DECIDED TO BE A WRITER? LISTENING TO MY INNER CALLING…
So… you’ve decided to be a WRITER.
CONGRATS! …Or I should say… “MY DEEP CONDOLENCES”
You’re in for a life time of UNCERTAINTY.
Family, friends, loved ones…BE PREPARED TO LOSE THEM.
This road can be a LONELY ONE
But…Don’t worry,
You’ll make ACQUAINTANCES.
Their names are…FEAR, ANXIETY, SELF-DOUBT…
They’ll be by your side forever
Through every EMBARRASSMENT and REJECTION
Always whispering in your ears, “YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH.”
Yet, you live for that moment.
When the SPARK STRIKES…
…AND YOU TOUCH THE LIGHT
When NATURE SINGS, SKIES PART & GODS TREMBLE.
*CREATIVITY!* Nothing can compare to it.
It NOURISHES the SOUL… And ENRICHES the SPIRIT.
The SACRIFICES REPAID in Full
Or, at least that’s what you’ll tell yourself!
Four steps forward, two steps backward…
ON A JOURNEY THAT NEVER ENDS
But, don’t let me scare you
The decision was never yours to make
After all… YOU DON’T CHOOSE THE CALLING,
THE CALLING CHOOSES YOU.
— Idle Doodling by Sanjay Shukla, the Lonely Recluse
PS: Just wanted to say that I still suffer from extreme self-doubt, uncertainty and fear while writing… but, I also have lots of fun.
Inspired from quote by Steven Pressfield in his book, ‘The War of Art’: “The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of *isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation.”