Words of Encouragement in Front of Me

I sit in front of a computer all day, and I can’t believe I’m doing this but I will show you my space. It might look a little crazy and unorganized. It is:

DH laughs at me because I’m such a neatnik, and then… there’s my desk… which isn’t very neat. It’s like my brain goes from left brain mode to right when I’m writing. I have notes piled up on one side of my desk, and then I have essentials like eye drops, hand cream, and Ibuprohen! (And when you work as a writer all day, you definitely need each of those items.)

But the one thing I want to show you was all the junk I have taped to my computer. It might look like clutter but it gives me inspiration. I have quotes, Bible sayings, notes from a fan or two, and even encouragement from other writer up there. The very top of my computer belongs to God. I have three of my favorite sayings up there:

• “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
• “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
• “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Along the bottom, I have a note from a writer who I interviewed. She wrote to thank me that her traffic was up as a result of this and she was so thankful that I was trying to help other writers. This made me feel good, so I cut out the email and pasted it up. I have a wonderful note from my sister just after we met (because we met later in life – we were both given up for adoption) telling me she thought my poetry was really good and that I should be some kind of inspirational speaker or something.

I have a quote that says, “Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” (Francesca Reigler). Also another quote from Mark Twain and yet another personal quote from a friend. Finally, I have a new addition from a writer I really admire who sent me a special note to tell me she loved my “This I Believe” essay. How often do you get a note from a writer you admire telling you they in turn admire your work? That’s pretty cool.

Along the right side, I have a couple special notes that help me stay positive and also one for a friend on how I hope she accomplishes one particular wish of hers.

The reason I paste all this stuff up here is because I sit here day after day, sending out pitches, writing articles, managing blog comments, and sometimes things can get negative. Being a freelance writer means you deal with a lot of rejection. The article you’ve worked for two days pitching may get canceled, you may need to hunt down someone who is stealing your work, you may deal with negative comments, you may get your query letter sent back with a huge “no thanks.” In small doses, it’s no big deal. But on those days when you’re working really hard and feel like a hamster running on a wheel? It can get you down.

Everyone has some way they use to help lift their spirits. In addition to looking at these positive notes on my computer, I also like to call up friends, talk with my spouse, pray, listen to music… or even watch a little mind candy in the form of reality TV. The notes on my computer are a continual reminder that despite all the rejections in the world, I’m doing what I love and I need to just keep going. One setback in the big picture of life isn’t going to throw me off track unless I let it.

When that particular writer sent me the note, I told her that I was going to print it off and stick it to my computer. She said she did something similar, keeping all her positive notes in a file she opened when she needed some encouragement. What do you do when you need some encouragement?