No Shrinking!

Thursdays – Dawn’s Devotions for Writers

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,
you will receive what he has promised … I take no pleasure in the
one who shrinks back.” (Hebrews 10:35-36, 39 NIV)

Are you confident that God called you to write?

You must be. Otherwise, why spend time and energy pouring your thoughts, imagination, and emotions on paper or the computer screen? Why risk sharing your work with other people? Especially those who might tell you it could be better?

Why spend funds on “how to” books, conferences, or freelance editors? Why spend hours reading books on craft or attending critique groups? Why submit your writing to publishers, only to receive one rejection letter after another?

When we’re “called” to write, we can do nothing less than put our heart, mind, and soul into our work. Even when we’ve experienced disappointment, we dive back in.

There are times when we may feel discouraged. We may wonder if we’re ever going to get it right. But look at what Hebrews 10:35-36 says. Don’t throw away your confidence. God in his timing will reward you. We don’t know what that “reward” will look like, but God does.

On the other hand, God does not take pleasure in those who become lazy. Those who refuse to follow their calling, or retreat because obstacles block the path.

He’s given each one of us a purpose. (That includes the place writing has in our lives.) Don’t give up when the way becomes challenging, demanding, or just plain more difficult than you expected.

If it helps—whenever you feel discouraged, think of this as your personal cheer. *wink*

No shrinking! (clap, clap) Persevere!

Okay, maybe that’s going a bit overboard. *grin*

Follow your calling with confidence!
You will be richly rewarded.

Dawn

Five Things Writers Forget First – Part 5 – by Angela Breidenbach

Welcome to another Writer’s Journey Wednesday! (Dawn here) Thanks for joining us as Angela Breidenbach completes her fabulous series, “Five Things Writers Forget First.”

During March,
On Writer’s Journey Wednesdays,
Angie has been sharing:

Part 1: I’m Using My Brain, Right?
Part 2: Mental Integrity
Part 3: Emotional Stability
Part 4: Spiritual Sense
Part 5: Courage & Confidence

Five Things Writers Forget First
Ways to write better, faster, and stronger

Part 5
Confident Writer

After years of trying, I hadn’t achieved anything. I had to get educated. But at my age? I’d been raising kids and working to feed them while other women went to college and blossomed into their true calling. My calling felt foreign and unknown after ignoring it for so long.

I made the decision to go to a writer’s meeting. At the door, my resolve almost melted. I didn’t want to be embarrassed among people who knew the craft when I knew nothing. Desire overcame fear when I asked myself, “Would I be happy to die never trying?” I pictured myself in old age, looking back, eyes wrenched with regret. The fear of failure lessened in the face of the regret. The goal outweighed the fear.

I needed a holistic view of my career as a part of my future. I slammed right into failure. I couldn’t do a thing because the project I’d set for myself was humongous. I saw only the mass and not the pieces. Ocean liners change direction one degree at a time. Why did I think I needed to flip from one thing to the next without preparation and patience?

The words holistic life hit me full force. I can’t separate who I am from my family, friends, job, etc. without losing part of me. POP! The fireworks blazed. I had to stop making it just about the schedule and be about creating a fulfilled lifestyle. This fulfillment had to incorporate real life to be sustainable. I learned about my likes, dislikes, sleep cycles, and biorhythms for optimum productivity.

In business, problems get solved when you work the chain of command backwards. If a disaster occurs, start at the disaster and trace back through to where the problem began. Holes in communication or the breakdown in the procedures are more visible. It’s a great practice for goal setting too as both the big overview and the small details appear.

Work from the farthest date and note deadlines in reverse to create steady and consistent schedule with each goal. The final weekly planning calendar has something toward every goal and review of a month-at-a-glance daily assures it happens. Remember we’re working on a holistic, fulfilled life. Confidence is not natural. It’s built one degree at a time. Every small success is a leap into confidence.

Five things to take away from this article:

1. Be willing to change.
2. Change must be a holistic or failure boom-a-rangs back to the old ways.
3. Change one degree (thing) at a time for long term success.
4. Be consistent by breaking down goals into small steps and regularly scheduling them.
5. Talk publicly about plans and goals. People asking about progress creates accountability.

How will you put consistency into your goals and dreams?
How will consistency create confidence for you?

Angela Breidenbach is Mrs. Montana International 2009, author of Creative Cooking for Colitis, works with Hope’s Promise Orphan Ministries, the American Heart Association, and the Jadyn Fred Foundation. Angela also teaches online classes and coaches one-on-one in courageous confidence, personal growth, and powerful living. She’s certified in mentor/peer counseling as a Stephen Minister and Assisting Minister. She serves as the American Christian Fiction Writer's Publicity Officer (2009-2011) and is a multi-award winning inspirational speaker and author. Not only did she walk the hard line of deciding to donate her mom's brain, but she is also on the brain donation list at the Brain Bank-Harvard McLean Hospital. She is married, has a combined family of six grown children, one grandson.

Angela’s cookbook, Creative Cooking for Colitis, is being released Easter weekend as an e-cookbook. You have a chance to win a free copy by visiting her new blog, http://colitiscooking.blogspot.com/

Confidence Coach & Purposeful Living Educator
Come uncover your gems of wisdom at http://www.mygemofwisdom.com/
Personal growth = Powerful living!

You can interact or learn more about Angela Breidenbach at these sites:
http://www.mygemofwisdom.com/
http://www.angelabreidenbach.com/
http://godusesbrokenvessels.blogspot.com/
http://colitiscooking.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/AngBreidenbach
http://www.facebook.com/AngelaBreidenbach
http://writingbyfaith.blogspot.com/ on Wednesdays each week.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/angiebreidenbach
http://www.christianwomenaffiliate.com