MONDAY MOTIVATION: WRITE DOWN THE VISION; MAKE IT PLAIN
Today’s motivation is from world class, award winning writer Octavia Butler. Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer. One of the best in her field, she was the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur fellowship grant.
Octavia was the only child of a housemaid mother and a shoe shine father who died when she was seven. She started writing at an early age driven by her love for reading. At 13, after penning the draft of what would later be her first novel, she was faced with a road block when her well meaning aunt told her in no uncertain words that “Negroes can’t be writers”. Despite this, she persisted in her desire to be a published writer.
She kept at her dream, working temporary jobs that afforded her the opportunity to wake up in the middle of the night to write. This she did for years until her big break came, with notable works like Kindred, and the Parable series, she went on to win multiple awards and accolades including a lifetime achievement award and an induction into the science fiction hall of fame.
Octavia Butler, like most of us struggled with inadequacy and self doubt. