Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Never underestimate the valuable and important difference you make in every life you touch.

Editing is the biggest part of writing a novel. It seems endless. I had a goal for publishing which I’ve already missed. Instead of publishing it on that date, I gave it to my family to read. They’ve been given copies in the past and many authors I’ve spoken to say their families don’t read their work.

What this says about families I don’t know. Over the weekend I’ve read it almost completely through, noting errors and shocked at finding more than expected. Errors end up in printed books that have been edited by professionals so why was I surprised?

I’ve been lucky enough to have two people go through it whose editing skills I applaud, and my book club has read it and given me feedback. It has also been put through ProWritingAid an editing program and still, errors are staring at me on the page. One of the things I’ve learned on this journey is everything takes longer than we think it will.

Too much time has been spent on this novel and yet I don’t regret any of it. What we get out of what we do is the reward, and once we put it out into the world that will be another journey.

No matter what we do in life we will have moments when we feel we are on the right track and moments when we feel far from it. When we listen to people whom we feel must be confident in their abilities we often find it isn’t necessarily so. They too question what they are doing, who they are, and how their life is unfolding.

Sometimes the little opportunities that fly at us each day can have the biggest impact. Danny Wallace

Serendipity plays a part in many of our lives. Listening to someone on a podcast he said a recording of a talk of his went viral years after he made it. For years it sat on the internet until someone found it and now he is one of the highest-paid motivational speakers. If you want to hear someone who will motivate you, listen to Eric Thomas.

Many people will tell us the secret is showing up. We need to actually do what we need to do to move our lives forward. Is it phone calls we need to make? Is it a way to produce better crops, is it marketing what we produce? Is it coming up with a plan to be self-employed instead of dependent on a job? Is it how to make our marriages and families stronger? Is it how to eat better and become fit? Is it how to bring creativity into our lives? Is it how to market that creativity once we’ve created it?

Do we need to enjoy what we have and be grateful for the bounty and beauty in our lives? Wherever we are in life there is room for growth. In fact, growth is mandatory in a good life. We go through the seasons of reaping and sowing. We may be comfortable in one season and wish we could spend our lives there but another season is coming we must prepare for.

Can we enjoy where we are and be grateful for everything in our lives while at the same time preparing for what is to come? Our accomplishments build upon themselves. We won’t know where something may lead us, but if we do what we need to do we may surprise ourselves. By showing up we may end up where we never thought we could be.

When we finally get to write The End at the end of a novel it is the beginning of a new process. Our lives are punctuated by beginnings and endings. The cycle of life continues and our job is showing up and doing our best, day in and day out.

We may wish our best was as good as someone else’s best. We may think because we’ve done it, how good can it be? We don’t know how our thread will be woven into the tapestry of life. Our job is to produce the thread making it vibrant, joyful, and as impactful as possible.

Are we showing up and creating the habits that support the life we want?

If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results. Unknown

You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. Unknown

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. Dale Carnegie

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

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