Chris Dietzel's Blog - Posts Tagged "dreams"
Decision to follow a dream
Everyone has a time in their life when they look back on all the decisions they have made, when think about how their time was spent, when they analyze all the things they might have done differently over the years. This self-examination is the foundation for my debut novel, but it’s also what drives me to write in the first place.
We are raised to believe anything is possible, but somewhere along the way we lose the innocence behind that belief and begin to think that our childhood dreams are foolish. Writing novels was my dream. But for a while, after college, I didn’t even entertain the idea as a possibility, let alone consider it as something urgent I needed to be doing. I did what I thought I was supposed to do: I fell in line and worked long hours in a corporate job.
But a fear followed me. Would my life be spent doing something because I felt I had to do it or because it was my passion? Each time I was stuck in rush-hour traffic, a little voice would ask me how much I would regret it if I never tried to achieve my dream. It’s true that real life inspires fiction: my fears are the same thoughts that plague the protagonist in THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE WORLD END, as he looks out of his home at a neighborhood of empty houses.
That was nine years ago. It’s been a long journey since then, but I’m happy in the knowledge that I’m doing what makes me feel fulfilled. And I’m proud of my first novel, the story of a man at the end of his life, plagued by the decisions he has made while mankind slowly disappeared around him. It hasn’t been easy following my dream, but it’s been worth it.
originally posted at: http://bookinglyyours.blogspot.com/20...
We are raised to believe anything is possible, but somewhere along the way we lose the innocence behind that belief and begin to think that our childhood dreams are foolish. Writing novels was my dream. But for a while, after college, I didn’t even entertain the idea as a possibility, let alone consider it as something urgent I needed to be doing. I did what I thought I was supposed to do: I fell in line and worked long hours in a corporate job.
But a fear followed me. Would my life be spent doing something because I felt I had to do it or because it was my passion? Each time I was stuck in rush-hour traffic, a little voice would ask me how much I would regret it if I never tried to achieve my dream. It’s true that real life inspires fiction: my fears are the same thoughts that plague the protagonist in THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE WORLD END, as he looks out of his home at a neighborhood of empty houses.
That was nine years ago. It’s been a long journey since then, but I’m happy in the knowledge that I’m doing what makes me feel fulfilled. And I’m proud of my first novel, the story of a man at the end of his life, plagued by the decisions he has made while mankind slowly disappeared around him. It hasn’t been easy following my dream, but it’s been worth it.
originally posted at: http://bookinglyyours.blogspot.com/20...
Believe in yourself
For a long time I thought my dream of being a writer was pointless. Only one thing was standing in my way: I didn’t believe in myself. I didn’t think I would actually be able to write a book that anyone would want to read, so I didn’t bother trying.
Shortly after college, though, I met a group of highly determined people and I realized the only difference between them and myself was that they believed they could do whatever they set their minds to while I believed the exact opposite. Over the course of time, their optimism and persistence changed my outlook. This led me to understand a few insights that have molded who I am today:
- Your mindset is contagious. If you don’t believe in yourself, you are guaranteeing no one else will either. Successful people don’t surround themselves with pessimists and cynics, they surround themselves with positive thinkers and optimists. Do not give your time to anyone who would belittle your goals or make a joke out of your aspirations because it infects your outlook.
- People who believe in themselves don’t keep going only because they are determined—when you truly believe in yourself, you know it’s a matter of time until you achieve your goal. Maybe it will take ten years. Maybe it will take twenty. But it will happen eventually if you keep working toward it.
- Dreams aren’t easy to achieve, but when you struggle toward something that truly makes you happy, the necessary hard work doesn’t feel like work at all. I look forward to the time I get to sit in front of my computer and edit an awful first draft or some poorly written dialogue. If achieving your dream was easy and didn’t require daily pain, it wouldn’t be worthy of being called a dream in the first place.
Shortly after college, though, I met a group of highly determined people and I realized the only difference between them and myself was that they believed they could do whatever they set their minds to while I believed the exact opposite. Over the course of time, their optimism and persistence changed my outlook. This led me to understand a few insights that have molded who I am today:
- Your mindset is contagious. If you don’t believe in yourself, you are guaranteeing no one else will either. Successful people don’t surround themselves with pessimists and cynics, they surround themselves with positive thinkers and optimists. Do not give your time to anyone who would belittle your goals or make a joke out of your aspirations because it infects your outlook.
