Life Lessons—A Cut Above

by Reba J Hoffman, Ph.D

I know that as you sit at your computer day after day drumming up plots and word count, you might feel as though you’re not getting anywhere. You may get discouraged and even wonder if you can cut the mustard.

Well, before you hit the “delete” button and power off your laptop, consider these statistics:

• Only 32% of people in the world have a clear and specific dream or goal.

• Of those, only 15% of those people every start working toward living that dream.

• And of those individuals, only 4% continue working toward their dream after the first hurtle or disappointment.

That’s staggering. That also places you in the top four percent of all the people on planet earth!

I know the publishing industry may paint a portrait that sooooooo few writers will ever see their work in print. I’m sure that’s true, but you’ve already eliminated 96% of your competition just by continuing to work at it when others have given up their dream.

That makes you a cut above the rest. Oh sure, we all daydream. I’ve flown to the moon in my spaceship more times that I can count. I’ve also been a famous country music singer (umm… one who can’t sing) and I won Wimbledon at least seven times.

But you, fellow writers, have given your dream legs, a voice and a purpose. Those are the writers who succeed. All the rest? Well, I don’t have a crystal ball but I think I can accurately predict that those individuals will never see their books in Barnes and Noble.

So the next time you sit staring at a blank screen wondering if the words will ever come, remind yourself you’re in the top four percent of all the people on the planet. Tell yourself you’re a cut above all the daydreamers. That is certain to give you inspiration and ignite your creativity.

You ARE a cut above!

How do you feel about where you are currently at living your dream? 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 @RebaJHoffman.