I received a text message from my friend saying that she’s reading fashion blogs for plus size women and she’s thinking about doing one. As a blog addict who loves helping others, I should have felt like a proud mommy who saw her baby take her first step.
Three things kept me from feeling warm and fuzzy all over. First, this is the same person who asked me to run up the Sears Tower (currently the Willis Tower) for their annual run last year and did nothing in the way of fitness. Second, she told me she was going to start working out in January of this year so we can go up the Sears Tower this year, and she has not yet started. A quarter of the year is almost over. And third, her reasons for wanting to start a blog: “I want the free goodies they get and entrance to the fashion events.”
While I truly understand wanting the “good stuff”, I also understand the work it takes to just get started and the heart it takes to keep going.
Success means different things to different people. To me, it means completing something I set out to do – no matter how big or small.And most times it takes longer than expected because of unexpected distractions that come in to try to steal or joy or attempt to make you stop completely.
I was reading Charlaine Harris’s story in the 2011 Writer’s Market. She’s the genius behind True Blood TV show and Success with Vampires book series. When asked about being an “overnight success,” she explained “…it took about twenty-five years for this to happen.” Did you read that? 25 years!!!!
So, here is my advice to my friend and others who want “the good stuff:
- Commit.
- Start. This is by far the hardest part of the process. But it’s easy after you actually get going.
- Stay committed – and encouraged.
- Keep going. Once you start making progress, you will be too far ahead to turn back. And you will want to stay in to find out what’s going to happen next.
Nothing happens without work. And it definitely doesn’t come overnight. Period.
Image: cha-dye