- People who believe in themselves don’t keep going only because they are determined—when you truly believe in yourself, you know it’s a matter of time until you achieve your goal. Maybe it will take ten years. Maybe it will take twenty. But it will happen eventually if you keep working toward it.
- Dreams aren’t easy to achieve, but when you struggle toward something that truly makes you happy, the necessary hard work doesn’t feel like work at all. I look forward to the time I get to sit in front of my computer and edit an awful first draft or some poorly written dialogue. If achieving your dream was easy and didn’t require daily pain, it wouldn’t be worthy of being called a dream in the first place.
Things I've Learned
Although I’ve been working toward my dream of being a writer for almost ten years now, it’s only recently that I have been trying to get my writing out to an audience. In these past few months, I’ve learned a lot of lessons. Some of those are captured here:
Be patient –Every part of the writing process takes a hundred times longer than it should. Do not try to hurry things that are outside your control. I finished my debut novel, THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE WORLD END, about four years ago. It took all the time since then to find an agent, have publishers review it, have final edits made, decide on a self-publication approach, and finally make it available to everyone. Four years is a very long time—long enough for me to complete two other novels and be half way done another. The time was invaluable, though, because along the way I received helpful feedback from friends who had gone through the same thing I was going through. By the time I did finally publish my novel, I had a better book to put out to everyone and I knew the mistakes other people had made so I wouldn’t make them myself. If I hadn’t been patient, I would have put out a weaker product four years ago and I would be stumbling over myself now. Patience pays off.
Be willing to leave your comfort zone – I have always had a difficult time asking favors of other people. In any other part of my life, I wouldn’t dare ask someone to mention something I did. But with my writing, it’s a necessity. Indie Authors depend on word-of-mouth. Because of this, I always ask people to mention my novel to anyone else they think might enjoy it. And as a very private person, I have a difficult time putting myself out there on social media. But I do it because it helps people learn about me and my novel. I could still publish my book without doing these things, but it would mean that I was half-hearted in making it successful. To achieve their dream, people should be willing to not only step away from their comfort zone, but go running from it.
Don’t make everything about you – There are millions of other people trying to get their Indie books out to the masses. It’s very difficult to distinguish yourself. That’s why you constantly see Indie authors promoting themselves on every possible platform. But what I’ve noticed is that people respond more when you aren’t constantly promoting yourself and take time to ask them about their own books. Some of the best interactions I’ve had, which in turn have led to some of the most unintended readers of my novel, have come from me discussing their Indie projects, not my own. Whether it’s karma or human nature, people respond more openly when you don’t make everything about you. If you offer support, people are more willing to support you.
Be patient –Every part of the writing process takes a hundred times longer than it should. Do not try to hurry things that are outside your control. I finished my debut novel, THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE WORLD END, about four years ago. It took all the time since then to find an agent, have publishers review it, have final edits made, decide on a self-publication approach, and finally make it available to everyone. Four years is a very long time—long enough for me to complete two other novels and be half way done another. The time was invaluable, though, because along the way I received helpful feedback from friends who had gone through the same thing I was going through. By the time I did finally publish my novel, I had a better book to put out to everyone and I knew the mistakes other people had made so I wouldn’t make them myself. If I hadn’t been patient, I would have put out a weaker product four years ago and I would be stumbling over myself now. Patience pays off.
Be willing to leave your comfort zone – I have always had a difficult time asking favors of other people. In any other part of my life, I wouldn’t dare ask someone to mention something I did. But with my writing, it’s a necessity. Indie Authors depend on word-of-mouth. Because of this, I always ask people to mention my novel to anyone else they think might enjoy it. And as a very private person, I have a difficult time putting myself out there on social media. But I do it because it helps people learn about me and my novel. I could still publish my book without doing these things, but it would mean that I was half-hearted in making it successful. To achieve their dream, people should be willing to not only step away from their comfort zone, but go running from it.
