Facing Your Fears

Back in January, I blogged about our motivations for achieving our dreams and goals. I hope you've had time to think about your motivations for your project. This was a great time for me to evaluate why I write, too, and I thought I would share that with you today.

I write because I'm compelled to write. It's part of who I am. Through my writing I hope to encourage others who may have a dream but are so paralysed by fear of failing that they can't get started. Fear used to be a constant companion of mine during the transition from the numbers world to the world of words. If I was called to be a writer, I had to get over my fears.

I believed God called me to write when he was planning for my life on earth. Under his Laura O'Connell file he wrote "Fiction writer- experience required: numbers, deadlines, stick-to-itiveness, life experience, ie. trials and trauma that can be used as fodder for characters; and the ability to learn words".

He put me into the accounting field first so that I could learn the discipline of working on my own, what it means to meet deadlines, and how to work at a project until it was completed. There was no point in handing in a Balance Sheet to my boss if it didn't balance.

He gave me life experiences for making my characters into real people: he put me youngest in a family of twelve; orphaned at eight years of age; scoliosis; scuba diving; wife of a serving soldier; business owner; mother of Aspergers Syndrome child; stress attack that held me captive for eighteen months; unemployment; and the fear and uncertainty that comes with a change in career. All good stuff for drawing on when creating characters for a story.

Working on your own can be a challenge, especially when the day is hot and the surf's up. Oh why am I stuck in this claustropobic room when I could be out there riding a wave. So why didn't I get up from my desk and walk out. Because I wanted to achieve my goal of being a writer. That meant I had to sit at my desk and get the words done. No one is going to do them for me. How can I encourage people when there are no words written to encourage them?

That is the truth of the writing life, or any other endeavour that you may be undertaking to achieve a dream. It doesn't get done by itself. The job gets done by applying ourselves to the task and chipping away bit by bit until the dream is achieved. When motivation is strong and time is short it's easier to keep going. If you don't have a deadline to achieve stage one or stage six, the going will be harder. Set a realistic time frame to achieve that first stage and work towards that goal. Define what it is and make smaller goals along the way that have to be met.

My goal was to plan to write African Hearts in a year. I broke the year down into segments: six weeks for planning, two months for research; four months for writing the first draft; and four and a half for editing and polishing the work. This was my rough plan. The actual time frame ended up being written and off to a publisher within nine months. This now gives me a bench mark for subsequent books. I saved time on writing the first draft which only took 2 months and my research only needed a month.

So I want to encourage you to overcome your fear with a verse from Isa. 41:10:

"So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous hand."

With God anything is possible, it's the fear that holds us back.

Countdown ... Release of African Hearts ... 25 Days

African Hearts by Laura O'Connell

Pre-order your copy now from:

• Koorong Bookstores

• CCL Bookstores

• Word Bookstore

• Your local independent bookstore

• This website go to the 'Books' page.

Get Debt Free - For Free!

Can you believe you can be debt free at no cost to you? Amazing! But it's true!

Click on the link to see for yourself: www.capaust.org Christians Against Poverty is an organisation committed to changing people's lives. Please take the time to visit this website to see the work this organisation does, and if you feel led to make a donation be assured you're helping to change a life, too.

Being in debt and seeing no way out has to be one of the most depressing situations for anyone to be in: it's demoralising, stressful, breaks family relationships and can lead to deep depression and related health issues.

Thankfully, in 1996 John and Lizzie Kirkby felt God calling them to help the poor and needy in their hometown of Bradford, UK. This courageous couple stepped out in faith and today have a ministry that started in a bedroom of their home extending to Australia and New Zealand. Their organisation has helped thousands of people and will continue to help many more thousands of people who have been bound by debt.

When times are good we don't always think about the future, then suddenly, someone in the family loses their job, no income; someone gets sick and needs extensive medical care, no income to pay for the doctor's fees; and no income to pay the electricity, gas, rates, telephone and all the other bills that have to be paid.

When debt comes in the door, spirits dive to a place of hoplessness where you feel as though you are in a dark place and there's no light to guide you out of that dark place. It's difficult to admit you're in debt even though it may be because of a negative change in circumstances.

Nevertheless written by John Kirkby is an inspirational biography. It is an account of his life and his walk of faith when he heard the call of God. He committed himself to helping others get rid of debt and to restore their self-worth.

John Kirkby is an amazing man on an incredible journey that started when he was in his own hole of debt and he needed to find a way out. God took him on that journey so that he could help others who were also in need of inspiration. It started in a bedroom of his home and has grown to the organisation that owns a refurbished factory and spread across the world to Australia and New Zealand. The end result has come because of his deep faith and desire to change thousands of people's lives.

