“The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win. Everyone wants to win, but not everyone wants to prepare to win. Preparing to win is where the determination that you will win is made… The actual game, test or project is just the end of a long process of getting ready, in which the outcome was really determined. So if you want to win, you must want to prepare to win. Once you prepare to win, winning is almost anti climatic.” – Edward W. Smith, Sixty Seconds To Success
On this rainy, stormy Sunday with nowhere to go and not much to do, I decided to catch up on some of the blogs I haven’t had a chance to read in a while. One of those blogs is A Belle in Brooklyn written by Demetrius Lucas. She has done a fabulous job of taking her writing career to the top with her Essence relationship advice column, popular, opinionated blog and recent book release. I’m a big fan of her work and inspired by her drive in spite of people’s predictions of the end of the field of journalism and declarations that a career in journalism or writing is not feasible.
If you know me or read this blog, you’re aware of my passion for writing. Among my many dreams and goals for my life, one of them is to be a published author. While catching up on her blog, I came across an “Ask Belle” video in which she discusses what she’s learned about the writing career. She also offers advice for those pursuing such career and how to move forward not only in writing but as young professionals, in general. One of the things that struck out from the video was her emphasis on being unique and sharing your story rather than trying to mimic another’s style or story. I found it to be very encouraging and motivational:
So as this site continues to grow and change, I hope I can inspire and engage you with my story and the themes and experiences that interest me.
Even though I’m currently focusing on my goal of completing law school, I still work on other areas of my professional and personal life, one of which is writing. I may not blog all the time but I do journal and write poetry every now and then so that when the time comes for me to focus more on my writing, I will be prepared and equipped with material, ideas and advice from various sources.
There’s so much I want to do and experience in life and I feel like I’m just getting started…
…now it’s becoming my reality. It started when I was a little girl and blossomed throughout high school and most of college. There were valleys of self-doubt when I didn’t believe in my own abilities or qualifications to make them happen but I’m here. Ready to embark on this new journey called law school which most administrators during orientation described as the true beginning of my professional career as a lawyer.
While it is gratifying and humbling to see this dream come to fruition, it is a blunt reminder that now the real work begins…
Now is when the diligence, perseverance and risk-taking takes place so that I can keep the dream going and not let my goals slip away. I am excited to begin law school but also nervous. However, meeting and communicating with upperclassmen has been somewhat comforting because they too were in the same position I am in, feeling the same emotions, wondering the same things, doing the same work and they reminded me that while will be a lot of work, everyone in my class is going through it at the same time and will experience some of the same fears, confusion and questions as myself whether they express it or not.
I am excited and nervous but I refuse to be worried because of my faith and because of my support system. I am thankful for the six weeks I sacrificed during the summer to prepare for school because I feel equipped with even more sources of encouragement and motivation around the country. The CLEO program provided me with a variety of skills, resources and personal connections that will help me throughout these next three years and beyond.
It feels surreal to finally be living a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl. It’s especially surreal since this experience is a lot different from what I imagined so far.
I say all of this to say, if you have dreams try not to let them go. They’re there for a reason and with work, faith, resourcefulness and support from others, it is possible to turn your dreams into goals which, when attained, shape your reality.
