Why You Should Go For What You Really Want
In this episode on The Lion40 Podcast, I talk to Kate Dramis, an Atlanta-based writer and former copywriting agency owner whose obsession with fantasy worlds and escaping into a good love story eventually drove her to chase her dreams of being an author.
“ I’ve been writing fiction since I was eleven. I would just make up stories and write them down like it was just a fun thing for me to do, And my parents were always like you’re going to write a book one day”
In addition to this quote, here are some points of conversation that resonated with me most deeply.
Stories are how we communicate and share parts of ourselves with others.
The best stories make us feel something—even if it's just a little bit of joy or sorrow or anger or confusion or happiness. That's one of the reasons why stories are so powerful: because they leave an impression on us that lasts long after the words have faded from our memory. Stories can even teach us things about life: they teach us how to handle tough moments or push forward. Through stories is how we share bits of ourselves to others.
2. Reframe your struggles to see how they can be assets.
Kate talked about how getting lost in her mind so much can be exhausting but it also allowed her to create these big concepts and put them on a page. Something that could literally be debilitating for somebody, right for someone to think what is wrong with me? Why does my brain operate this way? I don't think other people's brains operate this way, And she turned it into a career.
We all have struggles. When you're struggling with something, it's easy to feel like you're getting nowhere. However, after complaining to a friend about her busy brain, her friend brought up the point that you know well if you weren't like this, do you think it would be so easy for you to create these characters and create these stories? It was a light bulb moment for Kate so take the time to reframe your struggles into assets.
3. Don’t be afraid to pivot with something new.
Originally Kate was copywriting during the pandemic, starting to write a romance, and didn’t want to work on her fantasy story because she felt it was a waste of time but ended up mapping out three books instead and is so glad now that she decided to pivot.
Then after feeling TikTok was not for her, she posted a teaser to her book and it went viral. She stepped outside her comfort zone, previously feeling that this wasn’t for her, that it would only worked for others, but going for it anyway paid off big time.
I know how hard it can be to put yourself out there, you have to do it. If you don't give yourself the opportunity to grow, then all of your hard work will go unnoticed. Success is built on a series of failures where you learn and grow.
4. You never know when you’ll meet you next someone you want to work with.
I’ve heard many stories of people partnering in business with someone they met in a random scenario. Kate met her agent through a coaching program and although it didn’t initially align working together they kept in touch and she took Kate on.
When you go out and meet people, go to events, and make connections, you never know what amazing people might be just around the corner.
You could meet someone who can help you with your career or partner with in the future. And you never know how many people will see your name and think of you for future opportunities—or how many future opportunities will come from that initial connection! The world is full of opportunities; don't miss out on any of them because you're too afraid or shy to reach out!
5. Find your peaks and valleys.
People are asking me to come in and talk about burnout, energy management, work-life balance, and a lot of what I discuss when I do this work is finding your peaks and your valleys. What is your normal gravitational pull and use that to your advantage.
Things that seem unproductive are often crucial to your productivity. Take a break, and go for a walk, you may need that to come up with your next great idea. Then you can’t afford to not go on those walks.
6. What do you want?
So many of us are guilty of ignoring what we actually want. We often just go for what we think we have to do, or what other’s tell us is best because our wants seem unattainable, or are not the typical path. Go for what you really want in your career.
And what you want can change because something you thought you wanted you no longer do. This can be like Kate closing one business when she thought what she was doing was what she wanted, feeling burned out, and pivoting to this completely new thing and writing a book. Don’t hang your worth on your accomplishments at work, especially if it holds you back from accomplishing what you really want.
7. You can’t do it alone.
It’s too hard to see everything for yourself. I’m a big believer that everyone needs a therapist and a coach. I know people who have gone through amazing breakthroughs because they're able to learn from someone who is not involved in their life and has no history with them—someone who can really look at their behavior and give them feedback in an objective way. It's so powerful! You don’t have to just learn everything the hard way, make the most of learning from others’ experience.
More About Kate Dramis
Kate Dramis is an Atlanta-based writer and former copywriting agency owner whose obsession with fantasy worlds and escaping into a good love story eventually drove her to chase her dreams of being an author.
She recently sold her first trilogy, The Curse of Saints, to Penguin UK, which debuts in May of 2023.
When she's not busy writing banter that makes her laugh in an embarrassingly loud fashion, you can find her impulse-booking her latest travel adventure, snuggling with her three dogs and cat, or tormenting her growing legion of readers on TikTok and Instagram with vague book teasers.
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Author Information
Natasha Ganem, PhD, serves as principal consultant and organizational psychologist at Lion Leadership, an executive education firm dedicated to helping company owners design world-class leadership teams. To learn more about Lion Leadership coaching services, management training, and off-site retreat facilitation, contact us at info@lionleadership.com.
Lion Leadership – an executive education company.
We coach and train leadership teams and mid-level managers so that people don’t quit because of bad bosses. Whether you need 1-on-1 coaching for yourself, a custom leadership academy for your company, off-site retreats for your teams, or just a few hours of morale building, we are here to get your organization ready for what’s next. Natasha Ganem, Ph.D., is the founder and principal consultant.