Once upon a time, there was a young lady born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Now, perhaps I'm about to show my provincial pride here, but what good every came from Winnipeg? Well Nia of course!

She moved to Toronto, Ontario and took a job in a box office, selling tickets for a comedy theater. One night, with a full house waiting and just ten minutes before show time, a performer was rushed to the hospital. Nia hurried backstage and told the producers that she knew the show. They took a chance and gave her a spot. The next day she was invited to join the troupe.

After two years with "Second City," she moved on to Chicago's "Second City" troupe where she performed for over six years. She met and married a fellow performer, and the two ventured off to Los Angeles.

Feeling creatively unsatisfied in Los Angeles and frustrated because she couldn't get acting work, her girlfriend suggested that she write up some of the Greek stories she often told at parties.

Nia wrote a one-woman play hoping to attract the attention of a good agent. Well, she got more than that with a film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" so far grossing $320 million dollars.

When I first heard Nia's story I thought she was an overnight success. I heard she was an aspiring actress who wrote a play, that someone influential saw, and made into a movie in which she got the starring role. I thought, "Some people have all the luck."

The truth is, it took her approximately fifteen years to realize her dream. I read a number of interviews and biographies about Nia, and I've come away with a new idea about luck. Here's my analysis on Nia's success.

She had a dream to be an actress. She had desire, determination, tenacity, and the ability to endure.

She wasn't afraid to take advantage of opportunity, and in some cases created opportunity.

She used her life writing an autobiographical account of her family and marriage, which gained universal appeal. About the movie people are saying, "Hey, that's my family up there." Funny, she thought she was writing about her life.

She looked for ways to move toward her goal, though at times I imagine she viewed herself as crawling, walking, leaping or running. Her move toward success wasn't a steady climb. She had times of doubt and pushing against a system that seemed to work against her. Hollywood wants a skinny attractive girl. "I am who I am," she says.

Sometimes success is who you know and making good contacts. Interest in her one-woman play attracted the attention of Rita Wilson, who told her husband Tom Hanks, who viewed Nia's act the next night. Both Rita and Tom agreed a film version would captivate audiences.

Nia's idea was a hard sell to the producers, but she had done her marketing research, and knew that a good return for investment was important to the industry. She told the producers there were six million Greeks in the United States, so they finally gave her a budget of $5 million.

Above all remember this, when selling tickets at the box office in 1986, Nia was preparation meeting opportunity.

Keep your dreams before you. Crawl, walk, jump and run toward your goal, no matter what it takes, keep reaching, and you too may find the same word of mouth success that Nia found. There is always something we can do to reach toward our goal, no matter how small or time consuming, or demanding it might be. Tickets anyone?

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When I watched the movie, I leapt out of my viewing seat. I recognized the old neighborhood I lived in for three years as a single girl in Toronto. Though the story supposedly takes place in Chicago, it was shot in Toronto. I loved those Greek shops and little restaurants. For me watching the movie was not only entertaining but also nostalgic. Ah, those old Toronto days.