I’m Most Grateful For My Dreams

“To infinity and beyond!"- Toy Story

Today, I want to thank everyone who is engaged in my work. Your zeal, authenticity, intelligence, and help have motivated me to keep pushing forward, and I'm genuinely excited to have you with me on this journey. I would like to thank you by offering a free one-month paid subscription to my publication, and a 30% reduction of my usual price of $8.00 to $5.60 a month or a yearly subscription from $80 to $56.00. Offer available until January 3rd. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

If you have a family member or friend who you think might enjoy my publication, please consider sending them a gift subscription to The Charlotte Pendragon Diaries. Click link to complete the gift offer. Be sure to click Gift.

In previous essays, I've frequently mentioned my father’s best advice: to follow your passions, and you’ll never work a day in your life. When you seek a career or job that aligns with your desires, you love working and anticipate your labor rather than dreading each Monday. It's not always an easy course, but your goals become those that guide your dreams. It requires perseverance and tenacity to travel through the valleys and mountains ahead before you finally encounter a calm sea of easy sailing. Still, if you let your sail down, you stagnate and go whichever way the wind blows. You have to nourish and feed your journey, and nothing is promised to be easy. As a successful entertainer, I learned to accept NO as an answer most of the time while seeking out gigs. If you are a writer, then you understand my experience. It might take a few years to send transcript after transcript from one literary agent to another before you show enough interest in your work to accept you as a client. It’s not easy, and worse yet, harsh critiques by few could discourage enough to derail your desire. So you are left with the choice of ending what you did in a train wreck or getting back on the rail and following your compass. We all have to walk this path alone, but it doesn’t mean we don’t expect encouragement and assistance along our journeys. It’s the few that keep us moving forward.

“I realized that true freedom wasn’t necessarily having my TV show because Hollywood dictates those parameters, and sometimes, you are less creative with that lording over you. You create for them and make their dreams happen instead of your own.”

I greatly respect those who take chances and risks to follow their passions and desires in life. I also empathize with their struggles, knowing what it takes to get there. Accepting NO for an answer was always my biggest challenge because it crushed the ego shell I built to protect myself. One of my biggest challenges was when my management negotiated a big franchise deal between Jeff Margolis Productions, ABC TV, and Disney. It was for a five-year contract producing a $2 million TV special yearly. We had it in the bag, but before the ink was dried on the agreement, a few executives changed their minds and went with another magician I can’t name. But I was told the casting couch had much to do with that decision, as it often happens in Hollywood. According to reliable sources, the first TV special starring this magician failed, so they came back to us to negotiate the remainder of the five-year deal. Finally! Signed and sealed until… A new CEO took over ABC and canceled much of that year‘s season programming, eliminating many producers and making deals with new ones. Ours was put on the chopping block, along with Leann Rimes, whose TV Special was airing that week. It’s like the whole ABC/Disney structure was re-circuited overnight. That was the end of Jeff Margolis’ plans for The Pendragons. At the time when it was all happening, it seemed so right because I’d waited so long. And I’d managed to survive even after ABC executives took our deal from us in lieu of the other magician. So, a year later, when the project reignited, I was excited and thanked God for bringing it back to life. Giving him credit for our fantastic opportunity. I was stunned and angry when it was removed because I attributed divine power to that incredible chance to expand our performance possibilities beyond my imagination. I didn’t realize at the time the Supreme Being had other ideas for my life. And as disappointing as it was hearing the word NO after we’d fought so hard to make that break happen, I realized I needed to rethink my focus and perhaps adjust my goals.

Reaching the zenith of an entertainment career often seems like a pinnacle of success. When that opportunity faded and disappointment set in, I learned valuable lessons, and avenues for personal growth emerged from the experience. I turned around and focused on the divine will for my life, which eventually became apparent. My adaptability was crucial and helped me to navigate my future forward. It opened the door to redefining what success meant to me. Instead of measuring accomplishment by public acclaim or fame, I appreciated personal fulfillment, creativity, and authentic connections with others. I realized that true freedom wasn’t necessarily having my TV show because Hollywood dictates those parameters, and sometimes, you are less creative with that lording over you. You create for them and make their dreams happen instead of your own. With social media and YouTube, innovative individuals have far more opportunities to express their artistic endeavors successfully.

Sometimes, you reach for the wrong stars. And when that happens, you look for a brighter one. For me, that meant gaining personal growth from my discouragement. When your ego is cracked, you question yourself and your abilities. So, learning to take NO for an answer 95% of the time taught me the significance of knowing myself at a deeper level and how to keep my ego in balance. Your ego is a necessary asset because it ensures your confidence, but it can’t be so great that you think you will never fail. And you learn that your failures ensure your growth as a human being. When your ego is healthy, your failures become high-value rather than a liability. So don’t give up just because your ego gets bruised. Keep your focus ahead on your goals. Don’t lose sight of your ambitions and plans. Forge ahead. Continue aiming high and pursuing your limitless potential.

To infinity and beyond!"- Toy Story

---

I'd like to share an essay I wrote last year about a compass being our guide. It complements my above writing. I hope you enjoy it and receive much nourishment.