avatarAnnelise Lords

Summary

The article encourages writers not to give up on their dreams despite facing discrimination, societal pressures, and personal challenges, emphasizing that perseverance is key to success.

Abstract

The author of the article, Annelise Lords, draws inspiration from personal experiences and the struggles of renowned authors like Steven King and Robin Cook to motivate fellow writers. The piece addresses the harsh realities of the hiring process, which can be influenced by prejudices and stereotypes rather than qualifications. It underscores the importance of having a day job to support one's writing aspirations while nurturing them with dedication and resilience. The author confronts "Dream Killers," negative influences often disguised as family and friends, and suggests using their negativity as fuel to drive one's ambition. The article also highlights the author's own success, including the creation of a clothing line inspired by nature, and encourages writers to continue their journey, reminding them that their success or failure hinges on their willingness to persevere.

Opinions

  • The author believes that qualifications should be more important than physical appearance in the hiring process.
  • Discrimination, prejudices, and stereotypes in the workplace are seen as significant issues that can hinder employment opportunities.
  • The article suggests that education and learning are devalued when physical attraction becomes a criterion for employment.
  • The author emphasizes that all writers, except for a few established ones, need a day job to sustain their living conditions while pursuing their writing dreams.
  • "Dream Killers," including some family and friends, are viewed as sources of negative energy that can be transformed into motivation to continue writing.
  • The author uses personal experiences, such as being told to get a "real job," as inspiration to prove naysayers wrong and to keep striving for success.
  • The article posits that struggles and hardships can lead to new, innovative ideas and stories, enriching the writer's work.
  • The author equates giving up with giving in to Satan's desires, framing perseverance as a moral imperative.
  • The author has turned their writing into a form of therapy and a source of income, recognition, and creative expression, such as a clothing line.
  • The author advocates for mental health awareness and has pledged a portion of their clothing line sales to support mental health recovery.
  • The article expresses gratitude to the writing community and readers for their support and inspiration.

Don’t Give Up Writers!

Your failure and success sit on your decision to give up or stay on course!

Image by Annelise Lords (author)

I was reading about Gurpreet Dhariwal’s opinion on the Hiring Process in India on the Discrimination, Prejudices, and Stereotypes in the workplace on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbP01TaJSdo/?utm_medium=copy_link

My heart caught fire. I am disgusted by the cruelty and thoughtlessness of some humans.

Shouldn’t my qualification be more important than how I look?

Will I be hired for my physical attraction? When did beauty become a criterion for employment?

If that is the case, why spend all of that money going to school. This method devalues education, teachers, professors, educational institutions, and learning institutions.

All of the writers I know are struggling and must have a day job.

That is the first thing I learned when I started to write more than twenty years ago. Unless you are Steven King or Robin Cook, get a day job to suffice your income and living conditions while maintaining your dreams. Dreams are like plants. They must be watered, nurtured, and cared for if you want them to grow.

Steven King and Robin Cook are a few established authors, and they have struggled before getting to their present destination. They, too, have met dream killers. We can see that they didn’t give up.

Your writing will take you on many roads before finding the right one.

Some of the things you will meet on some of these routes are depression, disappointment, anxiety, fear, poverty, hunger, anger, failure, and thoughts of suicide. You will want to give up, while some family and friends will tell you that your dreams are going nowhere and you are wasting your time and life.

Some of us meet different things and people, but all have met Dream Killers. They come in many disguises as family and friends.

A family member told me that my books were going nowhere, so I should get a real job.

I was mortgage-free, collecting a rental income, and had a real job as a caregiver.

My life was better than hers in all of the sixteen cardinal points.

I use all of their negative comments and suggestions as fuel to energize myself. I learn from them and their life. They have no idea that their insensitivity has inspired me to keep fighting.

Yes, their negativity and cruelty are fuel for me.

Use them, writers!

Use them to energize yourself!

Use them to keep on going!

I have no intention of giving up. I encourage all writers to stay on course. Stay motivated despite the negativity facing you. Use their heartlessness as water to quench your thirst for success.

I did.

Their lives, actions, choices, and decisions give me ideas and stories. Where do you think I get my slush pile of short stories? The more they judge and criticize, the more stories I get, and I become better. I am getting therapy through writing for free and getting paid and recognition from Medium and Vocalmedia.

Thanks to them, I have created a beautiful line of t-shirts and other clothing that I feel good about. My imagination is out of control, so is my innovation. All designs are natural, mostly from nature. I create the heart ones. I am glad I didn’t give up.

#Iintend2survive no matter what they send my way. So can you, Gurpreet, #Uwillsurvive.

While my short stories educate, motivate, encourage, etc., I have enough of them for several books. Don’t give up on your dream. Get a day job to finance and water your inspirations while learning from them.

Your failure and success sit on your decision to give up or stay on course.

Stay on course!

They want you to fail.

They want you to give up.

Please don’t give them their wish.

You owe that to yourself.

While struggling, you never know what new and innovative ideas will fall in your lap.

If you give up, you will have nothing, and they will have everything.

I think of them as SATAN.

I was raised not to give him what he wanted.

Giving up is giving Satan what he wants.

Do you really want to do that?

Thanking writers, readers, editors, and everyone else who has supported me over the years for the therapy, patience, kindness, etc., they have given me. Also, for all of the lessons and inspiration given and shown. I learn from everyone.

I planned and donated 50 cents from the sale of all shirts to Mental Health Recovery in the USA and here in Jamaica. More needs to be done about it as it’s destroying lives.

Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoy it and will enjoy it more from other writers on this platform.

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Illumination
Success
Innovation
Writers
Staying The Course
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