“A job is what we hold to earn money. A vocation is what we are called to do with our life’s energy…WE do not really choose a vocation, rather it chooses us. Our only choice is how we respond.” – James Hollis
When I’m feeling discouraged in my writing, I often focus on what I have to show for my efforts. This is usually a recipe for disaster.
Whether we lived a century ago and tried forever to get published in a magazine or book, or today, when we all see ourselves as writers, making your mark sometimes seems impossible.
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but rather by the seeds you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish novelist, poet and essayist
Yesterday, I came across this quote from Robert Louis Stevenson, and reading it helped me put my own contributions to the world in proper perspective.
As a writer, I may rarely reap a great “harvest” from my daily labors. But I must still take full responsibility for the choices I make. I am a writer because I NEED to write just about everyday.
Why? It is simply a part of who I am. My greatest torture at this point would be if someone made it so I could not write. Whether I change anything in this world, I still wish to write about what is important to me.
So I choose to sow my seeds daily with no certainty of how they might impact others.
Like I say at the top of this blog: The BEST reason for becoming a writer? You simply cannot help yourself. If you have fears that you aren’t really a writer, try to quit!