Don’t make everything about you – There are millions of other people trying to get their Indie books out to the masses. It’s very difficult to distinguish yourself. That’s why you constantly see Indie authors promoting themselves on every possible platform. But what I’ve noticed is that people respond more when you aren’t constantly promoting yourself and take time to ask them about their own books. Some of the best interactions I’ve had, which in turn have led to some of the most unintended readers of my novel, have come from me discussing their Indie projects, not my own. Whether it’s karma or human nature, people respond more openly when you don’t make everything about you. If you offer support, people are more willing to support you.
Invest In Yourself
Believing in yourself is the single greatest thing you can do to achieve your dreams. But part of believing in yourself is investing in your future. As I work toward making my goals a reality, I’ve discovered that investing in yourself can come in many different forms.
Time – The most precious resource you have is your time. If you want to accomplish something difficult, you must be willing to devote enormous amounts of your life to your goal. For me, this meant spending years learning how to tell a story and honing my voice as a writer. The saying, “If it was easy, everyone would do it” is all about time. Said a different way: if someone told you that you would have to dedicate a minimum of ten or twelve years toward your dream, without any guarantee of success, how many people would volunteer for that possible failure? Most people wouldn’t. That is why time is an investment. There are no short cuts and it takes a large part of your life to achieve something meaningful.
Knowledge – When I was in college, I didn’t believe in myself enough to take writing classes because I thought my dream was hopeless. (Instead, I sat through classes like “Political Thinking” and “Public Speaking”, Ugh.) A couple years after I started writing, though, I had put together a variety of stories but didn’t have anyone to critique them. So I decided to sign up for a pair of online writing workshops. These were vital because they gave me a venue to have other people assess my writing and tell me what they thought I was doing well and what I could improve upon. I left those workshops with a completely different outlook on my writing. Everyone needs the knowledge required to achieve their dream. For me, that came in the form of peer review feedback. For other people, it might mean learning a new skill or taking a new course. Knowledge provides direction. Without it, you are blindly moving toward your goal, with little chance of stumbling upon it.
Covers – Why would anyone invest years in writing a book, only to scrimp on the last step—having a cover designed? The cover is the first impression your book makes on readers—it needs to capture their attention. Pam Stack, producer and host an Authors on the Air, and Indie Author News both just had great write-ups on how critically important good covers are (http://authorsontheair.com/why-i-wont... and http://www.indieauthornews.com/2012/1... respectively). A CEO wouldn’t try to design his own company’s logo, and a writer shouldn’t attempt to create their own cover. If something is important to you, never try to cut corners. Spend the money to make a good first impression. It will be worth it in the end.
These are just a few examples. The important thing to remember is that, as the owner of your respective dream, you need to prepare yourself to achieve it. And that means investing in yourself.
Have a great week.
Time – The most precious resource you have is your time. If you want to accomplish something difficult, you must be willing to devote enormous amounts of your life to your goal. For me, this meant spending years learning how to tell a story and honing my voice as a writer. The saying, “If it was easy, everyone would do it” is all about time. Said a different way: if someone told you that you would have to dedicate a minimum of ten or twelve years toward your dream, without any guarantee of success, how many people would volunteer for that possible failure? Most people wouldn’t. That is why time is an investment. There are no short cuts and it takes a large part of your life to achieve something meaningful.
Knowledge – When I was in college, I didn’t believe in myself enough to take writing classes because I thought my dream was hopeless. (Instead, I sat through classes like “Political Thinking” and “Public Speaking”, Ugh.) A couple years after I started writing, though, I had put together a variety of stories but didn’t have anyone to critique them. So I decided to sign up for a pair of online writing workshops. These were vital because they gave me a venue to have other people assess my writing and tell me what they thought I was doing well and what I could improve upon. I left those workshops with a completely different outlook on my writing. Everyone needs the knowledge required to achieve their dream. For me, that came in the form of peer review feedback. For other people, it might mean learning a new skill or taking a new course. Knowledge provides direction. Without it, you are blindly moving toward your goal, with little chance of stumbling upon it.
