This week we are featuring an encouragement piece from Kimberly Rose Johnson, even if a day late! Thank you for your patience, faithful subscribers, and we hope Kimberly’s post will equip you to combat fear in all its sneaky forms.
I imagine we have all experienced that moment of panic after sending off a contest entry, or query to an agent. We think, did I remember________?
Years ago when I was pre-published and entering contests and querying agents I experience that feeling more than once—the sense of panic followed by fear that my mistake would get me rejected or worse yet, make me look bad in the eyes of someone I respected or admired. Have you been there?
Fear does not always stem from failure. Sometimes we fear being successful. - @kimberlyrosejoh Share on XFear does not always stem from failure. Sometimes we fear being successful.
I will never forget my first experience at an ACFW awards banquet. I recall saying to the person beside me, I could never enter a contest because if I won I’d be too scared to go on stage and accept the award. Guess what? I’m still a little afraid, but I don’t let it stop me from entering. In fact a year ago one of my books won the short fiction category for the Faith Hope and Love Readers Choice Award. The year before that I had another book final in the same category. LOL I promise it wasn’t an avoidance tactic, but I wasn’t there to receive my award. I simply couldn’t make it to the conference.
As you can see from my examples above, we can be afraid of both failing and succeeding. I have experienced both failure and success and guess what? I survived.
Here are three words of encouragement to keep in mind when fear consumes you. - @kimberlyrosejoh Share on XHere are three words of encouragement to keep in mind when fear consumes you.
- You are not the sum total of your failure or your success. You are more, and you are enough.
- Everyone fails sometimes. It makes us human. Can you imagine how boring life would be if we always knew we’d succeed?
- Success comes and goes. It’s encouraging, exhilarating, and yes sometimes scary, but you are stronger than you realize. Keep your focus forward and don’t allow success to stall your forward momentum.
I leave you with one final thought. Whatever causes your fear, whether it is success or failure, remember you’re not alone. The writing community is supportive and rallies around its members. Find a trusted, writing friend to share your fears with. My guess is you’ll have an empathic listener who can relate.
Award winning author, Kimberly Rose Johnson, married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance that warms the heart and feeds the soul.
Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
You can sign up for Kimberly’s newsletter via her website at: kimberlyrjohnson.com
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