“Courage is Abundant in the Abstract,” by Selena Einwechter. Deeds Publishing, Athens. Ga. 2016. 184 pp. $24.95.

By Deirdre Parker Smith

deirdre.smith@salisburypost.com

“Courage is Abundant in the Abstract” is the story of Selena Einwechter, who dreamed of owning a bed and breakfast.

In her introduction, she talks about how she would talk about her dream. She could “see it, feel it, taste, smell, and touch it — all in my mind, all in the abstract. Sometimes I would ‘let it out,’ only to bring it back to the safe zone.”

That is courage in the abstract, faith in the abstract.

In telling her story about making the dream come true, she hopes to inspire others and lay out basic principles for others to get started on their dreams, creating a business or starting and finishing a project.

She writes that creating the book was a new dream — she’d never written before.

She begins by revealing that her dream must have been inspired by God, since she had thought about it for 25 years, and gives this advice: “He wants you to have the desires of your heart, but you must meet Him on the path. It takes an equal alliance: His message and your action.”

Focus is key — once you have a plan, you must not be distracted.

Selena came from a broken home, determined to face all the challenges she met, and she learned that her God was a “Big God on my team,” allowing her to not just build her bed and breakfast, but garner national attention for the project.

She had some skills from her job as a crime investigator in land fraud for the government, along with a job staging special events for the Florida lottery, so she understood about land purchases and knew how to be a hostess.

She embarked on a rigorous saving and investing plan, eventually saving 50 percent of her income. She went to conferences about B&Bs and developed a relationship with a B&B owner in Weaverville, commuting from her Atlanta job to the North Carolina mountains to baby-sit the inn while the owner was away. She had to learn fast.

She finally realized that she had to lay her dream down before God and let him answer her prayers — if it was to be, she would know. She got a sign one day that she was going in the right direction so she put her trust in God and let him lead the way.

It’s a good thing she had faith, because just as she was taking steps to maker her dream a reality, the great recession hit, she lost her job and three banks turned down her loan request. She thought to herself, well, I did my best, whatever happens is God’s will. Then the final bank called. And just two weeks before the bottom dropped out of the stock market, she cashed in all her investments. Again, she thanks God for guiding her decisions.

Citing scriptures, she takes her readers through the challenges of having a dream and making it a reality, from the early excitement to the understandable fear. Her confidence and complete trust in God show through in her writing. She’s a smart cookie who did her homework and labored to make her vision a reality. Nothing was really easy — she had problems during construction, a paucity of guests and  the bank ended up closing.

With pages of photos showing the rooms and landscape of Tiffany Hill, she then offers guides to help people realize they have a dream, or a goal. She even asks the important question, “What is the worst thing that can happen to you if you pursue your dream?

She suggests finding accountability partners who will become advisers and support you through the process.

Putting your thoughts on paper makes them more tangible, she says, but feel free to “mind dump,” as she calls it, listing everything you can think of that’s related.

Following that, pick a date for it all to happen, a deadline of sorts that will spur you into action.

And she honestly discusses how to fund your dream, the sacrifices you need to make and the initiatives you must take, providing a sample of her own capital plan.

She lays out ideas for marketing and for a digital presence, including a web site and social media, as well as advertising and public relations.

After giving lots of specific advice, Einwechter asks people to contact her to tell their stories of realizing their dreams, of taking the first steps. She offers this encouragement: “FOCUS. Life is full! Only you can keep yourself on the track toward your dream or goal. If your dream is important to you, you must stay focused.”

After running the B&B for a while, Einwechter published a cookbook with recipes from Tiffany Hill. At the end of this new book she adds new recipes, “Sequel to Breakfast at Tiffany Hill.”

Her enthusiasm and positivity are evident in the pages of the book, and she’s going to share her message here Sept. 14 at South Main Book Co, 4-5:30 p.m, and that night at Christ United Methodist Church at 7. She will also speak at a private corporate event at Delhaize America.