Patience, Persistence, and Passion

The magic formula to making it to wherever it is you want to be in life.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

If you’re afraid of the word no, not getting replies to cold calls, or are unwilling to send emails to possible, prospective clients, customers, readers, or employers, ones that have a high percentage of never being answered, or maybe even read, depending— this post probably isn’t for you.

Because it takes that and much more to get to where you want to be in life, even if your vision for what you want your reality to look like is basic and simple — there’s no such thing as a simple route through life, nor to building one of any kind for yourself.

Rent and housing costs have gone up so much practically everywhere practical to live in this country, just supporting yourself and any you may be responsible for, be it kids or a wife or spouse, is a struggle for even households making a decent salary. Add in the ever-rising costs of food and basic essentials, our tendency as humans to spend money on things we don’t need, and the unforeseen expenses that come with adult life at some point or another — and honestly I don’t know how half the people in this country even manage to make ends meet consistently. I commend them. I also feel for them.

I say that because it’s likely they work at some job they not only don’t love but maybe even have grown to resent or despise over their tenure there because it’s worn them out mentally, emotionally, and at times even physically. They stay for the paycheck, or the insurance coverage, the safety net of knowing they’ll have money coming in at the end of every week and how much it will roughly be for.

If that’s the life you want or require, stay all the way from the creative fields. Because whether people realize it or not, I’ve been doing this consistently for years — both writing regularly and not being afraid of how it will be received — whether by a prospective editor, client, or reader.

While yes, I’ve found a fair amount of success in it, earlier than most do, and more than some ever will entirely, I’m far from financially secure or stable.

For every sunny day I’ve enjoyed in the writing business, a rainy night followed. However, I never quit, because I…