Pursue Your Passion

What is your idea of success?

Everyone has their own preconceived notions of success, it can range from being a billionaire to living a life full of peace and happiness. Lately, I have been contemplating my own idea of success; goals that I want to achieve in the next five years.

The key to success is discipline, drive and a hunger to achieve your goals. It is living for the now. To chase your dreams, and not have to look back on life and be full of regrets.

So, how do you achieve your own level of personal success? The answer is simple: pursue your passions. In the Youtube video above, Jeff argues that when you have a passion it will feel like a calling, and all the "work" will not feel like work to you. I never really understood this concept until I stepped into the self-publishing world. It has been fulfilling, it feels me with pride that I am finally achieving a life-long dream. Jeff Buzos' Amazon Kindle has given me the wonderful opportunity to self-publish my novels. Jeff believes that every-day people should be allowed to pursue their passions- to not have the door shut on them.

I don't people realize how easy it is to publish books on Amazon. You simply upload your manuscript on Kindle Create, it immediately formats the document for you in seconds and suddenly you are ready to publish your book online. That's it! There is no middle-man, no person standing in the way because they don't like your manuscript. I am almost certain I would have never been able to publish "The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven," if I took the normal publishing route. Why? It is because "The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven" does not fall into the "normal" genre, it is a dark romance story with paranormal, suspense, and mystery. Gothic-romance is not the cliche novel that everyone desires to read, but that is okay, because I am able to publish a novel that fits into a genre that I absolutely adore.

So, where am I going with all of this? I wanted to take two minutes of your time to let you know that it is not to late to achieve your dreams. There is still time! You are never too old to change your life. If you are not happy with where you are in life, it is not too late to step onto a new path. Take classes online, educate yourself through books, network, market yourself. On my journey so far as a self-published author, I have faced difficulties, failings, but all of it has helped me become a better writer. I am learning how to market myself, and to understand the role of an entrepreneur. The books will not sell themselves, but when has life ever been that easy? I understand that I have to reach out to potential readers, to build up my business, and publish books that are meaningful to my readers (and myself). Rome was not built in a day. I think there is a strange disillusion in society now-a-days that success will come overnight, and maybe it does for a special few, but for most of the population it takes time. Jeff Buzos was not successful overnight, nor was Steve Jobs nor Elon Musk. It is personal and career failings that make a person grow stronger. It a person's character that defines their destiny.

I hope that this short blog post encouraged you to pursue your passions. Find a way to make money off your hobbies. Don't settle in life, it is too short. Be the person that you were meant to be in the world.