Last week I talked about one of my favorite writing questions: What are you working on? There’s another question that’s just as important: What are you working toward?
I think about this a lot. I make plans and goals. I break things down into manageable tasks and give myself deadlines. Sometimes I make them and sometimes I don’t. It’s okay when I don’t because I know I’m still moving in the right direction—moving toward something.
For me, I want the dream. I’d love to be able to support myself and my family with my writing—to be able to write full-time. I know it will happen eventually. I don’t know what form it will take. Maybe it’ll happen in a few years. Maybe it’ll manifest when I retire 🙂 But it will happen, because I’ve set those goals, I think about them, and I continually work toward them.
I surround myself with supportive people, I run like hell from negativity, and I ask myself this important question frequently to keep myself on track. I believe it will happen, even when believing takes effort. Faith isn’t a byproduct—it’s a practice. And when I falter, those supportive people will help me stand back up so I can dust myself off and get right back into the wordsmithing. I don’t have to pause to figure out where to go—I already know where I’m heading.
And here’s the secret: knowing where you want to be is the easy part. Working toward those goals day in and day out, that’s the hard part. That’s the work. But you can get there—we all can. I believe in us.
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