Thriving in Tough Times

I never thought of myself as a particularly persistent or gritty person. I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth, and so any sense of persistence which I’ve acquired grew out of need, rather than want. So when I hit two major milestones in my writing journey last month, I knew it was the result of those two qualities.

Today, I hope to share some insights which I’ve gleaned along my writing path. These insights aren’t exclusive to writers. They can be applied to any area of life and to any goal you want to accomplish. Here they are:

Persistence in Hard Times

2020 has whupped my butt! Our family took some hits during this pandemic. There were some days when I didn’t want to do anything related to school or writing. I was simply trying to survive.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes the best way to persist in a tough spot is by slowing down. For many months in 2020, that was what persistence looked like to me – a pause, a reset, a full on stop.

That moment of pausing made me stronger. I used it to reevaluate where I was going. I re-thought what a writing life looked like for me. This meant setting “smaller” goals for myself, goals that took into account things like pandemics! It’s easier to practice persistence when your goals are more manageable.

What huge task do you hope to accomplish?

I encourage you to set an easy goal and work on it regularly. Before you know it, you’ll be persisting despite a hardship.

Seeing Obstacles as Blessings

I’ve encountered a lot of obstacles in my writing journey. I used to dwell on my setbacks incessantly, but that didn’t help me move forward. After a while, I decided to use obstacles as a means to think outside the box. How can I, as an author of color, see my books in print? What are the alternative means of making this happen?

Asking those questions opened me to overlooked opportunities. Those overlooked opportunities led me to eventually realize my dreams of becoming a published author.

What obstacles have you encountered on your path to your dreams?

What ways can you see that obstacle as a blessing?

Getting Stuck

Sometimes we can set reasonable goals or look for unseen opportunities and still get stuck. Life is hard. Things don’t always happen according to our Plan A, B, C or D. When we get stuck, I encourage you to rest once again.

Rest is the place where greatness is nurtured. Whenever I am stuck, whether it’s stuck on the plot of my latest novel or stuck in a real-life situation, I tell myself to rest.

Rest isn’t natural for me. I want to go, go, go, but it refuels your heart and mind. During periods of rest, you can journal solutions to your problems. If you’re inclined to pray, you can do that too. I engage in both activities to get myself out of a rut. It helps me.

Takeaway

So there you have it. Three ways that you can make steps towards your dreams, even in tough times. Comment below and let me know what goals you’re working towards. I’d love to cheer you on!