Dare to Believe

Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance ~ Bruce Barton

You have to believe that you are destined for great things.  That can be tough, I know.  We grow with well-meaning people constantly trying to give us advice about our lives and vocations.  Sometimes when things get tough it’s hard to believe ourselves that we can overcome some of the obstacles that we face.

The biggest part of a dream journey sometimes is the personal growth you can experience.  I can’t believe that a year ago I was lamenting because writing 250 words a day and this year I am easily hammering out about 800 words per day, easily.  I think this creative energy is coming from three different places.

First of all, my current WIP is better outlined and brainstormed than my first project, A Place to Call Their Own.  I have some very good notes about what is going to happen and that makes writing each scene and each chapter easier. 

The second source of energy fueling my productivity is confidence with myself that I can write 5000 words in a week.   Back in February I took a week off of work and was able to meet that word count total that week.  The next week, I was shocked when I did again, after working 40+ hours.  And then I did it again another week, and another.  In fact, I think the only week since the end of February I haven’t written that many words was the first week here at my new job when I worked a different schedule.  Now it’s a habit and personal expectation that I achieve that goal each week.

My final source of creative energy is coming from confidence with myself that I actually wrote a novel!  A Place to Call Their Own is my first full length novel.  It’s completely written and I am in the final stages of editing it right now.  Hopefully it will be ready for some beta readers soon.

If you would have told me even a year ago that I’d be writing 5000 words per week, consistently, I would never have believed you.  But I proved it to myself I could do it and now I do it consistently. 

I hope you can find some pearl of useful information in my posts about my writing.  If you’re not a writer, I hope you’re able to draw parallels on your personal dream journey.  I hope everyone has a great week.

Never Let it Go

When you have a dream, you've got to grab it and never let it go ~ Carol Burnett

Enough said.  There is nothing more I can add to this today, except to wish you a wonderful weekend.

Enjoy!

Discover You and Trust IT

You have got to discover you, what you do, and trust it ~ Barbara Streisand

I recently watched  “Stan Time,” an episode  of American Dad! where Stan takes pills to stay up all night.  By taking the pills, he’s able to feel rested without sleeping.  He uses the time to indulge in his own activities that he’s not able to during the day, like playing a video game.  Francine eventually catches him and wants the pills as well.  They agree to use the time separately rather than spend it together.  Stan becomes the video champ he wants to be and gets invited to a tournament.  Francine uses her time to get an advanced degree and then discovers a rare giant squid. 

My initial analysis of the episode was the difference between what Stan chooses to do with his time and what Francine chooses to do with her time.   Even though Francine achievements seem to be a bit more noble that Stan’s (at least in my mind), Stan does find a goal and works very hard to achieve.

I think that’s what Barbara Streisand is telling us in the quote.  You have to discover what you do and trust it.  Stan discovers he’s good at the video game, trusts it and gets the invitation to the tournament.  I think we all need to be working towards “the tournament” whatever that means in our own personal dream journeys.  For me, that’s the journey on the road to publication.  For some of my friends, the road is a road to direct sales success. 

Do you trust IT, whatever IT is for you?

The Dark Side

We all need to look into the dark side of our nature - that's where the energy is, the passion.  People are afraid of that because it holds pieces of us we're busy denying ~ Sue Grafton

Have you stopped to think about the dark side of your nature lately?  What goals or dreams are lying out there? 

For many people in creative disciplines, this is the master of our art.  Adele has received numerous accolades for her CD, 21.  Most of the music was inspired by a break-up.  Sometime, you can’t reach any darker place than that.

Writers are encouraged to write the books they want to read.  Again, this comes from some of the deepest darkest parts of our brains.  And while some of this can be very disturbing, it can make for some fantastic stories.  The Hunger Games trilogy is one of my favorite set of books I’ve read in a long time.  Again, there are some very deep, dark undertones in this world of teenagers battling each other to the death for food.

What part of your dark side is holding you back?  Don’t let it.  Use the dark side to your advantage, to meet your goals (not to rule the Empire!).

I hope everyone is having as productive week as I am so far!  I’d love hear about your week!

Complicated is Commonplace

Making the the simple complicated is commonplace, making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity ~ Charles Mingus

When I was a corporate trainer, most of my prep time was focused on breaking complex work place tasks into simpler, easy to remember, steps.  As a manager of work groups for the last few years, I also did my best to keep things as simple as possible.

After a difficult time with the Missouri DMV in March, I created my own simple mantra for my own achievement as a writer:  write, read, and be social every day.

No matter what dream journey you're on, you should be able to identify simple steps for success that you can follow every day.  If you do enough research on the Internet, you'll probably find someone who has already formulated those steps as well.

Once your simple tasks are identified, perform them every day and one day you'll find that you've reached your dream goal. 

What are your simple steps for success?  I'd love to hear about them!

Not Smart Enough to Know Better

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible ~ Doug Larson

It doesn’t take anyone special to reach a dream goal, anyone who sets their mind to it, can do it.  Thomas Edison started as a telegraph operator and went on to originate the concept and implementation of electric power generation and distribution.  Alexander Graham Bell ‘s research in hearing and speech led him to the invention of the telephone.    Could you imagine life without either electricity or your cell phone today?

Take me for example, I have a business degree and have been working in call centers and banks for most of my career.  I don’t have a degree in creative writing or English.  That’s not stopping me from writing novels. 

I love the world we in which we live with access to the Internet.  If you want to learn something new or change careers, the Internet opens doors that only public libraries could in the past.  Whether it’s formal training with online courses at accredited universities or just articles you can find online about the skill you’d like to develop, it can all be found online.

So if you’re aren’t already on a dream journey, it’s never too late to  start one.  And with the resources available like never before, you have the world at your fingertips.  Go for it!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Excellence is Not an Act, But a Habit

We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence then is not an act, but a habit ~ Aristotle

I absolutely believe that we become what we repeatedly do and I absolutely believe that excellence is a habit and routine we have to strive for every day.

I thought I would take today to review my strategy for dream journey of becoming a published novelist.  I know there are quite a few new followers out there that might be getting bits and pieces of the message.  If you’ve been following me for a while, this will be good review.

My plan is a five part plan for success, excellence if you will:

• Create Your Vision
• Set Goals
• Develop and Follow Routines
• Define Boundaries
• Find at least one Friend

Last week I wrote quite a bit about Creating Your Vision.  The next step is to Set Goals that support your vision.  Then you Develop and Follow Routines that support your goals and Define Boundaries so that you create some balance in your life.  Finally, Find at least one Friend to share your journey with.

And then when you’re done figuring all that out, you go back and continually refine what you’re going after and what you’re created.  Remember Sunday’s post, Eudora Welty brought us don’t think you’ve ever seen the last of anything.

Have you reviewed your plan lately?  I’d love to hear!