Motivating Monday: Persistence Equals Moving Forward with Resolve

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.–Dale Carnegie 

The great thing about the past is that it is behind us. We take the lessons taught by the past and move forward into the future with a better knowledge and understanding of the world that we live in. No matter what mistakes you have made in the past, each day gives you a clean slate and a fresh new morning to make things better– for yourself and for those you love. As writers, each of us has the potential to reach many other people as well, which is a responsibility we should not take lightly. We each have the power in our pens, or our keyboards, to motivate someone else to follow their dreams, and to teach them how to do that!

Getting to your core motivations, and then putting together your plan for the future requires lots of thought and contemplation. How do you brainstorm best? For me, scribbling it all out on paper and then deciding on the most important things works well.

Understand your motivations to write 

Motivation to write can take many forms, and understanding why being a writer is what you want is one of the keys to being successful. Is it for love of the craft? Do you write because it is cheaper than therapy? Because you want riches and fame like Stephen King? Is it because writing gives you time to spend with your family and friends? Does writing give you a sounding board to get your opinions out in to the world, and keep your husband or wife from going crazy listening to all your zany ideas? Do you love being able to go “on vacation” while still earning a living?

Once you know what your motivations to write are, putting words to paper and getting it done becomes much easier. Keeping your motivations in mind keep those procrastination demons and naysayers out of there.

Decide on a goal and make a plan 

What accomplishment would mean to you that you were a successful writer? Getting thousands of blog followers? Selling an article to the New York Times? Winning a short story contest? Earning a specific dollar amount this year? Publishing your first book?

The point is to decide what your idea of success is, and to make plans to reach that milestone in your life. Of course, writing is at the core of each  accomplishment listed above, but beyond that you need to find out how to get where you are going. Many excellent writers share their experiences online, so finding guidance is relatively simple. Keep in mind, through all of it, be true to yourself and do and say things that are uniquely YOU. You can find sources for steps to take to reach each goal above easily by doing a Google search. Here are some quick links I found:

Increasing Blog Followers 

4 Ways to Get Published in the NY Times

Short Story Contest Deadlines by Month

Make $100K as a Writer 

Get Published Now Academy

Now, this was a two-minute Google search. You will find hundreds of sites and articles about each of these topics online; it is wise to read the opinions and advice of several different smart and successful people.  You are now ready to map out the road from here and now to success; it is important that you do so, setting up some mini-goals along the way to make sure you stay on track.

Also have a backup plan ready! I cannot stress this enough…if you find one avenue blocked, that does not mean you should give up, but rather go around the roadblock and full speed ahead. You might decide to take a major detour along the way, depending upon which sights you come across on your journey. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as that detour might also be a path that is right for you. Only you can decide if it is where you will be happy or not; it might be a place to visit for a while and then move on, or it could be a place to call home. The point is that it is okay to revise your goals if you find that they are no longer consistent with what you want.

Many writers allow a little frustration to do them in, when almost all highly successful writers will tell you that it takes MAJOR persistence to hit the heights in the writing industry. Do not give up! Just find a different route to get to your destination.

Advertisement