PERSEVERANCE
Fifteen years and 151 rejections later, a writer friend on my 2008 Golden Heart loop made a sale to Steeple Hill. That’s what I call perseverance! This blog is for those of you out there who want something so badly you can taste it. For those of you who wake up early or stay up late into the wee hours of the night to make your dreams come true. This is for those of you who might have felt angry or bitter or resentful at times because you haven’t reached the destination you set out for so long ago. This blog is to remind you that it can happen, and I, for one, believe it will happen to you if you don’t give up. If you’re a writer, you need to submit your stuff…get it out there! You have to take risks and be aggressive and most of all you have to believe in yourself.If you have watched Oprah lately (I record the shows and then watch when I can) you’ve seen the girl from skid row who took a bus 2 ½ hours every day to get to high school. She spent her free time in the library because it was a heck of a lot better than sitting on the streets of LA. She read books, a lot of books, she studied, and eventually she was accepted into Harvard.
And what about the son of migrant farmworkers whose parents never graduated past the third grade? Jose Hernandez wanted to grow up to be an astronaut, but the odds were against him. He never gave up his dream and at the age of 41 he became an astronaut candidate for NASA. Jose could very well be the next human being to step on the moon!My oldest daughter, Morgan, has always wanted to be in front of a camera, not as an actor but as a host…the next female Ryan Seacrest. Despite not knowing a soul in LA, she recently moved to Los Angeles. She quickly got a job at a restaurant and a second job at a mall while taking hosting classes in Santa Monica. She also found a room to rent. After only six months, she told me she knew exactly where she wanted to work, and so she quit her job at the restaurant and told the company where she wanted to work that she would intern for no pay. To my surprise, they gave her a desk. The company manages celebrities and runs auditions for misc. shows, etc. For six weeks she ran errands and answered the phone. Every morning on her way to work, she told me she was determined to get hired permanently. Never mind that they never said they needed another employee. It was a place Morgan felt she needed to be so she could learn and grow. Needless to say, her money soon ran out and she needed to eat. We told her she had one month before she had to go get a real job that paid. She said, “Don’t worry, they will hire me before it comes to that.” I knew all about putting timeframes on dreams and I was worried, but a week later she was offered a full time job with a good salary! She’s just another positive story out of many. The kind of story that tells you that sometimes you just need to go for it!!
What inspiring stories have you heard lately? Or maybe you know of someone who never gave up on their dreams. If so, please share your story!
pictures 1) Morgan moving to LA 2) Morgan working at Bubba Gump 3) Morgan taking charge of her life while trying on hats!
Labels: never give up, perseverance, Theresa Ragan
posted by Theresa Ragan @ 2:04 AM
11 Comments:
Wow, what a great story. I'm so happy for Morgan. And for you! I think as a parent you set the bar for her. As writers, not published but slogging away, we show our children our dreams are important and to never give up.
I'm always amazed at how optimistic my child is--she has taught me a great deal about courage.
Looks like your daughter is on her way.
Cheers!
Good Morning, Christine! I agree, it's amazing how much we learn from our children. I never would have guessed! Thanks for the well wishes with Morgan.
I hope everyone who dreams and wants it badly enough, goes for their dreams and never gives up.
Theresa,
What an inspiration your daughter is! My goal as a mom is to instill that kind of courage and confidence in my girl. And I think your daughter and mine see us working hard toward our dreams. They see that we don't give up, no matter how hard it gets, and they don't. They also learn to savor the success when it comes. We soon will all share in your success, too!
Thanks, Mo! My kids are some of my biggest supporters when it comes to telling me to keep on going and never give up. And, of course, my writer friends, like you!
How awesome! Good for Morgan! We can all learn from her.
Wonderful stories, Theresa :-). Good for your friend, good for Morgan, and good for you--way to go, ladies! You're examples to us all :-).
Sally and Terry, thanks for stopping by and for the nice comments!
Theresa,
Thanks for sharing your inspirational stories. I know whenever I got discouraged it was always nice to hear about people who persevered.
You and your daughter are inspirational, Theresa! I have been reading about and thinking about Positive Thinking lately. Your daughter is a very good example of how it works.
I imagine the people at that workplace loved her energy and enthusiasm and her confidence..in other words, her Positive Thinking!
Merrillee, I agree. I always love to hear inspirational stories of anybody who made things happen and wouldn't take no for an answer or wouldn't give up!
And thanks, Diane. I think you're right about Morgan's employer. They liked her gutsiness and her positive attitude.
Good for Morgan!
My dream chaser stories are all works in progress.
:-)
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