“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 as ideas and splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

“All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: ‘Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.’”

In 1951, the mountaineer William Hutchison Murray published his book The Scottish Himalayan Expedition. It included the passage above, which quickly became one of the most widely quoted statements on vision. It’s easy to see why — there’s boldness and magic in it!

What gifts this statement contains for us as creatives and writers! Who knows better than we, the power of commitment — and the price we pay for the lack of it?

Have you ever been fully and completely committed to a project and found, like Murray, that this very act sets in motion all sorts of events and happenings that you never imagined? That the Universe conspires to help you? What a wonderful experience it is — how magical!

How reassuring and exciting it is to know that mighty forces will come to our aid and marshal themselves in our cause if our commitment is strong and unwavering! What wonderful vistas this opens to us all. And how freeing it is to know that we have everything we need to succeed.

As we move into a new year, we enter the Land of Possibilities. Let’s commit to bold projects that excite and energize us as we all write on!