Among my favorite quotations is one often attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It reads in part:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too … Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”

Goethe (1749-1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theater director and critic. The words basically mean that if we aspire to accomplish something in our professional or personal life, we need to decide to put our mind, body, heart and soul into making it real. That doesn’t mean we’ll inevitably succeed. It does mean that the act of commitment opens doors that make success a great deal more likely.

PROOF IN PRACTICE

The truth in Goethe’s exhortation was borne out for me when, in my late 30s, I set to work on a book — an anthology of stories about hunting, fishing and the outdoors. At the time I had no credentials, no connections in the outdoor writing community, and no experience as a book publisher or editor.

But once the idea came into my head, I acted upon it without reservation. I created a letterhead, sent letters to dozens of writers, collected manuscripts, bought the rights to publish the stories, found a publisher, secured a contract — all with no thought that I might fail. To me the question wasn’t whether the book would come out, but when.

Sure enough, it was published in fall 1993, and it now sits on shelves in numerous libraries and in the bookcases of many lovers of stories about life in the great outdoors.

Goethe’s words also might have inspired a longtime friend who, around the time of my book project, started a business selling printers and supplies for large-format displays. Even when sales seemed to have hit a brick wall and his partner gave up and quit, he persisted. Thanks to his commitment, the business turned the corner and became a big success.

Over the years, Goethe’s words have helped me in various pursuits, many successful, some not. But even where I failed I had the satisfaction of knowing I had made the commitment — that to borrow a phrase from sports, I had left it all out on the field.

WHAT'S YOUR ASPIRATION?

Is there some cherished goal you aspire to? Maybe it’s a top-level professional certification. Or a career move into a certain level of leadership in the water industry. Perhaps it’s a dream to make a home in a community or a landscape you love dearly. A sideline venture that you hope to turn into a full-time occupation when you retire. Even just a home improvement project you’ve been pondering, like that lower-level, best-in-town home theater.

Whatever it might be, there’s a world of difference between moving toward a goal in fits and starts, always haunted by uncertainty, and pursuing it wholeheartedly, knowing you’ll get there (even though the chance exists that you will not).

Goethe wasn’t the first and isn’t the only sage to expound on the power of positive thinking. Norman Vincent Peale wrote a book with that title. The Little Engine that Could teaches the lesson to little children. Walter D. Wintle observed, “Success begins with a fellow’s will, it’s all in the state of mind.” Colin Powell said, “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”

But I prefer Goethe, because I like his idea that providence favors the bold — that complete commitment to a goal causes cosmic gears to click into place, giving rise to turns of good fortune that otherwise would never occur. It has proven true often in my life. I hope you’ll find it proves true in yours.