Inspiring People

 I often look to find inspiration for my writing in the world around me. Many times, this inspiration is found in nature, but it is also found in coffee shops, malls and playgrounds, among other places. This is where I might find inspiration for a character or scene.

But sometimes the inspiration I'm seeking is for something different. For something that will keep me focused or on track. We are all surrounded by inspiring people. Those who have achieved success in the face of great odds. Those who have persevered. Their stories have the ability to keep me going even when the road is bumpy. These people are all around us if we only stop to listen. It is less often that I stop to consider myself inspiring.

On a drive through the Wyoming mountains one day, I informed my husband I was going to climb the Grand Teton, in Grand Teton National Park. My husband knew me well. "You can't do it. You're afraid of heights." Yet, I knew I wanted to climb that mountain. I overcame my fear of heights, spent two summers training and eventually made it to the top. The task was not easy. The trail was long and uphill. I became winded along the way and at times had to overcome my fear. I walked in the dark and stood on a windblown summit. 

We each have stories of when we worked through a difficult process to find completion. Times when the going was tough and even so, we pushed through. Others would find these slices of life inspiring. Others would think we have it all together and can do anything we put our minds to doing. 

Perhaps today is the day we should all focus on becoming more "self-inspiring." Instead of remembering all of our failures, which seems somedays quite easy, remind ourselves of the successes. Some of us have written a short story, others have had that short story read, praised and published. Others have completed a chapter or two, a novella or novel, or other work. Some have taken a goal of writing each day and achieved it. We are all so amazing in the things we've accomplished. Today, inspire yourself to greatness.
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D. Jean Quarles is a writer of Women's Fiction and a co-author of a Young Adult Science Fiction Series. Her latest book, Flight from the Water Planet, Book 1 of The Exodus Series was written with coauthor, Austine Etcheverry.

D. Jean loves to tell stories of personal growth – where success has nothing to do with money or fame, but of living life to the fullest. She is also the author of the novels: Rocky's Mountains, Fire in the Hole and, Perception. The Mermaid, an award winning short story was published in the anthology, Tales from a Sweltering City.  

She is a wife, mother, grandmother and business coach. In her free time . . . ha! ha! ha! Anyway, you can find more about D. Jean Quarles, her writing and her books at her website at www.djeanquarles.com

You can also follower her at www.djeanquarles.blogspot.com or on Facebook

8 comments:

Karen Cioffi said...

Jean, you're so right. Sometimes we need to push past our fears. Here's an appropriate quote from this week's The Writers World:

"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears."
~ Les Brown

Shirley Corder said...

Thanks for a challenging post, Jean. Karen, love the quote. So true.

T. Forehand said...

Great post, and the quote sums up why I seem to go no where sometimes in my writing particularly. Thanks for the reminder to self inspire and look at where each of us is and where we want to go... pushing past the fear of success is sometimes the biggest fear we face.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson said...

Jean, I start The Frugal Book Promoter out with a chapter on the several fears that keep authors from success. I've been criticized for that because it's a marketing book, but in fact, the fear of marketing (or getting attention) is one of those fears. I like it there--right at the front--and hope that it helps writers move past fears to a more vibrant career. So, this post of yours made me feel good. Phooey on that one reviewer! (-:

Best,

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Excited about how much the new edition of the Frugal Book Promoter (expanded! updated!) can help writers with the tried and true and the new media, too. Now a USA Book News award-winner in its own right (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) it the original edition was also a Reader Views winner and an Irwin Award winner.

Heidiwriter said...

We seem to focus on the negative, even if it's just one example among many positives. Thanks for reminding us what is important!

Linda Wilson said...

Jean, I enjoyed your post and will take to heart your insights, thanks. I would also like to thank you for commenting on my post, "How to Hook and Keep your Reader," Jan 28th. That was my first ever post and am learning fast. I appreciated your comment and look forward to reading your work and getting to know you better.

Magdalena Ball said...

Jean, you're very right - all of us have plenty of personal stories of success - things we were told we couldn't do and did, and it's easy to forget and discount them. Hope your climb goes well!

Kathleen Moulton said...

Jean, your post reminded me of the saying: "Write your hurts in the sand, carve your blessings in stone."

It's human nature to do the opposite.

Recently, I have turned a corner inspiring myself despite the obstacles.

Kathy

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