I often say that people should set short time achievable goals and crazy long term dreams. The thing is, we live in a world of small steps. Even though we don’t like to admit it, even though we often choose to search for a shortcut, progress is an extremely slow process. Excruciatingly so at times.

So it’s understandable that this year I set out to write. That’s the most important thing a writer can do. Then, I wanted to sell a few books. Not a precise number… I just wanted to sell a few books. Self-publishers know how difficult it is to sell just one copy of your book. Not ten, not a thousand, just one.

This year, just like all the previous years, the goal is simple: don’t give up. No matter what, don’t give up. Not with my writing, not with this blog.

And that’s another important rule of being… anything, actually. You have to finish stuff. You have to keep going, even when you feel like standing still. Because no one else is willing to do the work for you.

Write, don’t give up, have fun, be patient. No matter what.

Because even if you set yourself certain milestones, even if you have destination in mind, you can only reach it by going on step at a time. There’s no other way.

If you a dream, fight for it, because no one else is willing to do that for you.

Believe me when I say that I want for my writing to mean something to folks. I want to make readers cry, laugh, fall in and out of love with my characters. I want for my words to change the world someday. That’s the ideal, the crazy dream, that thing no one can grant you; something you can’t buy.

I first started writing ten years ago, without really knowing what I was getting myself into. I knew that I needed to acquire the right tools.

It took a long, long time to do that.

A lot of time.

And, yes, at times I’ve lost faith, I’ve lost confidence. It happens. Knowing what you want to do, who you want to become, does not save you from fear. Because at times you’ll be terrified at the prospect of never becoming the person you set out to become.

There are few things more painful than the agony of self-doubt.

But, in a way, I’ve always known that everything is going to be okay, because a lot of people believe in me. Their confidence gives me strength, their trust gives me courage. Yeah, I know, it’s a cheesy thing to say. But it’s true. The idea that you can spend all your life trusting and relying on no one but yourself is a lie. We’re social beings. We need others. We can’t spend all our lives fighting a war with everyone else.