STRUGGLES
The greatest struggle I faced when writing By Inspiration “Poetry et Cetera” was disciplining myself to stop and put pen to paper while my thoughts were fresh. It is a sacrifice of time and effort to surrender to your inspiration and get it done. “Inspirational now moments” are triggered by whatever that driving force is for that particular-time. Yielding to it is paramount to the birth and continuance of fragments or segments of a manuscript. That “inspirational now moment” regarding that particular-thought may vanish forever if not penned at the same moment you receive it.
There are also internal struggles of validation of self as a writer and artist unique to one’s personal genre. Owning up to who you are while comparing yourself with others whom you and the world recognize as “noted and successful” can be ammunition for destroying your will to face the challenge of being strategically you. One should honor the abilities of others and what they have accomplished. One must also recognize and appreciate your own self-image and use it as a springboard to confidently explore your own talents and aspirations. One must face fears head-on: (1) Fear of Rejection and (2) Fear of Failure and (3) Fear of Success. The “fear of rejection” is painful and yet it is true to life because everyone has a right to accept or reject who you are and what you do. I learned after the pain of being rejected not to take it personally. It is a right of every individual to reject whomever and whatever due to personal preference. The “fear of failure” is natural when facing the unknown. It can be a motivator to do all within your power to do your best in your endeavor and to press through the fear to an expected end. If the end results do not meet a certain standard, there is a lesson to be learned. If one succumbs to the fear of failure, one will never know if he or she could have made it to the expected end. And failure itself opens windows of opportunity to lessons of evaluating yourself and your endeavors, taking inventory of content and presentation, improving weaknesses, and revamping the cognitive platform to keep moving forward to an expected end. The “fear of success” is manifested in anxiety of trail-blazing unknown territory, being totally in the public eye, and open to the scrutiny of “the professionals” and their reviews / opinions of who you are and what you have done. All of these are inner struggles that I faced.
My Pastor once titled a sermon, “How Bad Do You Want It”? The answer to that question is what helped me make the decision to work through my fears and insecurities to accomplish my goals. Taking the steps to complete By Inspiration “Poetry et Cetera” is indicative of what I have done all of my life when facing a new challenge, I proceeded one step at a time, conquering one fear at a time, and through trusting God to give me the confidence I needed to persevere despite the uncertainties of the outcome. I could write a book on that alone. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13). I need God’s empowerment with each new endeavor. Doing my part and yielding to the guidance of the Holy Spirit brought to fruition the desired goal of publishing By Inspiration “Poetry et Cetera”.
