As a Maker who creates beautiful projects to put into the world, sometimes your big dreams can feel daunting.
Many times your dream seems impossible.
You might be scared of the unknown, daunted by the task ahead of you or begin to doubt yourself.
I get it.
Your dream can feel scary, huge and overwhelming.
It’s normal to feel that way.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as I continue to write books… is it’s the small steps you take each day that builds your dreams.
It really is the little things you do each day that ARE the most important things. Those small steps are the FIRST steps toward your dreams as a maker who wants to create great things in the world.
Lessons Learned One Step At A Time
In my own journey to become an author, it didn’t happen overnight. It took me a long time(read: years) to believe in myself enough to write and publish my first novel.
Why did I wait so long?
In the beginning, I didn’t know why I was stalled or hesitated for years. But as I continued to push forward – listening to podcasts, reading blogs/books from other writers – I had an aha moment.
I realized the reason I waited for years, was because some part of me needed validation. I was waiting for someone to come along and say: You have what it takes. You can do this. You are a writer.
Somewhere deep inside of me, I didn’t feel like I was good enough to be a writer.
I waited YEARS for someone to say: I pick you. I choose you. You are a writer.
The day I had that aha moment, I got frustrated that I had waited so many years waiting for someone to tell me I was good enough.
That day, I decided to Choose Myself. I was going to do this thing. I was going to write the stories I loved without waiting for someone to acknowledge or validate me.
So I began.
What started out first as a desire to write stories, began to grow into more. And as I continued to learn from other writers and indie authors, my dream began to get bigger and morphed and expanded.
But, it all started with a decision. I told myself: I am going to write the stories I love. I will make a plan. I will set a goal for when this project will be done. I will learn all the steps to do this: setting up my author website, growing an email list, how to write better stories, how to publish my books on different retailers, etc. I will do this.
When I made that decision, there was a bunch of push back. Sickness, more solid talks(read: heated discussions) between my hubby and I(which we resolved along the way), financial struggles, and more.
This inspirational quote has often encouraged me to keep going:
“Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” Norman Vincent Peale
As I began to work through the obstacles, I started to take another step forward.
What happens is you take another step forward, and another. Before you know it, you’ve gone further than you ever thought you would ever be.
You’ll discover that all those changes happened in your life, because you decided to take that first step.
As a Maker, a good life is made up of all the small steps you take each day.
I encourage you to ask yourself today: are you living the moments of each day the best you can? This is something I’m still learning every day.
The beautiful thing is, that you can start right now. Today.
Decide today that your desire to create beautiful projects and put them into the world, is a good enough reason to begin. You don’t need to wait for someone else to validate you or pick you.
Pick yourself. Choose Yourself. You can do this.
Do it now. Just start.
Begin to take one small step(even if you only have 10 minutes) and move toward your dreams as a Maker.
Don’t let any excuse hold you back.
Remember, it’s the small moments each day, that define your life.
You are good enough. You are Creative. You are a Maker.
Begin today to Make your mark in the world.
The world needs the beauty of your art.
Question: What small steps can you take today towards your dream? Please, comment below. We would love to hear more about you and your dreams! 🙂
