Fight the Fear, Find the Faith

I’ve had way too much time on my hands lately. 

However, it’s allowing me the time I need to write, not just one book, but two (I decided to work on another project simultaneously) and it’s allowed me to try to catch up on other tasks, as well.  One of those tasks was to more closely research advice offered by others with regard to branding and marketing my books.  As I have poured through the overload of articles and other information I’ve had on hand about writing, branding, marketing and publishing, I’ve also had more time to re-evaluate what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.

Fight the Fear, Find the Faith

What am I doing?

I’m writing books in my spare time. 

Why am I doing it?

I have a passion for putting stories together and   sharing them for others to enjoy.

Another area of my writing life I’ve looked at more closely is why I began this blog in the first place.  Initially, it was to finally share my passion to write, which I had kept secret from even those closest to me.  I also knew that sharing my secret would help keep me accountable as I moved forward towards publishing.

But why did I keep it a secret for so long? 

 

The only answer I can come up with is the four-letter word…fear.  The fear I had of sharing more of myself than I was willing to.  The fear I had of what others might think.  The fear I had that others might not take me seriously.  And, probably most important, the fear I had of what would happen if I began what was potentially a monumental task, only to fail with a flop at the end.    

I pushed past that fear and began this blog to share my secret with the hope that others would understand my passion and the fact that I decided to wake up and live my dream to write.  I have a true passion to write and I wanted that to come out in my writing, both in my books and here on my blog, and I hoped that others would follow me on my journey not only because they enjoyed what I wrote but because they were rooting for me to succeed.

But there was also another, very important reason I began this blog. 

While many of the posts on my blog are pep talks to motivate myself as I climb the writing and publication ladder, I also hoped to share my experiences with others so that they might also get the itch to possibly jump in feet first to live their own dreams.  In fact, the third post on this blog was about that very thing: don’t let life rule your passion.    

Everyone has a passion, or a dream, which would undoubtedly add fulfillment to their lives.  You can call it a bucket list if you want but for the most part, I believe most people never find the time to really do what they’d like to do before they leave this Earth.  Time (find it), kids (take them with you or ask them to help), work (don’t live to work), money (sacrifice and save)…whatever it is, we find plenty of reasons not to experience what we’re passionate about and before we know it, we’re 80 and wondering where the time has gone.  Whether it’s to write a book, start a side business, travel to a foreign country, learn another language, go on a cruise, climb a mountain or swim with sharks, the reasons not to go after a dream should not outweigh your passion to experience them.  The trick is letting the passion take hold and finding the time to make your dreams come true. 

While my original motto when I began this blog was “Don’t let life rule your passion,” I have now added another:  “Fight the Fear, Find the Faith.”  I pushed past the fear when I exposed myself and my passion to write but to continue as I have the past few years, I’ve also had to keep faith in myself.  Whenever the fear tries to take hold, I push it back with a true belief and faith in myself and what I can accomplish.

For those who have already pushed past the fear and have moved ahead with your dreams, would you care to share them and how the experience has changed you?  For those who have a passion for something they’ve put off for one reason or another, I hope you fight the fear and find the faith.  If you do, I wish you good luck in your next venture!