Covers – Why would anyone invest years in writing a book, only to scrimp on the last step—having a cover designed? The cover is the first impression your book makes on readers—it needs to capture their attention. Pam Stack, producer and host an Authors on the Air, and Indie Author News both just had great write-ups on how critically important good covers are (http://authorsontheair.com/why-i-wont... and http://www.indieauthornews.com/2012/1... respectively). A CEO wouldn’t try to design his own company’s logo, and a writer shouldn’t attempt to create their own cover. If something is important to you, never try to cut corners. Spend the money to make a good first impression. It will be worth it in the end.
These are just a few examples. The important thing to remember is that, as the owner of your respective dream, you need to prepare yourself to achieve it. And that means investing in yourself.
Have a great week.
Decision to follow a dream - Update
I was very new to GoodReads when I started this blog, and I had just started letting people know about my debut novel, THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE WORLD END. Because I'm so much further along from where I started out, I thought I would re-post my first entry, along with some updates.
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Everyone has a time in their life when they look back on all the decisions they have made, when they think about how their time was spent, when they analyze all the things they might have done differently over the years. This self-examination is the foundation for my debut novel, but it’s also what drives me to write in the first place.
We are raised to believe anything is possible, but somewhere along the way we lose the innocence behind that belief and begin to think that our childhood dreams are foolish. Writing novels was my dream. But for a while, after college, I didn’t even entertain the idea as a possibility, let alone consider it as something urgent I needed to be doing. I did what I thought I was supposed to do: I fell in line and worked long hours in a corporate job.
But a fear followed me. Would my life be spent doing something because I felt I had to do it or because it was my passion? Each time I was stuck in rush-hour traffic, a little voice would ask me how much I would regret it if I never tried to achieve my dream. It’s true that real life inspires fiction: my fears are the same thoughts that taunt the protagonist in THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE WORLD END, as he looks out of his home at a neighborhood of empty houses.
That was nine years ago. It’s been a long journey since then, but I’m happy in the knowledge that I’m doing what makes me feel fulfilled. And I’m proud of my first novel, the story of a man at the end of his life, plagued by the decisions he made while mankind slowly disappeared around him. It hasn’t been easy following my dream, but it’s been worth it.
---
In the months since I posted that, I feel even more strongly that I made the right decision to focus on achieving my dreams and to view them as not only realistic, but absolutely necessary. My book has made its way to audiences all over the world, to thousands of people who will hopefully be inspired or fascinated by it. Each and every day I'm grateful I decided to follow my dream and I thank all the people who validate it by reading my story. I'm approaching ten years of pursuing the life I want to live instead of the life I thought I had to live, and the good news is that I'm still at the very beginning of that quest. There are still many more goals to achieve and books to write. I look forward to each step of that journey.
---
Everyone has a time in their life when they look back on all the decisions they have made, when they think about how their time was spent, when they analyze all the things they might have done differently over the years. This self-examination is the foundation for my debut novel, but it’s also what drives me to write in the first place.
We are raised to believe anything is possible, but somewhere along the way we lose the innocence behind that belief and begin to think that our childhood dreams are foolish. Writing novels was my dream. But for a while, after college, I didn’t even entertain the idea as a possibility, let alone consider it as something urgent I needed to be doing. I did what I thought I was supposed to do: I fell in line and worked long hours in a corporate job.
But a fear followed me. Would my life be spent doing something because I felt I had to do it or because it was my passion? Each time I was stuck in rush-hour traffic, a little voice would ask me how much I would regret it if I never tried to achieve my dream. It’s true that real life inspires fiction: my fears are the same thoughts that taunt the protagonist in THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE WORLD END, as he looks out of his home at a neighborhood of empty houses.
That was nine years ago. It’s been a long journey since then, but I’m happy in the knowledge that I’m doing what makes me feel fulfilled. And I’m proud of my first novel, the story of a man at the end of his life, plagued by the decisions he made while mankind slowly disappeared around him. It hasn’t been easy following my dream, but it’s been worth it.
