Saturday, January 21, 2012

Never Give Up! Never Surrender!


My First Book Signing
New Year, new promises. I've made my fair share and broke more than I've kept over the years. At some point on this journey to meet our goals, there will be moments of discouragement and maybe even despair. Maybe a pesky set back or two has derailed our excitement and enthusiasm and we're left wondering why? Why am I doing this? Is this even worth continuing?

Trust me when I tell you, it is. If the journey was easy, always filled with laughter, encouraging people and void of failure, there would be no growth and the reward wouldn't be so special. Think about it. If everyone breezed through everything they did or wanted to, the accomplishments would hold little weight and be...well. Dull and ordinary. Where would the "Wow!" be?

On days we start to question our dreams, we need to do something different. Give ourself permission to take a break, try something new, have an adventure. Anything. :)

Don't be too hard on yourself. Tweaking or changing those goals or promises, is perfectly okay. Adjustments are part of life. Giving up on a dream is what is not an option.

I took the last two months off from my writing. After releasing Target of Betrayal, I was pretty burned out. And my body was quick to let me know I'd stepped over the line and pushed a little too hard. The short break has done wonders. I started editing my next book the second week of January and I'm already up to chapter five. Yeah! But this time the editing isn't going to get the best of me. I'm scheduling those much needed breaks whether I want to or not and listening when my eyes tell me I've had enough. It's really hard to function with those migraines. And life in general becomes no fun at all.

Looking back over the past five years, there were several times I wanted to throw in the towel. To forget how much I enjoyed my writing. But I'm so glad I pushed on. It was hard work. If I'm totally honest with myself, it's probably the hardest thing I've ever done, short of childbirth. Shoot. It's still hard work. But the rewards are so worth it.

A few fun things that helped me boost my creative spark and relieve the stress:

Painting
Photography
Watching a favorite movie, again
Coffee or lunch with a friend
Playing games with the kids
Sneaking off to read a great book
Window shopping
Taking walks and enjoying the great outdoors

Ahhhh....just thinking about these things makes me feel refreshed. :)

Onward and upward! Never surrender!

I shared these quotes on Everybody Needs a Little Romance. Thought they were worth mentioning again.

“There is no success without failure.” Wish I could remember where I read this one.
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.” My eyes are wide open now! ~ Henry Ford
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Boy have I ever!
~ Thomas Alva Edison
“There is no failure. Only feedback. ” Now this one fits perfect! :)
~ Robert Allen