Know Your Why - Part 2

I subscribe to a blog by CJ Lyons entitled, ‘NoRules, Just Write’. She’s an author who not only writes fiction, but has developed a series of non-fiction books to help the aspiring writer. Her blog is packed with interesting and interactive advice and information for authors and would-be authors and I highly advise anyone writing or thinking about writing to check this blog out. Even if you don’t write, swing by CJ Lyons’s website and see if you might be interested in reading her books.

Lyons’s latest tidbit of advice offers three secrets to success. Vision. Passion. Commitment. That’s it. Broken down, Vision is to know what you want to achieve. Passion is to know why you want it. Commitment is how you get past any obstacles blocking your path to success. It sounds straight forward, but like any journey, writing needs reflection before taking action.

I know what I want to achieve. I want to get my book(s) in the hands of readers. I want to make a difference in the lives of others by passing on what I know and have learned. In other words, I want to write books that will influence and empower people – especially young people.

I also know why I want it. Yes, I do want to earn a living by writing books, but money is an end result. What lives on is my voice – the voices of my characters – as they brave new worlds (or old in the case of my time travel books) which hopefully takes the reader on an incredible journey. And, as cliché as it sounds, I want to be the change I want see in the world.

And those obstacles? Yes, that takes lots of commitment to push through the tough times and soldier on. It’s those who have strength in reserve who end up being a success. I know I’ve had many obstacles in my path – a slew of rejection letters and a healthy dose of writer’s block to name a couple. But, I kept going around those obstacles and found new doors to open.

If you understand that the secret to success is your Vision, your Passion, your Commitment, then nothing is impossible.