John's program is designed to help people by taking control of their debts. Officers and counsellors work together and liaise with financial institutions so the debts can be paid back over time, then they prepare a plan for the future that will keep them debt free. By the time the plan is implemented the client's self-esteem is restored and they are given enormous hope for the future. You can read the testimonies on CAP's website.

If you're in debt, and most people hit this position at some time their lives, take time now to contact Christians Against Poverty to get out of the dark and into the light and get your life back on track.

Rosebud Foreshore

In my back yard - what is this leaving Australia a week ago?

Water has always captured me with its softness and fluidity, and the many ways it can be used to transform so much of our world.

Water for me means refreshment, not only physically but also spiritually.

I'm standing on the Rosebud Foreshore on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. The western sun burns my face while out to my right the glassy water of Port Phillip Bay washes across my spirit; to my left the whir of human life assaults this peaceful world; and in the centre of these two opposing forces I stand alone just being and feeling both worlds.

Living on the foreshore is like living in a mini-city. It has an energy of its own: birds chatter in the trees; wind sighs in the branches, and lifts the skirts of tents to find the hidden secrets that lie within; crushed granite roads crunch announcing the presence of humans walking off last night's overindulgence.

Some people come to the foreshore to escape their dull existence; some come to relax from the ringing telephones and busyness of a fast paced life; old, young and in between; rich and poor; and there are some like me who are travelling around Australia.

My interaction with the residents of this mini-city has been minimal. A friendly hello, nice day, and a chat about how the fish are biting is all that matters at the moment.

I'm perplexed by this simple communication, but at the same time I'm at peace. Something is happening deep within my spirit. Sometimes I feel as though I'm not quite here, like I'm floating on another plane wanting to reach out and see further than I can physically.

Whether I go to the shops, walk along the beach and the pier, walk in the foreshore camping ground, in the National Park at Point Nepean, or simply working at my computer on my next novel, that sense of detachment from the real world is there. I believe I'm changing but I don't know where that change is going to take me. It's exciting because I like change. I'm at peace because the great creator of all life can be trusted. God is in charge of my life and I believe he's drawing me closer to him.

Will I fight or accept this change? That is the question, but as time goes on, I'm leaning to acceptance. There is much peace about this circumstance. Even as I write this blog there is a sense of release of power within me I don't understand.

Trust, he's never failed me in the past, so why should he fail me now.

So I trust, just be, and let God, because he knows what he has planned for my life. Have you been in this circumstance and wondered what it's all about? I'm interested to hear about your experience.

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Have you ever had a dream you wanted to see fulfilled and thought, 'I wish I could do that, but it's just too big a project and I'm not sure if I've got what it takes'.

I've heard these or similar words so many times throughout my adult years that they got me asking myself why people think they can't achieve their dreams. If everyone thought that way we wouldn't have the wonderful inventions that help make our daily life easier.

The biggest reason most people have for not achieving their goals or dreams is because they can be frightened of failing, or worse still, succeeding. These are real fears and are at the extremes on the failing/succeeding scale, and they are ones that must be overcome if you're going to realise your dreams.

So how do we overcome these fears? The first question to ask yourself is how much do I want see this dream fulfilled? This seems like a simple question, but is it really? What's behind your thought process that you're wanting to achieve your goal? Am I doing it because I want fame? Is the goal going to change people's lives in some way? Or is it something I want to do to see if I've got what it takes to complete a big project? Am I doing it because I want more financial independence?

These are all legitimate questions, and each of them impact on how you approach the task of achieving the goal. You can work toward your goal but the journey to the ending is different in each scenario. Fame can be a wonderful thing if you seek attention, but what happens when you get bad attention, will the end be worth it and can you live with negative press? Changing people's lives is a noble thing to do and is a great legacy to leave behind for the next generation. There aren't too many negatives there. Working toward your goal to see if you've got what it takes is another good reason to be goal planning. In this scenario, it brings to mind my philosophy of life - nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you don't try, what hope is there of achieving.

When I wrote my first book all I saw was the end: 200 pages of text. Wow, how was I going to achieve that? If I was going to achieve the writing of the book, I told myself, to get writing and don't stop until I've reached the end. Okay, I started, and after a couple of hours of typing my story I'd thought I'd have several pages done. To my disappointment I'd only done a page and a half. My self-esteem was squashed and for several days I agonised of whether this writing caper was for me.

Many people go through this time of doubt. The project is so large they have no idea how long it's going to take and whether they have the time to do it. They become overwhelmed, but if you're meant to be working toward your goal the project will still be in your head nagging to be done and it won't go away.

If this is the case, you're meant to go ahead with your project, so be brave, step out and give it a go, but before you start think about your motivations for wanting to achieve the goal, because it's your motivation that will be a major part of whether you succeed or fail.

Until next time, think about your motivation and then we'll look at the best approach to take to achieve your goal. Leave me a comment to let me know your motivation or perhaps you need some help in clarifying what your motivation is.