Never Stop Trying

Today, I'd like to share some seeds of wisdom with you.

You never fail until you stop trying. -- Albert Einstein.

Albert Einstein was a genius on many levels. He didn't just sit back and bask in the glow of his mighty intelligence. He put his brilliance to good use and tried new things. If he hadn't, no one would remember his name.

When I want something, I try until I either achieve success or run out of ideas. I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was twelve years old. I wrote all through junior high and high school, placing second in a regional contest my senior year.

I attended college, majoring in English. Studying the masters, grammar, and mechanics fueled my determination to become a writer. I enjoyed my first publication during my college years -- a poem in The Winged Lion, our college anthology. Even though I was tempted to give up on my education and just write a few times, I obtained my Bachelor of Arts degree in English from my local university, and I consider it time well spent.

Then life slapped me in the face. Bills had to be paid, which meant I had to work a mundane job to support myself. I struggled with overextending myself financially and personally. I worked three jobs, sold plasma, and gathered aluminum cans to pay my bills, but I never gave up on my dream. My plan was always to get back to it one day.

A few years after college graduation, I met and fell in love with a man who had two small children. When I married him, I became a stepmom with no time to myself. Due to my husband working nights, my time after work was spent making dinner, cleaning, giving baths, helping with homework, reading stories, and settling fights. There was never time for my passion, but I didn’t give up.

I wrote a few articles for my company’s newsletter and edited a local football magazine as part of my job at a TV station. Having a byline was amazing, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. My dreams were firmly on the back burner, but they still simmered.

In 2009, the TV station reduced my hourly wage and cut my hours by half. They demoted me, telling me they didn’t need an office manager anymore, because a part-time receptionist would be adequate.

The development was not adequate for me. Not by a long shot.

My entire life changed at that moment. Listening to the company president belittle my contributions to a company to which I had felt deeply connected was worse than having a longtime boyfriend tell me he didn’t love me anymore. I was devastated.

That’s the day I took a long, hard look at what my life had become. I was devoted to my husband and step-kids, had spent countless off the clock hours getting the station's magazine put together without overtime compensation, and had completely dedicated myself to my job and family.

That dark day, I decided I mattered. My hopes and dreams mattered. The kids were old enough to fend for themselves, and it was time I concentrated on what I wanted. I sat down and made a list of life changes I needed to make.

I found another job within six weeks of being downsized. I'm happy to say that I have worked there for the past sixteen years and counting. It's not exactly the same job, as it's grown and morphed into something intricate and multifaceted. My employer has been very good to me, and I have no plans to leave until such time as I can fully support myself as a writer.

I joined a writers’ group and began writing about anything and everything. I enrolled in a writing for publication class at our local technical school and learned how to format submissions, where to find publication leads, and the importance of connecting with other writers. 

Since 2009, my work has appeared in dozens of anthologies, journals, and magazines. I even had a memoir published in Chicken Soup for the Soul. I have two books of my own, Moonbeams and Ashes and Sally's Secret Legacy, and two more that are in the editing stage. I have done a bit of professional editing for other authors. I've even spoken to a couple writers' groups and at a large regional conference. I am living my dream.

Einstein was right -- I only failed when I didn’t try.

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Thank you for reading Ozarks Maven! If you’ve enjoyed my little seeds of wisdom and joy, please join me again next week for more Ozarks Maven.