A pearl is a beautiful thing that is the product of an injured life. It is the tear that results from the injury of the oyster.
This blog is a chance for me to share some of the ups and downs that have defined me as a person and also the challenges I still face each day. Once a week I’ll share an encouraging thought or quote so that together we can turn our own trials into exquisite pearls.
I’m having one of those strength building days.
I sure hope it pays off tomorrow, because right now I just want to hide away in bed.
But I can’t.
Because I love my job. Even when I’m tired, I still love to create stories and share them with the world.
So no matter, I won’t give up…and hopefully tomorrow, I’ll wake up feeling stronger.
Photo by Chip Vincent on Unsplash
When I first read this quote, I was struck by how incredibly true it was.
When we compare ourselves to others, we tend to look up…to compare ourselves to someone who is doing better than we are. This only serves to makes us feel bad about ourselves.
It’s taking time and practice, but I am slowly learning to play my own game, walk my own line and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.
I’m me. And that’s enough.
Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash
Dead of Winter releases this week and I’ve been consumed with nerves. I so want this book to do well, but I have no control. I can tick all the boxes and do everything right, but it still won’t guarantee a successful release. I really struggle with that.
It’s hard to let go.
But I must.
I have to remind myself that I’ve done everything in my power to help the book along and the rest is a matter of faith and hope.
It’s inevitable that somewhere along life’s journey you’ll meet someone who will hurt you.
It cannot be avoided.
The only choice we have is how to deal with that hurt.
Will it become a problem or a pearl?
#Forgivenessisfreedom
Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash
I found this quote on: https://www.facebook.com/AConsciousRethink/… if you enjoy daily inspiration, then you should definitely like and follow this page.
This quote makes me realize that love can take many different forms and be given to many different things. When I read this quote, I think about my passion for writing, and the love I have for my family and my heavenly father.
All of those things motivate me to be a better version of myself.
What brings out the "best love" in you?
Photo by Bart LaRue on Unsplash
There’s no place safer than a good hug.
The feeling of being enveloped by someone who loves you is the best.
A hug is a powerful thing.
It can show people that they matter, that they’re special…that you care.
Have you given someone a hug today?
Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash
One of the hardest things about being an indie author is learning how to run a business. I’m a writer, not a business woman. But I have to become one if I want to keep doing this wonderful job.
It’s tough work, and I still have so much to learn. But that’s the only thing I can do—learn, grow, develop, increase my knowledge so that I can reach more readers.
I try to do one marketing course a year, and I’ve just started a new one that is teaching me so many things about how to get more exposure for my books. It’s both exciting and terrifying (what if it doesn’t work?)
But what if it does.
Learning is a powerful thing. I’m expanding my brain and who knows what good might come out of it.
Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
When I started this writing journey, I made the commitment to be in it for the long haul. I didn’t want to be a one-hit wonder. I wanted to turn my passion into a career.
Some days it’s really hard.
Other days it’s the easiest thing in the world.
Every day I remind myself that I want to stay in the room. I want to be that person who sticks it out even when I want to quit. Because I love writing, and in the long run I will never regret my determination.
Quote found @AConsciousRethink ... Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash
January has been a hard month for me. The kids have been home, which I enjoy, but it makes writing SO hard. I’ve been getting up early to work, trying to stay on top of everything I need to do to keep my business running. In those rare patches when the kids didn’t need me, I’d try to write.
It wasn’t working. My brain was arid and the words just would not flow.
By half-way through the month, I was a stress bucket as my deadline became further and further out of reach.
So, how did I solve this problem?
I took a day off.
It may sound weird, but it was just what I needed. I kept my laptop closed all day and I read.
It was such a good book and it sparked my imagination. All the problems I was having with my manuscript suddenly disappeared as the story came clear. Since then, my writing sessions have been an intense explosion with the words once again flying out of me.
What can I take from this?
Time off to read is a GOOD thing. Books are an escape. They rejuvenate the mind and ignite the imagination.
Photo by Lacie Slezak on Unsplash
Some stories fly out of me so fast it’s like they existed before I even started writing them. Others are a slow journey. When I wrote Foul Play last year I was the hare. For this current project, I’m a tortoise, and I find it really hard to work that way. I feel like my first draft is terrible, like it’s being reluctantly dragged out of me.
But I know this is not the end.
Books are layered. I’m working on the skeleton and it’s rough, raw and not very pretty. But it’ll get better. For now, I just have to keep reminding myself that it doesn’t have to be the best book in history.
My job is to try. It’s to write with love and to create a story that will eventually be the kind of book my readers can get lost in.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
I am a goal-oriented person and I love to plan ahead.
The problem with being that way is that I often forget to stop and just be in the moment.
One of my goals for this year is to try to stop and acknowledge the small things.
There’s beauty and riches even in the mundane.
I want to live in the moment.
Photo by Eli DeFaria on Unsplash
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