---
In the months since I posted that, I feel even more strongly that I made the right decision to focus on achieving my dreams and to view them as not only realistic, but absolutely necessary. My book has made its way to audiences all over the world, to thousands of people who will hopefully be inspired or fascinated by it. Each and every day I'm grateful I decided to follow my dream and I thank all the people who validate it by reading my story. I'm approaching ten years of pursuing the life I want to live instead of the life I thought I had to live, and the good news is that I'm still at the very beginning of that quest. There are still many more goals to achieve and books to write. I look forward to each step of that journey.
Bucket Lists and the Great American Novel
Everyone has a point in his life when he analyzes what he might have done differently over the years. Each time I was stuck in rush-hour traffic, a little voice would ask me how much I would regret it if I never tried to achieve my dream of writing the Great American Novel.
Would my life be spent going to a job that paid well but required no creativity or imagination? Or would I spend my time doing something because it was my passion, even if it didn’t pay the bills? Well, passions don’t often make people rich, so the office job would have to remain a part of my life. But I knew I also needed to write that book, even if it wouldn’t land me on the bestseller’s list. After all, that’s what passions are: the things we are compelled to do, regardless of whether they are practical or not. The thing I feared most wasn’t whether or not I would end up rich or poor, but if I would get to the end of my life and regret never having pursued my dream. It’s true that real life inspires fiction: My fears are the same as the protagonist’s in the novel I ended up writing and publishing last year.
I’ve never regretted dedicating all of my free time to writing and publishing that book. And even though it didn’t become a best seller, for me at least, it really was the Great American Novel. It was featured on a popular radio show, was voted as one of GoodReads Top 10 Most Interesting Books of 2013, and has been read by people in six continents!
I still have many more books I want to write, but I’m happy that I crossed off the top item on my bucket list. And I’m proud of my first novel, the story of a man who, at the end of his life, is plagued by the decisions he has made while mankind slowly disappeared around him. After writing the book, I’ve come to an important realization: It’s okay if the world fades away, as it does for the man in my story. As long as I still have the few things that are truly important to me—the people I love, the pursuit of my dreams—life will be okay.
I occasionally still get stuck in rush-hour traffic, but knowing I’ve achieved the top item on my bucket list helps make the time spent among Washington’s clogged streets seem not so bad anymore.
Originally published in the Washington Post Magazine.
Would my life be spent going to a job that paid well but required no creativity or imagination? Or would I spend my time doing something because it was my passion, even if it didn’t pay the bills? Well, passions don’t often make people rich, so the office job would have to remain a part of my life. But I knew I also needed to write that book, even if it wouldn’t land me on the bestseller’s list. After all, that’s what passions are: the things we are compelled to do, regardless of whether they are practical or not. The thing I feared most wasn’t whether or not I would end up rich or poor, but if I would get to the end of my life and regret never having pursued my dream. It’s true that real life inspires fiction: My fears are the same as the protagonist’s in the novel I ended up writing and publishing last year.
I’ve never regretted dedicating all of my free time to writing and publishing that book. And even though it didn’t become a best seller, for me at least, it really was the Great American Novel. It was featured on a popular radio show, was voted as one of GoodReads Top 10 Most Interesting Books of 2013, and has been read by people in six continents!
I still have many more books I want to write, but I’m happy that I crossed off the top item on my bucket list. And I’m proud of my first novel, the story of a man who, at the end of his life, is plagued by the decisions he has made while mankind slowly disappeared around him. After writing the book, I’ve come to an important realization: It’s okay if the world fades away, as it does for the man in my story. As long as I still have the few things that are truly important to me—the people I love, the pursuit of my dreams—life will be okay.
I occasionally still get stuck in rush-hour traffic, but knowing I’ve achieved the top item on my bucket list helps make the time spent among Washington’s clogged streets seem not so bad anymore.
Originally published in the Washington Post Magazine.
Happy Holidays! And wishing you a great New Year
I wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. No matter what you’re doing for your celebrations, I hope it’s what makes you most at peace. But as the New Year approaches, I also want to share a personal story with you all in hopes that it might inspire someone else.
About ten years ago, I decided to begin putting all of my time and energy into working toward my dream of being a writer. Rather than simply fantasizing about writing novels, I would start doing it. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. There have been a lot of ups and downs over the past decade, but every day I know I’m doing what I enjoy the most. And at the end of each day, I feel fulfilled and content.
