in, keep at it, and one day you may see it fly."

Today's fortune also reminded me of a story I once heard Jim Carrey tell. One night in 1990, when Jim was a struggling young comic trying to make his way in show business, he drove his old Toyota to the top of a hill. While sitting there, broke, looking down over the city, and dreaming of his future, he wrote himself a check for ten million dollars. On the memo line, he wrote 'for acting services rendered,' and dated it for Thanksgiving 1995. That check stayed in his wallet as a reminder of a promise he made to himself, and the rest is history.

Over a year ago, my wife bought me a guitar and a cool game for the Xbox that teaches you how to play. It didn't take long before I realized how hard it is to learn guitar, but I promised myself that I would master the game, and then I would find a way to play in front of a live audience. Throughout the year, I have played that guitar game nearly every day. On weekends, I usually play guitar until the strings break or until my fingers bleed. Although I've reached level 9, I still haven't mastered the game, but in January, I joined a band. Our first gig is in a few weeks and this afternoon, we will be in the studio to record a few of our songs. Can you believe that?

Whether you're a starving actor, a writer without a publisher, or a musician wannabe, there's nothing in this world that can halt your ambition. Always believe in yourself and remain focused on your goal. It might take a year, or even ten years before you capture your dreams. So, do as today's fortune says and, "Remember to fulfill the promise you made to yourself."