Thursday, May 3, 2012

Obstacles Can be Helpful for a Writer

The hurdles in my life as a writer keep popping up.  Funny thing about hurdles.  The more you jump over them, the stronger you get.  Yes, the falls are painful.  I don't like getting bloody knees.  It's part of the process.  Here are a few hurdles I'm dealing with:

  1. Unemployment.  This is the most daunting hurdle in my life.  My family supports me in my quest to find a job associated with my passion.  The dream writing job is within reach and I pray every day for a successful outcome.  The lesson with this hurdle is patience.
  2. No Internet at home.  This hurdle is helping me to become resourceful.  And this morning, I'm typing away in my car outside the library before it opens.  Even though I'm now living in a small town with a population of only 3,000, I've found numerous places offering free Wi-fi.
  3. A limited support system.  In California, I had a plethora of writers in my town to lean on.  I may be the only writer in my new town.  This makes my writers blog and my online writing friends my only source of support for writing.
  4. A large to-do list.  Time management is more critical than ever.  I have a lot to learn in this department.  This morning, I read a blog story by Michael Hyatt about the same topic.  He likened it to triage.  Some things need immediate attention and some don't.  I need to do some triage with my to-do list and concentrate on the most important priorities.
  5. Detractors.  These are the people who tell me I should just give up on my writing dreams and pursue something more practical.  The longer #1 takes, the more #5 obstacles.  These people build character.  They mean well but they really don't understand what it means to pursue a passion.  Think about the time and energy you invested to find the right spouse.  The right job is worth waiting for.
What obstacles have you encountered in your writing career?  Please share below.

2 comments:

  1. Sometimes, loneliness is an obstacle for me. Getting overwhelmed easily is another. What struck me as I read your post is that perhaps not having wifi and this causing you to connect more in the community by getting out and about will lead you to the opportunities for writing that you want. I'm sure you've already thought of that and are keeping your eyes and ears open to those opportunities to present themselves. Building relationships has been my best route to success in pretty much every area of life.

    ReplyDelete
  2.  Great points, Kari.  Yes, I agree about building relationships.  Thanks for contributing your ideas.

    ReplyDelete