So my message for everyone: Are you doing what makes you happy? Are you pursuing your dreams even if they seem foolhardy and unrealistic like mine did to me? I hope you are. But if you aren’t, trust me when I say that the people I know in life who are working toward their dreams, even if they are in the beginning stages and don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel, are the happiest people I know. As a New Year approaches, consider putting time aside to begin working toward whatever fantastic goal you’ve always kept secret. Life is much too short to spend your days doing things you think you should be doing rather than the things that make you most fulfilled.
Have a great holiday season, everyone. And a happy New Year.
About ten years ago, I decided to begin putting all of my time and energy into working toward my dream of being a writer. Rather than simply fantasizing about writing novels, I would start doing it. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. There have been a lot of ups and downs over the past decade, but every day I know I’m doing what I enjoy the most. And at the end of each day, I feel fulfilled and content.
So my message for everyone: Are you doing what makes you happy? Are you pursuing your dreams even if they seem foolhardy and unrealistic like mine did to me? I hope you are. But if you aren’t, trust me when I say that the people I know in life who are working toward their dreams, even if they are in the beginning stages and don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel, are the happiest people I know. As a New Year approaches, consider putting time aside to begin working toward whatever fantastic goal you’ve always kept secret. Life is much too short to spend your days doing things you think you should be doing rather than the things that make you most fulfilled.
Have a great holiday season, everyone. And a happy New Year.
Believe in yourself
This entry was published on my blog almost a decade ago but it’s as true today as it was then. Never give up on your dream.
—————————————————————————–
For a long time, I thought my dream of being a writer was pointless. Only one thing was standing in my way: I didn’t believe in myself. I didn’t think I would actually be able to write a book that anyone would want to read, so I didn’t bother to try.
Shortly after college, though, I met a group of highly determined people and I realized the only difference between us was that they believed they could do whatever they set their minds to while I believed the exact opposite. Over the course of time, their optimism and persistence changed my outlook. This led me to understand a few insights that have molded who I am today:
* Your mindset is contagious. If you don’t believe in yourself, you are guaranteeing no one else will either. Successful people don’t surround themselves with pessimists and cynics, they surround themselves with positive thinkers and optimists. Do not give your time to anyone who would belittle your goals or make a joke out of your aspirations because doing so infects your outlook.
* People who believe in themselves don’t keep going only because they are determined—when you truly believe in yourself, you know it’s a matter of time until you achieve your goal. Maybe it will take ten years. Maybe it will take twenty. But it will happen eventually.
* Dreams aren’t easy to achieve, but when you struggle toward something that truly makes you happy, the necessary hard work doesn’t feel like work at all. I look forward to the time I get to sit in front of my computer and edit one of my awful first drafts. If achieving your dream was easy and didn’t require daily pain, it wouldn’t be worthy of being called a dream in the first place.
—————————————————————————–
For a long time, I thought my dream of being a writer was pointless. Only one thing was standing in my way: I didn’t believe in myself. I didn’t think I would actually be able to write a book that anyone would want to read, so I didn’t bother to try.
Shortly after college, though, I met a group of highly determined people and I realized the only difference between us was that they believed they could do whatever they set their minds to while I believed the exact opposite. Over the course of time, their optimism and persistence changed my outlook. This led me to understand a few insights that have molded who I am today:
* Your mindset is contagious. If you don’t believe in yourself, you are guaranteeing no one else will either. Successful people don’t surround themselves with pessimists and cynics, they surround themselves with positive thinkers and optimists. Do not give your time to anyone who would belittle your goals or make a joke out of your aspirations because doing so infects your outlook.
* People who believe in themselves don’t keep going only because they are determined—when you truly believe in yourself, you know it’s a matter of time until you achieve your goal. Maybe it will take ten years. Maybe it will take twenty. But it will happen eventually.
* Dreams aren’t easy to achieve, but when you struggle toward something that truly makes you happy, the necessary hard work doesn’t feel like work at all. I look forward to the time I get to sit in front of my computer and edit one of my awful first drafts. If achieving your dream was easy and didn’t require daily pain, it wouldn’t be worthy of being called a dream in the first place.
