Human beings are complicated contradictions.
We ask ourselves a multitude of questions regarding our existence and the supposed meaning behind it. We ponder about fulfilling our dreams and if it is even possible for anyone to do so. We even measure our emotions by tracking personality changes; we go to extremes in an attempt to understand why we do the things we do. And, above all else, if what we do is worth the effort.
Some people call this expression a type of philosophy. Others call it overthinking.
Some of us often declare that achieving our dreams will make us happy but proclaim it is impossible to get started. However, this article is not about taking a step towards fulfilling our goals, but how to move forward when we have taken more than a few steps, and yet life still 'punishes' us with failure.
What does it mean to persevere? What can motivate us to take the first step in persevering, taking that path instead of giving up on a long unfulfilled dream? Here is my message to anyone who comes across this post: follow your passion, and let it overtake you. Don't follow the dreaded, pre-plotted map. If you try to compress every decision you make into a pre-plotted map, it will crush you when a small portion fails, and you will be left lost and unsure whether you were justified in pursuing your dream.
Make goals to achieve in a fixed amount of time to organize yourself.
If you feel stranded in the middle of your thoughts, ask yourself why you want to pursue your dreams for a sense of clarity. Write them somewhere you can see them every day. If writing specialties down helps you, try writing tips to get you started; beginning a journey is harder than packing the bags. Connect to others whenever you feel stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere with nobody to get you off or to the other side. Even with my personal experience, the best advice I can give you is to go out of your comfort zone. If you want your dreams, you cannot get there alone. As an introvert, I know it is hard to socialize, let alone discuss your ideas with others, but bouncing off ideas and criticism improves your ideas and reminds you that there are people out there who believe and support your work.
Give your project 100% of your effort. And even if 100% isn't enough to get you to the finish line, knowing you are giving your best is another step in the right direction. Don't treat failures like pity opportunities or take them in an overemphasized way. Example: Wow, the world and everyone in it hates me and my ideas. Take breaks, but do not stray from your dream forever. It does not matter if you fail, because we are all beautiful failures.
Failure is the best motivator for change. We may be hesitant towards change, but change propels us forward. Change is a constant. Just saying the words I will try can make a big impact on your worldview. Fear is terrifying, and so are the rest of our emotions. Opening up to them is the best way to start. Do not fear improvement, because most of the time, our opportunities to improve hide in criticisms from well-meaning individuals.
There is a very large difference between taking criticism from a younger sibling and taking criticism from an expert in the field. Both are useful in planning which direction your decisions will lead you.
Imagine if none of us ever failed. We would become our alter egos: mechanical robots. Our self-esteem may crumble when we are pushed back due to an unforeseen setback. We do not hurt any less when we pick ourselves up to try again. However, we hurt more in regretting all the things we did not dare to try. Blocks are frustrating to anyone who wants to get their ideas actualized and projects completed, but where is the joy in accomplishment if you accomplished nothing in the process?
Every time we do the impossible, we are satisfied, and contented with ourselves, because we worked hard to reach our goal. Even if we did not end up where we wanted, we picked up new skills on the way.
As I close out this post, I would like for you to think about what you love about yourself. Drop everything you're juggling with, your worries and faults, and think about your strengths. Identify them. Classify them. These are the strengths that will test you just as much as your weaknesses, but they will keep you afloat.
So, why fifty-two?
There are 52 weeks in a year. Being patient is an important skill in order to accomplish what seems to be impossible. We perceive a year as a long time, but one year is not enough. The years pass us by before we can blink and blanch. Transformations can occur in a year. 52 weeks is an unfathomably short and unbearably long time.
There are 52 cards in a deck, and I'm sure that odd fact is teeming with motivational metaphors.
The Morden Blush Rose, bred in Canada, has 52 petals...
I named this post fifty-two because I have been rejected fifty-two times in the querying process, and I am still looking for that niche where my manuscript fits into the world. I have not posted on this blog in six months, but I am working on reconnecting with my viewers. I have ambitions and I have failed many times, but I try to focus on everything I can do in my power to make my dreams reality. I hope to spread my sparing advice to those who need it or are on the verge of giving up.
Guess what? You're here. You don't know what you just read for five minutes of your life, but you are here now. Think about it. What do you want to do today that will change your tomorrow?
I believe in your dreams, goals, ambitions, and ideas. But it does not matter whether I believe in them. It takes a team of people to work towards a dream, but one person to believe in a dream.
Thank you for bearing with me on my writing journey, and I am glad to be posting again :)