Back to the Basics

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” Henry David Thoreau

Have you ever found yourself going about the motions of your daily life and suddenly realize you have no clue how you ended up where you are? The goals and dreams you once held so tight to have seemed to unravel around you. Life isn’t bad, but it’s not quite what you envisioned it would be.

This is where I’ve found myself the past few months, wondering how I got off track. Nearly seven years ago, I fulfilled a lifelong dream of publishing my first novel. Storytelling is something I have been in love with for as long as I can remember. There are very few moments throughout the day that I don’t see or hear a story somewhere near me. I’m kind of like the little boy in Sixth Sense. He sees ghosts everywhere. I see stories everywhere.

Showing off my new children’s journal, You Are Magical

The beginning of my professional writing journey started innocent, but like with any pursuit, the longer you do it, the more pressure you feel to get it right. In my case, I started seeing all these other authors selling writing and publishing courses and selling their services as coaches to the point that the writing became background noise.

I thought the only way to be a successful writer was to not be a writer and guess what? I stopped writing consistently. I stopped doing the one thing that is who I am at my core, a storyteller.

It’s time to get back to the basics. It’s time to start writing again.

It’s time to start focusing on creating again and stop worrying about the numbers; the number of social media followers I have, the number of likes or comments a post receives, the number of newsletter subscribers I have, the number of sales I do or don’t get every day. If I’m not creating, what do those numbers mean?

What I’m trying to say is that I am refocusing my priorities. I want to connect with readers, write more fiction, and just get back to my writing roots. I’m going to write more often here and commit to connecting with readers through my newsletter. I want to share the inspiration behind my stories and take you behind the scenes.

For those of you who have been on this journey with me since the beginning, thank you for your loyalty and recommending my books, short stories, and other creative projects. For those of you who have just joined me, I welcome you with all my heart and thank you for letting me tell you my stories.

If you’re in a season where you feel lost and unsure about where to go next, maybe it’s time to get back to the basics to find yourself again.