From Edie: Discover why your writing purpose matters more than your publishing goals and how developing your God-given gift prepares you for lasting impact and success.
Why Your Writing Purpose Matters More Than Your Publishing Goals
by Lilka Raphael @Lilka_Raphael
The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.” – David Viscott
Living in Atlanta with the World Cup underway has been a vivid reminder of the discipline required to accomplish goals. This is true not only for elite athletes, but for writers as well. Sometimes we can become so obsessed with scoring our goals—an agent, publisher, or book contract—that we lose focus on why we write.
Chasing professional writing objectives can become all-consuming to the point where the writing becomes secondary. I’ve been guilty of this myself. Instead of remaining focused, I modified my writing out of desperation to obtain an agent. My words lost their power as I pursued another person’s vision. But that wasn’t the vision I was called to write. Everyone has opinions, and critical feedback allows us to mature as writers. Still, there comes a time when we must remain true to our purpose instead of prioritizing trophies.
Truthfully, I wasn’t ready for an agent. I hadn’t honed my craft enough or developed the discipline necessary to meet deadlines and write for a broader audience. In fact, I didn’t have the time to develop my lofty ambitions and see them through to completion.
But God knew.
I’m now grateful for those closed doors I wasn’t ready to walk through at the time. I wasn’t confident enough in my purpose or skilled enough to deliver it. Instead of quickly climbing the next rung to a short-term victory, we may do better to refine our work where we are now. All the articles submitted, blog posts published, and speaker engagements that seem small ultimately prepare us for opportunities we desire.
Just as athletes train for decades to become elite players, the same holds true for writers. There may be a one in a million author who experiences global fame in the publishing industry, yet what appears instant is often the result of decades of discipline implemented in obscurity.
Professional athletes embrace the time and training required for their sport. They face setbacks with injuries, unexpected defeats, and personal disappointments. Yet as writers, we can sometimes behave as if similar sacrifices aren’t required to reach the pinnacle of our profession.
So how can we remain focused while pursuing our goals?
When we nurture our gifts through repetition and education, we don’t have to pursue success. Writing with purpose and passion ultimately prepares us for our big break. When we trust the journey—every delay and rewrite—to work for our good, we won’t despair over closed doors. Authors thrive for different reasons and in various seasons not for themselves but instead for the people inspired, encouraged, and educated by their words.
Stay the course and your goals will become easier to achieve.
May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your purpose
(Psalm 20:4 NKJV).
TWEETABLE
Lilka’s greatest achievements are her two adult sons who have flown the nest. Happily married for thirty-two years, she lives east of Atlanta with her husband, Rod. They now share their home with two German Shepherds—Holly and Ivy—and one naughty kitty, Moxie.
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