Marcus Lopes's Blog, page 2

Do What’s Right

Over the course of my life, the lyrics to one of Kenny Rogers’s hit songs, “The Gambler,” often pops into my mind when challenges arise. And, lately, the chorus to that song has played on repeat in my head: “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know when to run.” Walking away isn’t always easy. It’s downright freakin’ hard. But when you do what’s right, it can change your life.

It’s Your Voice that Counts

What do you do when you don’t like where you ar...

Why

It isn’t always clear…getting to the heart of your why. Because maybe it isn’t even your why. Unbeknownst to you (or perhaps you do realize), you’re still trying to live up to other people’s expectations. Voluntarily or not, you’ve let go of your dreams, your ambitions, your raison d’être. And now it feels like you’re living in the shadows—you’re living everybody else’s life but your own. Welcome to my world.

Things Change

I don’t know when or how it happened, but I ended up derailed. Thrown cle...

Just Hold On

Sometimes the grey, wintry days, like today, drain my energy. Left feeling lethargic and somewhat foggy, the fight for motivation is on. Because doing any focused task is hard. And that’s the moment when I know I must just hold on.

Anchor Yourself in Reality

As a writer with a day job, ‘just holding on’ is a mantra that gets me through most days. Especially on the days when I write—whether I’m working on a novel or blog post—and time feels short. It’s not only that the writing feels uphill, but ...

Commitment

It was ‘late’ when I realized I wanted to be a writer, and then it took more time to act on that realization. Because it wasn’t that I didn’t know what it meant to be a writer. I didn’t know what it took to be a writer. And when I imagined what a writing life looked like, I immediately thought about Stephen King, Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood, and Iris Murdoch (among others). These writers defined writing because they were successful. It took me a while to understand what they gave to reach the ...

Be Yourself

When I think about becoming relentless, a lot of different things come to mind. And when I look for a definition, I often find myself returning to Tim Grover’s book, Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable. In it, he asks this question: “What would it feel like to just let go of all the external pressure and expectations and just be yourself?1 

Just. Be. Yourself.

As 2024 drew to a close, I struggled to just be myself. Because it’s not easy to buck the trend and be yourself in a world that...

Start Again

The end of 2024 is nigh. It has been a year of joys and hurt, love and loss, success and failure. There were moments that tested my resolve to remain, unapologetically, who I am and not accept others’ expectations as my own. Times when I wanted to give up as much as persevere. Through it all, the one lesson of 2024 that stands out is this: do not be afraid to start again.

Be Yourself

Over the years, I’ve read a lot of self-help books. Because I wanted to better myself, because I wanted to live t...

Derailed

It was bound to happen. I knew that. The question that remained was when. Would I see it coming? The signs were there, but I chose to ignore them. So, it wasn’t a surprise when I ended up derailed.

Change is Hard

I know that change is hard. Since mid-April, I’ve been trying to change behaviours—create good habits to support my creative dreams, my mindset, and my attitude. I could blame a lot of different things for why not a lot has change. But, really, that fault is mine. I couldn’t commit the ...

Detour Ahead

For the past few weeks, I’ve been off course. Intentionally. Because I needed a break. I recognized that I needed time to think, to step away from everything and gain perspective. That has allowed me to stop rushing and simply—as uncomfortable as it is—move forward into the unknown. It’s been like seeing a sign that says, ‘Detour Ahead,’ and taking it.

Out of Flow Free with Kindle Unlimited

Stepping into a new role at work, I knew that my whole routine would be—temporarily—upended. And that’s ex...

Something to Remember

Something to Remember: Patience as Virtue

When I finally understood that things generally take longer than I liked, I was able to see the opportunity that having the patience to go slow provided. It allows me to focus on quality over quantity. And that’s important for me as an author, because I take pride in the works I put out into the public domain. I ‘obsess’ over each word. I take the time to absorb the feedback and suggestions from my editor and beta readers, and work methodically to incorp...

Self-Containment

I’m an introvert. My default response is to say nothing, and I know that drives a lot of people crazy. But I have always been better in silence, more comfortable on my own than surrounded by a large group of people. That being said, I’m not afraid to lead, but it’s something that takes a lot of energy out of me. So, as an introvert, I’m learning to practice the art of self-containment.

The ‘Golden’ Rule Free with Kindle Unlimited

In my younger days, I didn’t have a filter. I said whatever came t...