Did you have dreams when you were a child? What about now? What are your dreams? I want
to do back to school. Sticking my toes
in the blue waters of Bora Bora would be wonderful. I’ve always dreamed of owning a business. A home that’s mine is something I’ve always
wanted.
Well, you’re not alone. All of us have dreams. Some dreams happen quickly, some take time. All legitimate, passion-driven dreams deserve
to be pursued.
The years, 1995. The event, The Romance Writers of America
Conference. As I sat there, in the front
row at the editor’s panel session, feelings of excitement, contentment and
peace danced a jumbled mix in my stomach.
Throughout the conference, I’d asked questions about different
publishing houses and editor then scoped out the editor that I was going to
write for. After the session, I walked
up, waited my turn and pitched my novel.
She smiled and said, “Send it to me.”
Send it to me!!! I thanked her,
walked away cool, head held high.
Inside, my mind yelled, ‘Yeah, baby!’
I called home that night and told my
husband that I’d have a book contract in 6 months tops. Well, 6 months came and went. 6 more months, another year, five years then
ten, still no book contract.
What do you do when your dream seems to
go south? Don’t give up! Here’s what I suggest:
• Set your goals. Make a plan.
Work the plan. If the plan
doesn’t work, re-tweak the plan.
• Get a mentor, someone who is where you want
to be. Someone who is living your dream
and willing to share their expertise with
you.
• Surround yourself with level-headed, go-getter,
dreamers. (If you don’t take action to actively pursue your dream, you’re dead in
the water.)
• Stay connected to the related industry of
your dream. Attended conferences,
workshops, join professional organizations and network
with like-minded people. Some of the
people that I’ve met along the way have become my
closest friends.
• Your dream is yours. Do it for yourself. (If you’re pursuing your dream for someone
else, then is it your dream or an
obligation?)
•
When it gets hard, take a step back, take a deep breath then get back in the
game.
• Say positive affirmations. One of my favorites is: I refuse to accept the possibility of the death of my dreams.
What happened to your dream of becoming
an author with a major publishing house, you ask? Well, that dream came to fruition17 years
later.
I’m not going to lie and say waiting for
that day was giggles and roses. Some
days were so tough that I wanted to give up.
Being strong for the people that believed in me wasn’t always easy
either. Outside, I was the constant optimist,
but on many days my mind was screaming, ‘What
the hell!’ Then, I’d think about not
accomplishing what I’d set out to do, all of the time and effort I’d put into
bringing the dream to reality and letting down those people who had faith in
the dream, then I’d exit my pity party and get back to work.
The only way you will see your dreams
come true is if you never give up on them.
You might think that 17 years is a long time. A lifetime of regrets is even longer. Don’t quit.
Your dream is waiting!
About the Author:
Born and raised in Philadelphia, the Howard University graduate embraced the
written word at an early age. She credits this to her loving, older sister
whom, while they were youngsters, made the author eat lotion on a regular
basis. Realizing the need to sound-out the ingredients on the lotion label,
Alicia stopped the lotion-eating practice, but continued to read the labels of
the concoctions her sister brought for her to try. This early necessity to read
flowered to a passion; hence, a writer was born.The award winning author
resides in Maryland with her wonderful husband and son. Still an avid
reader, label or otherwise, Alicia is hard at work completing her next suspense
novel.Her latest book is the suspense novel, Dark
Side of Valor.Visit Alicia’s website at www.aliciasingleton.com.
Child advocate Lelia Freeman saves children for a
living. As the director of ChildSafe Shelters, she ventures to abandoned squats
and crackhouses to rescue teens from the hellish streets of Los Angeles. When
she is summoned to Washington to serve on a committee that aids the children of
a war-torn African nation, Lelia is kidnapped and becomes a political pawn in a
sinister conspiracy. Oceans away from everything she knows, she must trust a
mercenary to save her life, or die in the clutches of a psychopath.
Hunting, combat and staying alive are Elijah
Dune’s specialties. Vengeance is his passion. Haunted by past demons, he’s
travels to the Motherland to collect a debt. A debt that demands one payment.
Death.
Caught in the crosshairs of a madman, Lelia and
Elijah must survive the jungles of Zaire and the horrors of their pasts or be
forever consumed by the DARK SIDE OF VALOR.
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