My desire to inspire has no shelf life

I’ve been sharing blog posts for over six years now…ever since I decided to shed my fears and share with family, friends and the online world that I had a secret desire to write and that I had completed my first novel.

Sharing that news was probably the bravest, and scariest thing I have ever done.

Why? 

Because I was sharing a part of myself that I had kept locked away from everyone for a fairly long time, even my closest family members. Because I wasn’t sure how others would react to my passion to write and become a published author. Because I wanted to share my excitement in what I had accomplished and while I wasn’t in search of validation, I couldn’t deny my apprehension and how I might react should anyone decide to stomp on my dreams.

When my news began to spread, the response from both family and friends was amazing and encouraging. I realize I shouldn’t have expected anything less, but when you open yourself up in a way that makes you vulnerable, it’s going to cause some anxiety. Unless you don’t give a crap what anyone thinks or have the biggest ego of all time, you’re going to hope others will be happy for you and will share your excitement for what you have accomplished.

But what might have happened if I hadn’t received such a positive response to my news?

I would like to think that I would have plugged away, because writing is my passion and because I thoroughly believed in my story and wanted to share it with others.

But there’s also the chance that I might have lost all confidence in my dream and deflated like a balloon, only to go back to writing for myself and never sharing anything again.

I shudder to think of that possibility.

Except it does happen…how many people have a dream they would like to explore, only to be shut down by their closest family members or friends? How many people fear sharing that part of themselves because of that possibility so that they never even try?

I’m sure the number is too high.

When I was working through my reflections for 2017 and my intentions for 2018, there was one area I kept coming back to: it was my desire to inspire. Not only the desire to inspire others, but to constantly inspire myself, as well. Writers have issues, such as being creatively blocked, dealing with procrastination and ignoring their own inner critic. I deal with those issues and work though them the best I can and I’ve learned a lot from other authors who have already been through this process for many years. Based on what I’ve learned, I don’t believe it ever changes, the issues writers face, but knowing what to expect and finding ways to work through the difficult times will keep me inspired and on track.

When I first began this blog, it was my intent to share my writing journey where ever it may lead and my hope was that others would follow because they wanted to see where the journey would take me. But over the course of the past few years, even as I’ve dealt with some of the most difficult times in my life, I discovered that I had another desire. That desire has merged from sharing my thoughts as I continuously inspire myself while I write through the highs and lows of life, to the hope that I inspire others who may be dealing with their own issues while working on making their dreams a reality.

My desire to inspire will be a continued effort for as long as I carry on with writing and sharing my passion. So…

And have a great week!