Girls on Top - Women with Altitude > Andes to Amazon 2008 > Village Roadshow

Is there anything as entertaining as our imaginations? Is there anything more powerful than the mind? It contains our most valuable potential. It alone dictates our fulfillment or our emptiness. It has the ability to imagine great things, amazing feats, our absolute contentment, or it can hobble us with self doubt, insecurity, rendering us sad and incomplete. The mind alone can only dream though, it’s our actions that have the capacity to make what we imagine a reality; our actions are the demonstration of our true essence.

The flyer came round – Glamazon Wanted! Speaking to the hidden well of desire deep within. I felt the first spark of imagination, a rush of energy, kinetic potential. Visions of the statuesque, empowered, confident women that is me crowded my head. I can feel the transformation just below the surface, the stirring, the flicker of ambition starting to kindle. I want that holiday, I’ve got what it takes, I have the potential, I am the Glamazon!!
The phone rings, calling me back, Glamazon well….., maybe not right at this moment, not in this crowd , but give me a chance and I’d be something to be reckoned with! If not a shoe in, at least a contender, someone they’d notice. Glamazon indeed, if I had the time and the inclination I would make it happen. You see, if I really wanted to I could.
Well are you? A little voice questioned.
Am I what?
Going to have a go, show us that great potential of yours?
Sure I have a host of ideas, this venue could be used, those departments contacted, these guys could provide the entertainment, bring the food and beverage guys in, make a great night of it. The area seats 1000 so the costs would be covered, great revenue raising potential here with this idea. Just take a word or too to those guys here and I’m sure so and so wouldn’t mind. Why not, it’s appealing, doable and a great occasion, it’ll be a smash. I’ll raise the money, get my 15mins of fame and get the trip.
Ok well print it off and let’s go…..
A few restless nights followed full of plans and wonder, day dreams of tropical vistas and scenic mountain routes. Sleep studded with accolades and congratulations at every turn. The conquest was mine, this was workable, this plan is actually pretty good. I’ve got the winner, Amazon here I come.
Time passes, my thoughts and plans compound, convolute, I’m building castles in the sky. I could get a job doing this, I’m actually pretty good at it, I’m and ideas type of girl!
Well you better have a look at the paperwork, it’s due next week, and maybe you should mention it to the boss, just so it doesn’t come as a complete surprise what you’ve volunteered everyone for…
Oh yeah, mmh telling him. I’ll get it on paper first, and then let him know.
What about all the other services you’ve nominated? Who’s going to let them know, that they need to volunteer their time and services in pursuit of you raising enough funds to go on a free holiday. They may work for their own holiday and recognition, but yours?
Well it’s not really for me; it’s for charity, raising funds for a good cause.
Come on now, who’s going to believe that, you want a free holiday and you’ve generated a pretty good idea on how to achieve the fund raising component that’s all.
Yeah ok, I really do want the trip but… I’m positive it’ll work, it’s a great idea. I can do this, let’s have a look.
Hang about; they want a bit of detail here. I’m not too sure on the specifics; I just know it will work. Why do they want all this for goodness sake? I’m not exactly sure how to break it down and put it down on paper. I mean it doable, it’s a great idea but why all this stuff? Why can’t I just pitch it to them, tell them about it and leave it at that?
Well… maybe it’s not such a good idea, not as workable as I imagined; it seems I haven’t really thought this out very well at all. All these steps, goals and contingencies, perhaps I’ll just leave it, leave it to those in the company that know how to organize these things.
Come on, are you really going to give up your idea that easily, thought you said it had great potential, was a winner, that you had what it takes?
Okay I’ll have another look, so there’s a little more work that just generating ideas, I’ll have do deconstruct the castle in the sky and put it into perspective. I can do that, just lay the ground work first, get the basic foundations of the event, what, where, when and who, then all the extras. I can do it bit by bit, systematically. Ok that’s pretty workable I’ve got who I need to talk to and what I need to talk to them about. Look there it fits, the plans in, wow this is even better than I though, it sounds pretty good even if I do say so myself, it’s a certainty, can’t believe I was going to let this opportunity slide.
Next step, pitch it to the boss. Ohhh this will actually be the first time I’ve told anyone about my proposal or actually stated anything factual. Prior it had been a little off handed boasting that I was going to put in an entry, though everyone said good on you, no one ever really asked what it was. I’ve been reluctant to state it out loud and risk ridicule or even constructive appraisal. You see in my mind no one can detract from my greatness, if people were to know then my ideas may be open to scrutiny. But the time was immanent, the proposal was due I’d have to tell them. I first tried it out on my immediate supervisor, sounds good she said, phew safe; “better let the department head know though”, she said. I put it to him at a morning tea, “good proposal, you’ve put a lot of thought into it, best of luck”.
Though pleased with their responses they didn’t offer to broach the subject with supervisors from other departments, the ones whose cooperation was paramount in the proposal getting off the ground, let alone being a great success. By myself I was a bit anxious about asking them, same old stuff as last time, who was I to be asking them to do things. It would be different if they were requiring a service I could provide, then I’d be on solid ground, confident and collected, but I was entering their domains, asking them to donate goods, services and staffing for my cause.
Oh well I’ll have to deal with that later, just get it sent off.
It’s in the mail, yippee, I’ve got a pretty good shot at this. Well…actually who knows, maybe I’ll be the only entry and win by default; or maybe they will dismiss it out of hand. Ah well I thought, you’ve done it, faced all those anxiety, put it together, dared speak about it out loud and actually sent it off, well done, what ever happens you’ve given it a shot girl, good on you.

