Pursuing Your Passion

They say that the closer you are to reaching the pinnacle of the mountain the steeper the slope gets.

The climb, thus far, hasn’t been easy. I daresay it isn’t supposed to be without trials. I once read the following sentence: “The literary gods reject everyone. They continue to do so in order to sift through the myriad of would-be writers and find the ones who really want it.”

For as long as I can remember… I have aspired to be a writer.

Twenty years ago, people often said, “Chavie, you’re a great poet, but you’ll never make a living selling poetry.”

They were correct on the latter, to be sure. 🙂

Though, here’s the thing…

I don’t do it for the money.

I don’t write to become rich and famous.

I write because I see a story in everything, and these stories cannot be contained in the universe of my mind.

A day without writing is like an ocean without a shore.

But I’m still out here rowing this way and that, searching for any port in a storm. And just when it seems there’s land on the horizon the ebb and flow of the sea carries me off in another direction.

I had another shot.

I submitted Shadows of Time to another publisher, but despite the plethora of nominations and support of readers and fellow authors I met with another rejection.

In the same week, I received a form rejection from another agent about The Secret of Heaven.

It hurts.

It’s heartbreaking.

But it isn’t the end.

For in this latest series of events I find hope.

Not out of blind faith or wistful thinking.

But rather as a result my efforts and my understanding that everything happens for a reason and something good comes out of everything.

Nearly 2 years ago I began to see the numbers 717 on a regular basis.

After a little research, I discovered that seeing those numbers indicates that positive changes in your life have put you on the right track in regards to your life purpose.

So when I woke this morning to the disappointing news about Shadows of Time being rejected, again… imagine my reaction when I see those 3 numbers on practically EVERY license plate when I drove kiddies to school.

And when I say EVERY… I mean EVERY!!!

It was the most peculiar thing, because even though I see those numbers a lot (like my receipt from Meijer yesterday) I have never seen that number so many times within a 30 minute period… because I saw it on practically EVERY license plate on my way home from the school.

I even saw it on the first car parked beside mine when I pulled into Jewel to grab some bagels.

A friend once told me, “Listen to the universe, because it’s always talking to you.”

And I couldn’t help but wonder, “Is the universe telling me something?”

Ultimately I concluded that YES, IT IS.

Seeing those numbers helped me recover from the blow of rejection because it was the universe reminding me that I’m on the path I’m supposed to be on.

The opportunities may not have unfolded as I had hoped, and that’s okay. That doesn’t mean it will never happen. It simply means it wasn’t meant to happen in THAT way.

The key is to never give up.

When it’s your dream… your life’s ambition… your purpose… you simply don’t have it in you to give up. You sacrifice, you endure, you adapt and you overcome.

No one will do it for you.

No invisible entity will make it happen.

It’s you.

It HAS to be you.

And you have to have enough faith in yourself to achieve that end. Otherwise, why would anyone else be inspired to believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself?

This is living.

This is life.

I’m living the writer’s life because writing is my passion.

Writing is my love.

And like any true love it will bring you to your knees and remind you of your purpose. This is the path of my heart.

“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” ~Bishop T.D. Jakes