I Almost Forgot

“Father, I pray this will bless You.

I pray this will bless the world.

I pray this will bless my family and friends.

I pray this will bless my Muse and me.

Guide my head, my heart, and my hands.

In Your Name, Amen.

Prayer I pray every day before I start writing

I almost forgot.  I almost forgot why I’m doing this.  Sometimes I can get caught up in things and lose sight of my true goal.  I start focusing on secondary goals.  In this case, I forgot my main purpose in writing and I focused on the secondary purposes.  My main purpose in writing is love.  I do this because I love God who gave me this gift and I want to honor him by using it.  I love the world and my hope is that my work will bless as many people as possible.  I love my family and friends and I hope this will encourage them.  And I love my Muse and myself and I hope this will encourage us, bring us healing, and keep me moving forward. 

My secondary goal is to make money.  I see nothing wrong with this goal, nor do I see anything wrong in the desire for or the honest acquisition of as much money as I can get.  I will not hide my desire for money.  Money would solve a lot of my problems, because the more I had, the more choices I would have.  I would have more choices with my time and that is what is most important to me.  But my life is what it is right now and I believe I am being tested.  If I wisely use the time and freedom I have now, perhaps I will be given more in the future.  But for now, I have to do well with the time I have.  The good news is this:  I can choose.  I have the same amount of time as every single person in the world, 24 hours per day.  I can get a lot or a little done in that time. 

Theodore Roosevelt said, “It’s surprising how much reading a man can do in time usually wasted.” 

It’s surprising how much of anything we can do in time usually wasted.  From The Power of Five, I learned that often if I take just five minutes, I can clean the whole kitchen or my car.  And if I can’t finish the job in five minutes, at least things look a lot nicer.  Often, however, my enthusiasm over what I’ve done in five minutes motivates me to put in more time until the job is finished.  Time really is one of the most precious gifts we have.

This is why I bring a book with me almost wherever I go.  If I can’t read, then I often listen to audiobooks.  I write almost every morning and I usually do at least one blog a day.  I try to use as much time as I can to better myself and contribute more to the world.  Why?  Again, love.  I love myself and I love others and I want to make a difference.  I’m not perfect.  I fail in many ways, including my use of time, but my failures don’t keep me from trying.

They almost did.

As I mentioned in a previous blog (http://robertf71.blogspot.com/2014/11/20-miles-day.html) I’ve had serious doubts about my writing.  They started when a well-meaning friend told me why my blogs weren’t financially successful.  That created some doubts for me about my work.  I was no longer sure if what I was doing was helpful or relevant.  Did I need to take things to “a new level?” Did I need to be more “professional?”  I sought mentoring but was turned down or ignored.  All I could do was keep working. 

Or I could give up.

I decided not to give up for an odd reason:  fear.  I’m afraid of being a quitter.  I’m still struggling with my message and how I want to deliver it, but I’m not quitting.

There was a third goal I had with my writing – to remind others, and myself, to Get Started and Keep Going.  I’ve gotten started but I forgot how important it is to keep going, even when discouragement sets in.  I have goals – personal, professional, spiritual, and financial – and I need to keep them in mind and keep moving forward.  That’s all I need to do.  I can even add more goals.  In fact, the more goals I add, short-term or long term, the more I can get done.

I was reminded that what I do means something – to God, to the world, to my family and friends, and to my Muse and me.  I almost forgot.  Almost.