My mother’s paperback fiction book is for sale on Amazon.com. Consider this: she was 85-years-old when she published it, this was her first book, and she doesn’t use the Internet!

We live in a very special world. Susan Boyle, an unknown Scottish singer in her 50’s can enter a talent show, be viewed 20 million times on youtube.com, and go on to be a vocal sensation. My mom, a retired grandma, can author her first book and make it available to everyone in the world. It’s “power to the people” now.  Anything can happen and often does.

I know mom faced discouragement while writing. There were months when the book didn’t make much headway. Recalling some of my own self-limiting thoughts, I made a list of excuses I use and perhaps she used too:

1.  I’m too old.

2.  I’m not an expert.

3.  No one will want this.

4.  These days you have to be famous to get published or recorded or find an audience of any sort.

5.  Other people are already doing this and doing it better than me.

6.  No one else is doing this.  There must be a reason.

7.  I’m too busy.  I keep getting distracted and won’t finish–ever.

8.  I don’t have the money.

9.  I don’t have any help or the right connections.

10. I keep changing my mind about it.

11. This is just a pipe dream…a fantasy.

12. They (family, friends) will think I’m full of myself.

13. What if it flops and I’ve wasted my time?

14. I need to spend my time on more important things like surviving, making money.

What kept mom going?

What keeps any of us going?

It is our desire to give something of ourselves to help someone somewhere. This is a universal desire and we must keep it alive.

What about you–what thwarts your dreams?

What keeps them alive?

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