Life Lessons—You Decide!

by Reba J Hoffman, Ph.D

As many of you know, I was in Illinois on the Road to Freedom Tour on my bicycle when I tore a ligament in my knee. An MRI revealed a full tear of the medial collateral ligament (the inner supporting ligament).

I was told by experts that my tour was over. My heart told me something else. So I began brainstorming ways I could keep the Road to Freedom going in a way other than the bike.

I packed up Dakota (my custom built Waterford touring bike), and shipped it to Florida. I flew to Florida after attending the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Conference(ACFW) in Indianapolis.

Something very interesting happened. My knee stopped hurting. It stopped aching. When I removed the brace, it felt vulnerable, but not injured. So, I decided to test it. I began walking everywhere I went. Ten miles to the store. Fifteen miles to church.

I didn’t have even a twinge of pain. So, I did the unthinkable. I hitched a ride to the friend who was storing my bike, took it out of the box and reassembled it, then rode it forty miles home.

Guess what happened? Nothing. I've ridden completely pain free since then. I took a five-day mini-tour to central Florida. One day I wound up riding 97 straight miles, fully loaded with fifty pounds of gear.

In two days, I’ll resume the Road to Freedom Tour… ON MY BIKE.

So why am I telling you this? Because in your writing career, you MUST know it’s not over ‘til you say it is! You decide!

Has your critique partner told you to find a new hobby? Get a new one (critique partner, that is).

Did the editor you met with at a writer’s conference tell you their third grader strings words together better? Even if it’s true, commit to maturing in your craft.

Can you wallpaper your walls with rejection letters? Okay, why not do that? It will make quite the conversation piece when you’re a New York Times Bestselling Author!

The point is, they don’t decide when your writing tour ends. Only YOU do. They can’t tell you to stop. They might spout the words, but it’s you who gives them power in your life.

I think of all the women I would not be able to help if the Road to Freedom Tour ended. It would be tragic. Almost as tragic if those books you have inside you don’t get written because you let someone else decide your writing career was over.

You decide!

Has someone—or a circumstance—made you think your writing career is over? What did you do about it? Share it here!

Reba J. Hoffman is the founder and president of Magellan Life Coaching (www.magellanlifecoaching.com). She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Counseling and is a natural encourager. She serves as Member Care Coach for My Book Therapy and is the author of Dare to Dream, A Writer’s Journal. You can connect with Reba through her motivational blog, Finding True North, or by email at reba@magellanlifecoaching.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @MagellanCoach.