"RESPECT!"

                                                  

                                                 Finding Your Place Among Peers

Dear Fellow Authors,

I’m writing you today to say don’t give up!

Perhaps, you feel incomplete or discouraged because of the status quo, don’t.

So what if you don’t appear on any list associated with “Best Selling Author” attached to your name. Don’t despair, you will get there.

You are a work in progress, a wonderfully made instrument of talent waiting to be discovered.

It will happen my friends, maybe not over night, in a week or even a year. But if you just hold on and hold out to see your dreams fulfilled, then you are half way there.

I want to tell you how amazing you are, and that I believe in you. You inspire me to keep going, to wrestle with my fears and doubts and be victorious.

Even when the odds are stacked against you, I want to cheer you onward toward the finish line that is just there within your reach.

You are a dreamer, who’s not afraid to think out loud or share your ideas and thoughts with the world.

You don’t have to wait to hear the word R-E-S-P-E-C-T, because you’ve already earned it. You’ve earned the right to stand amongst your peers and share the accolades of success.

In this competitive world, you sometimes feel out of place or don’t know exactly where you fit in. You hang out in the shadows like vampires afraid of sunlight. In the background afraid to move forward due to intimidation, tentativeness or because you feel as though you don’t deserve to share the limelight with your peers.

Well I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong.

As a writer, I often felt this same way and displayed the behavior of someone who was unsure of themselves. Mainly because I thought I hadn’t paid enough dues to earn the title of writer, author.

I hadn’t sold enough books to stand shoulder to shoulder with some other well known authors. Then my moment of clarity came, and understood no matter if all of these things were valid. One thing stood out above all else, I am worthy.

You are worthy. As writers, we share the same passions therefore entitled to the same privileges.

There is no certain quota to meet before you can claim the title of writer.

You are what you are regardless.

You have earned the right to take your place in the forefront, to wear your crowns proudly and own the identity you’ve worked so hard to obtain.

So what if you’ve yet to see your name bracketed with a title, that says you’re the best at what you do.

You already are. You fought the good fight, by writing your hearts out on a daily basis.

What you desire is an obtainable goal. If you hold on, keep sight of the prize and stay the course. No matter what, you are still deserving of all the accomplishments you’ve achieved along the way.

I’m passionate about this discussion because many of us are reluctant to allow our light to shine. We feel as though we aren’t worthy, and low on the totem pole.   

Let me remind you, that you are so much greater than what you know.

You are on the right track. Nothing and no one can stop your momentum unless you let them.

Don’t listen to the naysayers who whisper and talk behind your back, and say your mission is a pipedream.  Simply because they have no idea of the passion and hard work that you’ve put into every story.

You are a success, already. Because you used your gift to create, to give back in a way that they will never understand.

In closing, my fellow writers, I am proud of you, for not giving in or up on your dreams.

I salute you and stand with you.

Continue to express yourself, through words and emotions and never stop living out your dreams.

Sincerely,

Another Aspiring Author.