What makes a successful woman?
Of course, that means different things to different people. And, at different ages and life stages.
But I suspect you know what success means for you, in your specific circumstance. It’s the desire that lies buried deeply in your breast, the goal you shoot for that sometimes seems like some distant star. What you plan for, hope for, dream of, pray about in the dark of your night.
And of course, it’s achieved in steps.
Sometimes that road is quite long and winding, over rickety bridges across a yawning abyss. Sometimes the path is clear-cut, lying straight and true before you, halogen lights shining the way.
Or anything in between.
In my world, success means publication—for both me and the writers I work with. And that road is long indeed. And fairly chaotically crazy.
But it begins with the words themselves, with the people and place and how they all fit together.
It begins with that first sentence.
One of the things I know for true, and have counseled anyone (lots of anyones!) wanting to write a book as well, is that you don’t set out to write a book.
Okay, that sounds odd, but it’s actually the heart of the matter. A published book is surely the goal, the dream, but that’s not how you write a book.
You write it by penning the first line. And then the next. By carving out the time and the place to write every day, on a schedule you yourself devise. Whether that be a set number of words, or a time period, or however one does it, doesn’t matter.
The only thing that matters in the end is that you do it.
And a funny thing happens if you persist. Through all of the stumbles and study, the small successes of a beautifully placed line, the silence and solitude, through all of it, you learn. And as that occurs, confidence grows.
No matter what the goal of your pursuit actually is, this tried-and true formula carries you through. As Author Jack Canfield said:
“The longer you hang in there, the greater the chance that something will happen in your favor. No matter how hard it seems, the longer you persist, the more likely your success.”
How easy it is to get stuck in the failures. And there will be lots of them—no matter what you’re undertaking. Some knock the wind out of you, while some just smart a bit.
The only thing that matters is that you get off the mat, dust off your behind, and start anew.
It may help to stop, rest, and rejuvenate in whatever manner you do so, in order to build back strength and courage in your heart. To take stock, and discern if the fork in the road is one best for you to take.
And then, step off again.
Another thing I know for true is that if a desire is firmly embedded in your heart and soul, so is the means to achieve it. I know that sounds all new-agey flip, but it’s borne out in my life and those of close friends (I’m sure others, but close friends are the ones who tell you 🙂 )
Now, the result may look far different from what you had envisioned. It often does. But I’m routinely amazed at those outcomes, and how my limited mind couldn’t have foreseen the wonders of the path I had chosen.
As Dr. Seuss said, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Your job is to just say yes. Opportunities often come masked, but come they will. So walk through the open doors. Bang on the ones that are shut to make sure that way is barred to you, then keep walking. One foot in front of the other.
That’s how to be successful—you keep going.
I’m fond of the poet Robert Browning’s famous words:
“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what’s a heaven for?”
I do believe in big dreams 🙂
But sometimes, along the way of the dream warrior, all those successes mount up until you do grasp that brass ring.
And you know that you’ve earned it.
How do you reach success?