Holy smoke! The phone calls come; I’m a finalist, in the top 4, it’s really happening! Uh oh, I really have to talk to people about this, bring it from the theory to the practical, and really make it happen….
Well….I don’t know, do I really want to do it, maybe it’s not such a great idea after all, It’ll take a lot of work, am I really capable of speaking with these people and gaining their co operation, to encourage them to participate. These other department heads aren’t going to appreciate requests that will increase their work loads, they don’t even know who I am. What do I just ring up and state who I am, what I’m trying to do and ask for them to donate their services? Perhaps I should have received their consent prior to putting it together? But then who was to know that it would be accepted? After all it was just to come up with an idea, aren’t they going to help me make it happen? Or is it all up to me? Maybe just scrap it, be content with being a finalist, pull out…
What and continue with your fantasy that it was the certain winner, all you had to do was put it in, but you decided not to?
Well let’s face it, it’s got to be a little more tangible, even plausible prior to going to Melbourne and presenting it; I’ll actually need some assurances from the other departments that it’s possible. Holy smoke, now I’m losing sleep for all the wrong reasons, fear and insecurity about my capabilities to pull this off. It all sounded great in theory but how exactly am I to gain the interest and required support from others that is essential to making this happen? It wasn’t supposed to be like this, in my day dream it all just came together. Is there really such a great divide between, thinking and doing?
“Without action great ideas remain fantasies”, didn’t I read that on some desk calendar, somewhere, sometime. Am I prepared to take the actions though, approach these people sell myself and my idea? What if they don’t buy it, what if they don’t think it’s so great, what if? What if? What if?
Well you are never going to know if you don’t take the chance, take the risk. You will be always standing on the side of potential greatness, stuck on this side of the divide. Without attempting, without trying this you will ensure 100% failure; do you wish to remain stuck?
I envisioned a wide canyon, on this side sat me cross legged, staring into a great ravine dreaming up dreams. With the little idea balloons accumulating like rain clouds above my head, never going anywhere, the clouds potential never eventuating, the clouds just growing thicker and heavier. Whilst I pictured that the other side of the ravine held fertile ground, beautiful gardens to walk in, and journeys unknown, though full of hope and contentment. I somehow knew that over there I’d feel a sense of empowerment, it would come by means of contributing, action was the way of honoring the thoughts and ideas that I had generated.
If I don’t do this, I’ll remain stuck on this side, just one more dream, just one more great idea that never went anywhere. The decision was made - I’ll try; from that point on, 24hrs after receiving the call I was committed to carrying through with the process. I would be truthful regarding my anxiety, I would ask for advice regarding how to proceed in an arena that was unfamiliar, I would seek assistance from those who had the experience I sought and I would give it my best shot.

I was unsuccessful, with my proposal, but in acknowledging my self doubt and committing to a plan of action I found so much more. Did I want the trip, sure I did, did I want to host the event- definitely, was I disappointed, sure I was. There was also a little bit of time spent in the wallowing self pity of “I wasn’t good enough”. But following through on the commitment to try for the other side of the ravine was in itself what freed me to take the steps required to get to the ravine’s other side, amongst the fertile soil and beautiful gardens. The journey through the ravine and essentially my fears brought an array of gifts, unexpected and delightful instances, which proved to be illuminating, inspiring and powerful. The whole process pervaded in a true sense of peace, for my dreams were accompanied by actions and this made them real, no “what ifs?” It reduced the distance between fantasy and reality, it gave me hope and I became the Glamazon I always knew I was.

Trust in your hopes girls, not your fears, apply yourselves, savour the moments and have a great trip, I wish you well.
Terresa Allen