Dreams and Disappointments

“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.”

― Robert Kiyosaki

So NANO is finally over, and even if you didn’t win the 50,000 word challenge, you still may be able to count yourself a winner. Sounds odd, doesn’t it?  Well, I’m always telling you that how you view your life is important.  Now that ‘s more true than ever before.

The first year I signed up for the NANO challenge, I didn’t quite make it. Like so many other thing, even with planning, my attention got diverted. My schedule got really busy. Did you realize that Thanksgiving is right there in the third week (usually) of November? Oh, and the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Sadly, the road to publishing and a career in writing is not paved at all. It is difficult terrain, which demands dedication and courage every day.

But I didn’t let that deter me the following year. Yup, that’s right, I signed up again. I bet you’re asking yourself, why? If I couldn’t see it through the first time what would ever make me think the next year would be any different. Did I think I was a year older and wiser? Older, yes but wiser, no.

What I did realize was that if I didn’t light a fire under my sorry A$$ I certainly wasn’t ever going to wake up younger and more successful at a writing career.

Was I disappointed that I didn’t finish what I’d started the year before? Yes.

Would it improve my experience, age or situation in any way, shape, or form if I just ignored my mistake from a year ago? No, it would not. What I decided to do was learn from the mistake I made.

The first year I was looking for perfection. Yes, that is correct, I had unrealistic goals. Foolishly I thought I could knock out 50,000 words, (I can) and they would be perfect (they won’t). I thought having accomplished the task of writing 50,000 words, I would have a novella at least to send off to a publisher who would be so enamored of my unique literary style that I could enjoy most of the eleven months preceding NANO, still publish a story a year and laugh all the way to the bank.

Are you done rolling around on the floor laughing yet? Let me know when you are, I can wait.

At this point in time you must understand that I really wanted to be a writer. I did not realize, because I wrote every day that I already was a writer.

When I sat down and applied myself to the task at hand, that’s when I became a professional writer.

Now, even if you didn’t finish NANO, here are some guidelines, and I mean guidelines, not rules.

1. try to write every day
2. stop beating yourself up if you don’t meet your goals, just try harder tomorrow
3. make sure your goals are realistic
4. ask for the support of people who really love you and want you to be happy
5. write what you know, tell your own story
6. make sure you have fun doing it

Follow your dreams and be sure that if your writing makes you happy, you are already successful.