Thursday, September 13, 2012

Beliefs—Actions—Results


As Christians, most of us strive to hold onto the truth that God is in control. Right? And as Christian writers, we believe that includes God knowing the right time and place for different phases of our careers. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to do our part.

We also need to have a dream, a plan, and some motivation.

Where there is no vision, the people parish. ~Proverbs 29:18

 I recently read something to this effect: Our beliefs affect our actions, and our actions affect our results. 

Besides trusting that God has a handle on things, we also need to believe in ourselves—and hold onto the fact that God believes in us. After all, he gave us the desire and talent to write in the first place.


It takes belief in ourselves to write when:
  • We’re weary from the day job or taking care of our family.
  • We rise at 5:00 a.m. to write before tackling other responsibilities.
  • After receiving a rejection, we dive back in.
  • Years have passed without a contract.
  • Reviews or contest evaluations are hurtful.

Just as we need belief to have the motivation to act, we need to act to have any results. Stories aren’t going to be written during the night while we sleep. No one will see them if they aren’t submitted. And no contracts will be awarded if they’re never read.


To be successful writers we need to:
  • Believe in ourselves and in God’s plan for our writing careers.
  • Act on those beliefs and put in the hard work necessary.
  • Trust that by acting on our beliefs, we will produce results.

When I have doubts and trouble believing in myself, I check in with my team here. Annette, Ocieanna, and Angie are only an e-mail or a phone call away. We don’t just host a blog together. We encourage, support, and pray for each other in our writing and personal lives. It sure helps to hear that we believe in each other!

Are there days when you have trouble believing in yourself? What helps you get out of that funk?

~ Dawn