I got back from my run drenched. It was raining out and the chill soaked through to my bones. I quickly jumped into a warm shower and then curled up on the couch with a hot cup of tea afterwards. The next day I stepped onto the scale expecting to see an improvement. What I found instead was only disappointment. I had gained weight! Immediately I thought back to my run in the cold rain. Why was I doing any of this? If I watched what I ate and went on a run every other day I should be seeing something. Anything! Was I better off staying warm and dry inside my home?
I am sure that disappointment is something that many of you have had to experience as you’ve gone through life. Whether it’s working to loose weight or to publish a book, we can work hard and still not see immediate results. It is here that many people consider the road ahead and just say, nope. They turn around and leave their goals behind.
In relation to my story before, I decided to keep going. The results were never as fast nor as dramatic as I wanted but I pushed forward regardless. Eventually I did loose some weight that year. That is a success in my book. One that I would not have achieved had I stopped that cold morning on the scale. The same thing happened when I first began writing.
At this time I’ve written three manuscripts and have attempted several other unfinished projects (A writer never throws away a good idea). That is a lot of time and energy invested in something that most people these days no longer really care about. My most common reaction when I tell other people about my books? “When will the movie be out?” Sigh.
Writing is a very time consuming process, one that did not come naturally to me at first. I remember long nights trying to get the words to even read the right way. I didn’t give up though. I stuck with that first story for one reason, I wanted others to be able to read it. That more than any other reason drove me onwards. The reason I write today is much the same, I do not need a book contract (though don’t get me wrong, I am trying!) to validate my efforts. I write to tell my stories and that is all. It is all I need.
The reason I say this is not to brag, it is to emphasize the fact that if I had stopped, gone off to do other things I wanted to do, I would never have finished that first work. I would have never realized the reason why I write. I wouldn’t be who I am today if I had stopped because it was hard. If I stopped because writing didn’t come to me easily, I wouldn’t even be writing this blog. Hind sight it seems covers over a multitude of hardships.
Our dreams are not sprints. We may not achieve our goals the moment we set out to achieve them. Keep working, keep going. Don’t give up! What is hard today will be easier tomorrow. What seems impossible now will seem insignificant further down the road. Hang on to those dreams, you can achieve them!