A Vision of Trouble and Hope

A Vision of Trouble and Hope

Ever had something that you wanted so badly that you started to imagine what it would be like having it?  Come on now?  How about that high school crush? Didn’t you dream what it would be like to be with him/her?  That vision probably made you make decisions on your actions.  Those actions moved you forward.

Visions are like that.  They give you direction and energy – two things you need in your career.  Most of the time we work on small visions like a new car or an outfit for a special occasion  but for a career you need a big vision and it can be scary to want something that big and that important.

My friend Sheila has a vision and it has given her energy to move forward even in adversity and has made her resilient and determined.  Sheila has had several careers during her life- first in the travel industry, then as a restaurant owner and briefly as a coach.

She also has two passions –dogs and children.  I actually think it is more that she is driven to help those who can’t help themselves. One way she has done that is by rescuing and placing dogs.

Her vision however came about while she and her niece watched the telethon for St Jude’s hospital. Her niece was moved by the sick children and wanted to give them hope.  She drew a picture of a cute dog and named him Trouble. “Where there is trouble there is hope.”  Sheila picked up on the idea and developed several products including a really loveable stuffed animal based on her niece’s drawing.

She sells these products but Sheila also has a big heart and has given many Trouble dogs away to children in the hospital and to veterans.  Yes veterans who love them as much as the children.  So what is her vision?  She wants to get Trouble into an animated cartoon series and for him and his message of hope to become a recognized brand.  To that end she has been busy networking her way to companies like Disney and PBS.

Undaunted by setbacks she keeps plugging away at it.  Her resilience is unbelievable.  Her formula for that resilience after a setback is:

• To get quiet and listen to her inner voice
• To let her inner voice find a way around the setback
• To develop a plan of action based on what her inner voice tells her

The journey has had its moments of joy too.  She tells many stories of sick children who clasp Trouble when they go to bed at night or when they need to have painful procedure.  Bringing Trouble to veterans also gave her pleasure.  Some were concerned that the soldiers would think this was silly but they were very grateful.  Sheila never doubted this outcome for a minute.

Take a look at the pictures of Trouble with children, veterans and dogs on her website http://www.troublethedog.net.

If you have time listen to an interview with Sheila by Sally Felton.   The energy I spoke of is there in her voice. http://contacttalkradio.soundwaves2000.com:8080/ctr/salliefelton020812.mp3  http://tinyurl.com/78cyrw5