For some reason the world is full of negativity. I will never understand why someone would try to push someone down a path that would make them miserable and then pretend to care that the person they pushed is now struggling and miserable. Like many writers, I have been tested repeatedly and in the past I gave in to those fears of “responsibility” and walked away from my dreams.
Over the years, I’ve grown stronger and realized my dreams are not irresponsible at all. I no longer care if my own friends laugh at me and doubt me. It’s not up to them, and people like that are not really my friends. Luckily for me, my wife is 100% supportive of my choices in life, and she’s never read more than a few pages of anything I’ve written. I’m not here to say I’m the next Stephen King or John Locke. What I am is me, and I’m a writer. I would rather write than do anything else.
Sometimes it seems as if everything is pushing at me again to walk away. What I don’t understand is why my friends would assume I was going to fail, and for some it feels as if they would prefer I do. I’ve never failed anything I’ve tried to do in my entire life. What failures I have had all came because I quit. Well, I’m not quitting this time. I will be published, I will become a bestseller and I will make this a career. It’s not just a dream anymore, it’s my goal. It’s unbreakable. I’m unbreakable. I don’t care what comes against me to try to stop me. I will succeed.
If you have dreams, then wake up! Stop living them in your mind and go out there and pursue those dreams. Life is too short to just watch it go by because of fear of failure. If you fall short, that just means you need to give it a little more. There are two things that can stop you from achieving your life long dreams. One of them you have complete control of, whether you quit or try at all. The other is what happens if you wait too long. We all have to die someday. It’s better to live while you can, rather than waste away your life in safety and “for sure” things.
My day job involves working with car accidents, and it’s taught me a lot about living safely. There is no sure thing in life. It doesn’t matter how good a driver you are, if the other guy doesn’t see you and runs the light, then your life is over. So stop pretending you’re in control, throw away the negativity and live your life! If you’re a writer, then don’t let anyone or anything stop you from writing. You don’t know when someone else is going to run that light and end your dreams before you reach them.
Thought I'd share an awesome song that I love to listen to when those naysayers try to bring me down. Listen to the words, because what she sings is true.
Thought I'd share an awesome song that I love to listen to when those naysayers try to bring me down. Listen to the words, because what she sings is true.
Love this one. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI too "would rather write than do anything else". I am blessed to have a spouse who believes in my "irresponsible, impossible" dreams and grateful for his constant encouragement which comes in especially handy for those days when I do make the mistake of listening to the negative voices.
I love JKonrath's words on this, "What do you call a writer who never gives up? Published."
You are so right! Dude, don't let those B@st@rds bring you down. Just smile and keep on going the way you are. You ARE unbreakable! So proud for you to stand up for what you believe in: YOURSELF! I love posts like this because it's exactly how I feel too. I'll stop going when I'm dead. Until then, watch out!
ReplyDeleteOh, and thanks for getting me hooked on another awesome band. I've never heard Fireflight before. The video was awesome!
Inspirational post!!
ReplyDeleteTrue friends want you to be happy. If writing makes you happy, then you damn well better do it!
And I love that song. It plays fairly frequently on my Pandora stations.
Thanks for sharing!
Gina
Wow, thanks. I was sort of just blowing off some steam last night and a new post was due. Glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteLani, love that Konrath quote, he's absolutely right.
Kendall & Gina, I just recently found Fireflight. They had been popping up more and more on my Pandora radio. I youtubed them and realized I'd been jamming to a bunch of their songs. So now I'm a big fan.
Bands like Fireflight and Skillet are so different than when I was a young angry kid, listening to Nine Inch Nails and Nirvana. Like a breath of fresh air. Or maybe that's because I am writing again.
What a fantastic post! I've been right there with you… While I have the faithful few… I've felt the pressure of those close to me… The ones who don't understand and aren't willing to. It's really hard, especially when you're a people pleaser. Now, that I've focused more on myself and the things that make me happy, it's like there's been a backlash. Where did Carissa-the-ever-available go? I was always doing what I could to help others and now, I'm not there as much. I guess it sucks for them? But I can't change that.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Sooner or later, you have to take the reigns and do what you're called to do. Congrats and good luck! YOU CAN DOOOOOEEEEETTTT!
Don't you hate when people are like that? It's even more frustrating when you are very close.
ReplyDeleteWell said! If we gave up the first time someone doubted us, we wouldn't get anywhere. The world is full of doubters!
ReplyDeleteThat is so true, I just wish I hadn't been listening to them all ose years ago. But it's for the better, I always say, because I've learned so much and perfected my craft. I'm one of those glass half full types.
ReplyDeleteCool blog. I'll definitely be back.
ReplyDeleteI usually think of U2 when mentally squashing the naysayers: Don't let the b@st@rds grind you down.
Love this Firelight song.
When I started reading the post, I was going to recommend "Unbreakable" by Fireflight—then saw the vid. Light bulb moment.
ReplyDeleteMoney's tight at the moment, which my brother recently used as an excuse to say "Get a real job." I stared at him. My being a freelancer isn't the reason money's tight—money's tight because of medical bills and frequent vertigo. (Not saying that as a plea for "poor me"; God's taking care of me.)
But my brother knows that I've had entire weeks this year where I was physically incapable of working, more weeks that I've been unable to drive, but he still somehow assumes that getting a "real job" would fix things. Some people just don't think things through.
Thanks Isis, nice to meet you.
ReplyDeleteCarradee, the "real job" thing is so ground into so many peoples minds that I often wonder what part of our society has brainwashed so many into believing that having to earn a living must require you to be unhappy and unimaginative. That sucks about your brother, I have some family too that isn't supportive, several years ago a sister said I needed to grow up and be more responsible. Honestly, comparing our lives, even then, that was a hypocritical thing to say. I decided not to hold a grudge though, it's not their fault they can't see that some people have a "real job" that they love. That are willing to struggle through the low points, because even then, they are happy doing it. Even a construction worker struggles to bring home a check when the weather is too rainy for several months and his company won't allow any building for safety reasons. Isn't that a real job? I ask then, what is the definition of a real job? Real Estate agents have a real job, and an extremely useful and competitive job. The market the last few years has forced many of those to get side jobs. Would someone tell a Real Estate Agent to get a real job? I just don't understand why a writer is excluded from respectable market driven careers. Maybe Stephen King and John Locke should get real jobs. If all writers got real jobs, there would be no Hollywood, no Broadway, no music, no television, nobody telling stories around the campfire, no romance novels, no adventures, no dreams. Who cares about writers? I do, I love the entertainment industry, and anyone who says they don't is either a liar, or just plain weird. You don't like writers? The why are you reading blogs?
Oops, sort of went on a rant there. Got a little emotional over your brother's comments.