COURAGE

Ek'abo Ebi! (Welcome Family!)

The Obamas met with Malala Yousafzai a few weeks ago.  Everything that she endured, the strength and heart that it took for her to walk that road to recovery, is the epitome of what it means to have courage.  It is obvious that the universe has a plan for her and I cannot wait to see what she will become.

When we witness such an emergence, such a will to endure, can we really sit by and say that we cannot write? I know it’s unfair to make such a comparison.  I mean this young lady was at death’s door and yet here she is.  The survivor within her forced her move forward.

In comparison to her experience, writing should be a piece of cake.  We should take our obstacles off the shelf, examine them, and then put them back. By doing so we will no longer give them the power to deter us from our goals.  We know that the obstacles will always be there, but we now have the courage to move pass them.

We all write for different reasons. There are those that write just for the fun of it. Those that write because they must. (God forbid you flunk your thesis). And those that write because it’s a passion, a calling, a yearning in their blood that cannot be ignored.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier blog entries, life can be a big deterrent when it comes to writing.  But it’s a poor excuse not to.  I have a friend that’s struggling right now.  And yet as bad as it is for her, there are some who have it worst. Homelessness, poverty, hunger, you name it.  Sometimes, I have to check myself when I get in one of my ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda’ moods.  You know the kind. It’s when you look at the direction your life has taken, wonder about the choices you've made and whether you should have done “something” differently in the past. 

Well if you have suffered or are suffering from the ‘Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda’ Syndrome; make your writing the key to pushing pass it.  Make writing a new stage in your life.  So when you look back at all that you have achieved, you will be proud to say that you had the courage to do it.  Be the person who had the courage to talk to that guy or girl. J Be the person who had the courage to start on a new career path.  Be the person who says “yes” instead of “no” all the time. Just be. Small steps are just as grand as big steps.

Even writing and maintain a blog takes courage.  It doesn’t matter if you’ve been doing it for years or you’ve just started.  You are sharing your opinions with people who may or may not care to hear it.

Perhaps you are at the end of your saga. You have no more revisions to be made, your query and synopsis have been finalized, and you’ve even created the perfect marketing tool to promote your book. You no longer have an excuse. Drop that package in the mail; email that agent or publisher.  If you’ve written something out of the ordinary, you may be just the person to clear the way for those that follow.  I hope that this post has given you something to chew on. J

Mari e laipe!

See you soon!  

S-

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Thanks for visiting ‘Amachi is Hope’. If you were inspired or felt a connection with today’s blog (or any of my previous entries) please leave a comment. J