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Friday, March 20, 2015

WRITERS IN A CAGE



“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.” 
~ Robert Louis Stevenson


Are you a writer in a cage, 
a cage of your design?

Often we are our own worst enemy, 

denying that we are capable of achieving more than we give ourselves credit for.

We are tempted to give up on our dreams because the road to them is arduous and slow.

Our behavior, our attitude, our bad habits are all within our ability to change for the better 

but we prefer the comfort of the familiar. 

We choose the path of least resistance, of a way of life that neuters the potential of success within us.


WHINING OR WINNING?

Have you pulled over on the side of the road to success, declaring defeat before you have even given it your all?

A well-functioning adult who puts in sufficient time, focused brain-storming, and quality effort can succeed in most endeavors.

You may not become the next J K Rowling, 

but how will you know if you do not rally everything within you and at your disposal in the attempt?


LAW OF LIFE

With a positive mind-set, willingness to learn, courage to change, and an iron resolve to work hard daily, you can ONLY get better.


DISCIPLINE NOT DESIRE

Great writers like Stevenson wrote daily, not when the desire struck them.  

You must, too.  How can you expect the water to flow if you do not turn on the faucet?

Stevenson spent long years of dying slowly, painfully each day, but he wrote classics each of those days. 


IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU

You are an adult, capable of becoming a professional.  

A great archer does not think of himself before he fires his arrow.  He thinks of his target.

Your target is not you -- it is the reader.

How can you write a book whose every page will excite the reader?  

That is your goal each moment in the chair before the computer screen.


WISHFUL THINKING NEVER WROTE A SINGLE WORD

Daydreaming is a pleasant haven from the hard work of putting evocative words on paper.  

But wishful thinking of impressing your co-workers or becoming the next Neil Gaiman will only leave you with what you put into your dream:  

Nothing.


PLAYING IT SAFE NEVER SCORED A TOUCH DOWN

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg all have a few things in common:

They dropped out of college to pursue their dreams.  

They dropped activities that drained their time and spirit to focus on working on their goals.

They continually re-invented themselves and their work, growing better with each painful transformation.


PIMP-SLAPPING YOURSELF IS NOT GOING TO GET YOU THERE

 Why talk to yourself in ways that you would never talk to a friend?  

You are your best friend.  And if you are not, that is one problem to tackle first off.

Jettison the "I can't."  

Speak truth to yourself.  

Making a mistake does not make YOU a mistake.  It makes you human.

If you tell yourself "I'm nobody.  No one will buy this," you hamper your imagination.

Stop listening to your fears.  You are not psychic.  The future is up for grabs. 

 Look at the headlines:  

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

Life may be less than pleasant right now.  That is now.  

Tomorrow is a land of endless opportunities.

Be a pioneer of that unknown territory.  

Take those reasoned steps that will bring you closer to your dreams each day.


YOU CAN  SUCCEED
BECAUSE OTHER UNKNOWNS 
HAVE DONE IT BEFORE YOU. 

What bars have you erected
in your own cage?

7 comments:

  1. I love this, especially the last part. We can succeed and we must remember that we only fail when we give up!

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  2. Heather:
    Thanks. I was beginning to think I was playing to an empty house! Yes, we fail only when we fail ourselves by giving up. :-) Thanks for all your help.

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  3. Hi Roland .. rather more than I should have - but have set in motion a rather busy summer of blog related activities to get beyond the blog .. we can see why Gates, Jobs and Zuckerberg succeeded - perseverance, dedication and in Richard Branson's case - picking himself up, and starting again ..

    I do hope you're improving .. cheers Hilary

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  4. Thanks, Roland! I think I needed the kick in the pants today. :)

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  5. Hilary:
    I pray that your hip is healing more quickly every day. I am feeling much better, thank you! Perseverance and dedication will see us through more than we initially think they will! :-)

    Tyrean:
    Thanks for RT my post on Twitter! May your writing dreams come true. :-)

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  6. I think my toughest bars to get through is procrastination. I keep putting off my next writing tasks. Sometimes I get around this by telling myself I'll just write some notes for a few minutes. Before I know it, I've been at it for an hour and I've accomplished something.

    It's amazing how I keep falling for my own tricks.

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  7. Helena:
    Whatever works, right? :-) If we dream about the finished book but never write it, we are tricking ourselves!

    I like your "just write a few notes" trick better. :-)

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