I'm one of the lucky ones. I knew at seven years old, I wanted to be an author.
Crickets.
At forty I had the confidence to make that happen.
So, what happened in the in-between? I could say life got in the way, but that's really not the case. It was a complete lack of confidence.
I spent the past Saturday at the Wauconda Public Library at their Local Author Book Fair. I met a young man, seventeen to be exact who had written and self-published his book. Happily, I answered his questions about self-publishing, book covers, and marketing. Secretly, the one career regret that I have is, that I didn't write sooner.
My focus was on getting a job as a writer for a company forgetting that I actually wanted to author a book. Several to be honest.
So impressed and a little envious, but I'm not putting those feelings to the side. I'm using them to my advantage. I'm letting the little green monster fuel my passion.
I never stopped wanting to be an author. Life did fly by and I got caught up in other things. Only after meeting a classmate who was published did the old desire spark inside of me. It took me two years to find the confidence to write that book.
Confidence is the Queen of it all. Without it, you may sit on the sidelines watching others live your dream. With it, you forge ahead not worrying about each and every failure, standing high on the successes, and pushing forward to be all that you wish to be.
I've spent the last fourteen years rolling in the muck, trying new things, and not giving up. It took me all those fourteen years to be able to finally say, "I"m a damn good writer." I stand by that as I try new things to build confidence and to remember that I can do this.
Confidence is fleeting, it comes and goes like a river that rolls through hills and valleys. Sometimes it's up and sometimes it's down. But always believe in yourself, always hold on to those dreams, and never, ever let go.