Today on one of the writer loops I belong to a discussion began that ultimately talks about fear. At a deeper level, I think it boiled down to self-doubt and belief in oneself. It was such an important topic, and one that resonated with me this week, that I thought I'd transfer my response to this blog.
The question that prompted it: "What if they say I can't write at all and I don't have what it takes to make it?"
In my very humble, as-of-yet unpublished opinion, the only person who does NOT have what it takes to make it is the person who gives up.
A few weeks ago, I watched a primetime show about a man named Randy Pausch, who has terminal cancer. He is a professor and he did a lecture called "The Last Lecture." He presented it to a group of 400 people, but he wrote it for his children as his final words of wisdom. And he said one thing that really, really stuck with me:
"But remember, the brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people."
For me, that excerpt has become words to live by. The rejections, the difficulties, the times I look at my work and think, "Good heaven, this is crap" are going to repeat a thousand times over and over again, probably even after I get published. (Positive thinking there!)
So I have taken Randy Pausch's words to heart:
This brick wall is not to keep me out. It's to help me find a way around, over or through it – even if sometimes it seems like I'm scratching at the brick with a toothpick. How badly do I want it? How important is this to me? It reminds me that this is my choice, this is my dream. It will take a lot of work, a lot of dedication to improve and become the writer who gets published… But I believe I can do it. It's important enough to me that I HAVE to believe, because the alternative is giving up. I'm not willing to do that.
And because I found Randy's lecture one of the most inspiring things I've ever seen, I've included it right here for you to view:
httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo