One of my granddaughters began her dream at the age of seven. She was 'everything Disney' at the time like so many other little girls. Most pass through that phase and move on to other goals and dreams, but not our granddaughter. She set a goal at that very early age of having a career at Disney World.
The years went by, and she went through all the phases that young girls do in grade school, middle school, high school, and college. She became an outstanding drummer, participating in contests and the high school Marching Band, She excelled on the marimba, was a top student academically and moved on to the University of Arkansas, where she majored in Engineering. Her second year, she settled on the field of Mechanical Engineering. The Disney dream had not dissipated one bit. Her goal became working in the Imagineering Department of Disney World.
Her junior year, she landed an internship in Orlando at Disney World. Only 20% of the applicants are accepted, so she was ecstatic. One more step to the ultimate goal. It was 2020, and the internship was only half-done when the park closed due to the pandemic, and she had to go home. Devastated is the only way to put how she felt.
On to her senior year and graduation this past May. Mechanical Engineering degree in hand, but no job yet. Her plan? Move to Orlando, get a job there and hope to get back to a job at Disney World. While she waited to make the move to Orlando in early July, she applied for a second internship at Disney, and she was accepted. Another step closer to a career there. She is hoping to get hired permanently at the end of her internship. I hope it happens for her, as she has persevered for many years to chase her dream that began fifteen years ago. She's used determination and true grit to reach the point she's at today. Admire her? You bet I do.
She's a college grad, moving into the career stage of her life, but all I see in my mind is that sweet little girl clomping around the house in her Tinkerbelle shoes at age 3 and 4.
So, what does this have to do with our writing world? Lots of writers have dreams that last years. They work toward longtime goals set early in their writing journey. Write and have a book published, become a memoir writer who is published, publication of any kind, work toward being a fine essayist published in literary journals, publish a book of poetry. Those and many other goals regarding writing.
How does a writer reach his/her goal? Determination, perseverance, and patience are keywords. When roadblocks pop up, we can't be stopped. Instead, we must jump over them or detour around them.
We cannot let things like rejection, discouragement, and fear lead us. (Or overwhelm us!) One way to skirt these issues is to keep that dream alive every single day. We must learn to keep the dream in front or on top of everything else. I've watched my granddaughter follow her dream for years. She never gave up, and she's well on her way to achieving what she's set out to do. You can do the same in your writing world.
I will add that it takes a strong person to follow a dream amidst setbacks and roadblocks. The longer we are writers, the stronger we should become. The two posters for today have simple but good advice. One from Walt Disney himself tells us our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. The other one tells us we have to chase our dream if we want to catch it. Neither one says to sit and wait and see if it happens. Be active in realizing your dream in your writing life.
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