These days on the Fourth of July, it’s easy to take for granted that the US is a world power.
But, back in the colonial days, it wasn’t certain we’d win our independence. And it certainly wasn’t certain that our nation would succeed.
From the perspective of that time, declaring our independence was incredibly risky.
Great Britain was a worldwide empire–and the biggest naval power in the world. The US was a collection of backwater settlements on the edge of a wilderness.
Along the way, there were many points when things could have gone terribly wrong.
- George Washington almost lost the entire army after the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776
- In 1777, only luck prevented a British captain from recognizing Washington and shooting him in the back
- After independence, the first union was a loose confederation that wasn’t effective and had to be reworked entirely (enter the Constitution!)
- Even five decades after independence, Europe was meddling in the Western hemisphere so much that James Monroe had to take a stand against their interference with the Monroe Doctrine
All this is to say, the current power of the US was, in many ways, a long shot.
There was no guarantee.
Remember this when you start your own creative projects.
From today’s perspective, the future can seem tenuous. Uncertain. Scary.
Success can seem unlikely.
(Yes, the US is still far from perfect. But, you can’t deny that as a fledgling country declaring its independence, the US succeeded in a BIG way.)
When you make a strong declaration–and back it with ongoing commitment–something small can grow into something huge and world-changing.
Today, on Independence Day, may you make your own declaration–and grow it into a success that changes the world.
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P.S. If you have big creative ambitions but are having trouble actually birthing your creative work, I’ve got a new program for you. Creative Jumpstart is designed to get you through your blocks and into regular, flowing creation–doing the work you were meant to do!
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