Today, I’m thinking of how difficult it can feel when we want a dream so bad and it just seems to float a little out of our grasp. How do we hold ourselves together? How do we keep stepping forward when sometimes the time-frame we’d planned on, just isn’t there?

I picked this quote today because I am working on revisions again on my novel in the pursuit of my own dream. I received some great comments from another author in my anthology who agreed to be a beta reader, review my manuscript, and send me honest and direct comments. Her thoughts were exactly that, honest and direct with some smiley faces too. And they were spot on. She mentioned some critical pieces I hadn’t thought about before. Her thoughts made me think deeper, and I loved them. Sometimes we get too close to our dreams and we need a little distance. Distance is hard. It’s hard to let go and think your work might need a little more improvement. But work is always a time for learning and growing, and I don’t think we ever stop doing either one. So naturally, strength is important. So is commitment to the process when it feels like you’ve already invested so much time. Humbleness, definitely. And a strong belief in the steps I’m in, right here, right now.

My plan.

I’m acknowledging the flaws in my thoughts and I’m thankful for her insights, and I’m also grateful for the time off I’d had to work on another project. To keep my mood and attitude running happy and full speed, I might need to revisit my personal missions statement for a little strength. That’s where the foundation begins, with who we are and what we want. Then of course, I have to carve out my next steps. Thinking. Brainstorming. I’m reworking chapter one, the most pivotal chapter in my book and I’m restructuring the flow into the next few chapters, enhancing the plot, shifting the character relationships a bit. My new theme focuses on forgiveness and friendship. What happens when our faith in others dwindle, maybe it’s really the faith in ourselves.

The picture of the lions made me think of my best brainstorming partner in the world. Becky. She’s doing the same thing I’m doing, trying to chase a dream of writing and keeping the momentum high. We help each other. We roll ideas constantly off of each other. And whenever I’m down about a plot line in a story, we text, or she texts me. So lions are a symbol of courage, and these two lions are hanging out, and taking a drink of water. I like to think of it as a brief little break, but with eyes still focused on the dream.

Success comes from ourselves and also the help from others. So thank you Anna. Thank you Becky. Thank you both for pushing me and helping me be the writer and author I want to be. Thank you to my family, too.

I’m ending my post with this really great thought because it’s true.

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Believe in you. Hugs and Happy Monday.