Learning From Others

“Ain’t about how fast I get there, Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side, it’s the climb.” lyrics from The Climb, by Miley Cyrus

Following a dream or pursuing a passion is hard work and requires commitment. I am constantly reminding myself of this when I feel too tired or uninspired to work on my writing.  Anyone who tells you it’s simple is, quite simply, lying to you.

We each have to decide how much work and commitment we’re willing to put towards that dream, how much disappointment (either in ourselves or others) we can handle.  Some lucky souls are able to earn a living pursuing their passions and dreams, and I truly admire them.  The rest of us slog along making  a living, hopefully doing something we like even if we don’t consider it our passion, and occasionally we break from our monotony to do some soul searching and discover there’s something inside of us just waiting to be acknowledged and set free.

I have been reminded in the past several months by a few inspirational women what hard work can accomplish.  I hope to expand my blog in the next few months to highlight these women further and offer their stories so others can be inspired by their hard work. But I’m still learning how to use this website and I’m not skilled enough to make their stories look as good as I would like.  But I will provide a brief summary here of how they have inspired me to continue following my path to publication.

My sister has always had a passion for fitness even before it was popular.  She learned how to compete in outrigging when she lived in Guam, both individually and on a team, has run marathons and competed in other runs as well as triathlons.  She even finished an Iron Man a few years back.  She practices yoga when she has time. Recently, she made the decision to open her own gym.  She researched her options and landed on opening a franchise.  Over the past year she not only worked towards this goal, but she did it while still working at her day job and fitting in hikes and training runs for upcoming racing events.  It hasn’t been easy for her and there were times she would have gladly thrown in the towel.  And she’s not in the clear yet – her gym just opened and it looks like it will be a great success but it’s too early to tell. I am inspired not by the fact the gym will succeed, but by the perseverance and hard work she poured into this venture.

I have a good friend who recently left the security of her full time job to start her own company. She could have easily obtained another job, but her passion is to be her own boss.  She joined forces with two of her sisters-in-law and they opened a property management/real estate office. They’re still getting off the ground and it’s a very stressful time for her.  But when I talk to her about her business she lights up, her excitement and enthusiasm for what she’s doing vividly displayed on her face.  It’ll be hard to start and she knows if it doesn’t work she’ll need to find work somewhere else.  But she also knows she has to do this – for herself.  I am truly inspired by her leap of faith and hard work.

Neither of them know whether or not they will succeed.  But their journey isn’t about guaranteed success, it’s about working towards something they have a passion for.  As the saying goes, it’s better to have tried and failed, than never to have tried at all.

There are others who have shown me what hard work and determination can accomplish.  And I hope to highlight their stories on this blog in the near future.  In the meantime, I look to them when my well of inspiration has gone dry, when I moan and groan about how hard it is or how much work it takes.  It’s so much easier to plop down on the couch and watch television and let my mind go numb.  And then I think of these inspirational ladies and how determined they are to succeed.  So I turn off the television (most of the time) and begin to write.  Because I have decided that the hard work and commitment is worth it.  And I really like to write.  I hope to someday be able to get published and share my work with the world.  But in the meantime, I plan to focus on the journey.