Funded!: How I Leveraged My Passion to Live A Fulfilling Life and How You Can Too by Lucy Gent Foma

“For anything you dream about doing, there is a high likelihood that there will be a grant of fundraising money available to do it.” Lucy Gent Foma

I picked up this book with the purpose of learning more about how to reach my funding goal for my up and coming book launch campaign. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, however, I did pick up a few bits of advice. For those of you who are looking to get funding for scholarships, fellowships or grants this book is a practical step by step guide through that process.

My ambition is to self-publish my book. To do this, I will be running a Crowd Funding campaign. The goal is to fund the publishing costs, editing, design, necessary marketing expenses and other miscellaneous costs. With the book written I am now working on the launch of this campaign.

I could probably fund the project without running a CF campaign. However, I have bigger dreams.

I want to raise money beyond the publishing costs so that I can use all proceeds to help fund the completion of a schooling project in Uganda. Doing this will give 500 children from the surrounding communities the opportunity to attend school, hopefully giving them more opportunities in life. Something I am very passionate about and yet know I cannot do it alone. Hence my desire to run a CF campaign and my desire to read this book to learn a thing or two.

On that note, if you’d like to support my project head over to The Ultimate Life Map website and subscribe your email address so you can be kept informed.

Back to the book – funded. I need funding to help get this project completed. And because the goal is beyond my ability and rather ambitious I will need all the help I can get.

In essence, I will attempt to leverage my passion for writing to create a more fulfilling life. A life of contribution and alignment to doing what you love is an excellent way to do this. It elevates my sense of purpose. And when what we do is done with purpose, I believe we do live more fulfilling lives.

I figure I can hit two birds with one stone – publish a book that I believe can help others create and live a more meaningful and happy life while at the same time assisting those that don’t have opportunities that many of us take for granted.

How do you get funded? You look for people, organizations or companies that are willing to support your project. In Lucy’s case, she sought funding through grants and scholarships to allow her to pursue her passions. For me, I will be looking for those that might find value in my writing while at the same time would like to support a good cause.

However, without any pre-existing relationships were does one begin. I think the first thing this book delivers on is the inspiration to follow your passions and ignite your dreams. Don’t allow a lack of funding or resources to get in your way.

The next thing the book delivers on is how to inspire others to believe in your dream to receive their support. Naturally, support in the form of funding but also to help assist you effectively deliver your message. For example, in preparing your proposal or application, Lucy highlights why it is beneficial to seek advice from a mentor and how to go about finding one, or more mentors to help you.

The journey Lucy takes you on is a step by step guide from visioning, dreaming and understanding your story and purpose all the way through application stages. She also outlines how to stay motivated so you can stick with it despite any hurdles.

She includes many of her personal stories and applications as well as examples she shares from others. At times I found this draining partly because I wasn’t particularly interested in reading through the many applications that she includes. Nonetheless, an excellent reference.

The main takeaway is why it’s critical you get crystal clear on your vision and put your heart into the story. In chapter 10, she talks about how to write up your idea ready for delivery. In particular, sharing the process for writing your objective, rationale, and methodology. I found this section particularly valuable.

There were other moments throughout the book I had moments of clarity around my own story including writing an elevator pitch, something that is very tricky to do effectively.

If you wish to get funded, you have to create a following. You have to lead others to follow you with an inspiring vision that makes them want to support you on your journey. That requires trust, and I think we build the most trust when we speak honestly and authentically.

We have to effectively communicate our passion and why it matters to us from a personal level.

If you’ve got a dream and a desire to pursue it, then share your story openly and with passion. If it has weight others will follow.

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If this book sounds of interest you can purchase Funded!: How I Leveraged My Passion to Live A Fulfilling Life and How You Can Too here.

Please leave your thoughts, comments & questions below.

Peace, passion and purpose…

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