I know that place, I’ve been there too

For whatever reason, I’ve been running into a lot of frustration lately.

I’m not the frustrated one, nope, I’m in a good place (for now). But a lot of the writers I know have recently shared their own head-banging-the-wall moments.

I know that place; I’ve been there. It’s part and parcel of being a writer, heck with being a person, really.

There are days, hours, okay maybe even weeks and months, but hopefully not years, when you feel as though all this slogging through the mud is getting you nowhere. No one, not even the dog, seems to appreciate your efforts. And let’s face it, basically, you suck at this.

Been there. Yup. Bought the t-shirt.

And here’s the thing—I can’t change that. You can’t change that. Nobody can change that. It’s part of the process. Everyone goes through it. Scratch the surface of any successful person and you’ll find inch-thick layers of rejection and frustration beneath.

I’m going to let you in on a secret.

You can’t go around it, you can only go through it.

All those mistakes and misguided efforts, missed opportunities and unreceived brilliance are necessary. They are honing you, preparing you, teaching you, and what I hope they are doing more than anything else, is motivating you.

You will show them! You will do this!

If you don’t believe that, no one will. That’s the key.

Your query/application/idea/insight/effort/report was rejected? Stack that right here on top of the last one. Use it to fuel the fire that sends you forward, that keeps you pressing on, because people- YOU GOT THIS.

Tattoo that on your soul.

I can promise you that if you believe the stuff people say about you—that you aren’t good enough/smart enough/competent enough/fill-in-the-blank enough, then they will be right.

And they can’t be right.

Because they don’t know you.

I’ve recently been reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. Here is her take on the subject:

“What are you passionate enough about that you can endure the most disagreeable aspects of the work?…Because if you love and want something enough – whatever it is—then you don’t really mind eating the shit sandwich that comes with it.”

Frustrated lately?

We all are.

As they say, “Suck it up, buttercup.”

It’s the only way to reach your dream.

Because remember those successful people I mentioned?

The one thing you won’t find when you scratch the surface of their success is, I-quit.

Hey, thanks for reading. I know you’ve got lots of options, so thanks for sharing a few of your minutes with me.

Honored,

Cara

If you’d like to know more about me, my books, and where you might run into me, check out my website, CaraWrites.com.

If you’d like to subscribe to my (sometimes) monthly e-newsletter, click here.

If you’re a dog lover, check out my other blog, Another Good Dog.

I’d love to connect with you on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram, and I’m thrilled to get email from readers (and writers), you can reach me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.

COMING AUGUST 2018 FROM Pegasus Books (available for preorder now: