Risks and Rewards

To know and follow our deepest aspirations may require taking a risk or two.
Terry Lynn Taylor, Messengers of Love, Light and Grace

I’m reading another book about angels. The above quote hit me square in the eye yesterday as kind of a little reminder [maybe one of those messages from an angel?] that we can’t accomplish much in this life without taking risks. I still struggle with doubt and worst of all, guilt, every day for wanting to pursue my writing career. No one is heaping the guilt on me but me. My husband is completely supportive; I know my kids are benefiting from having a mom who is home 90% of the time, and even my mother has said I have nothing to feel guilty about. Yet I still feel sort of like a thief, stealing this time I’ve taken to work on my dream as if I don’t deserve it.

I feel like I have to produce every day or else I’m not justifying my decision. That, in itself sucks some of the joy from this endeavor. There’s no one ticking off marks on a calendar or tallying my royalty checks to see if they measure up to what my yearly salary might have been at a full time job. Nevertheless, I hover around my computer even when I’m too tired to think creatively, figuring if I put in another hour I’ll be that much closer to my goal.

This quote reminded me that even though I’m taking a risk by pursuing my dream, I still need to treat it as a dream, not a chore. I think I’m going to knock off early today and read a little more about angels.


PS:

Don’t forget, the contest continues until April 9th and I will announce the winners on the 10th. You can respond to any current post on my blog as well as the original contest post!

Angel Image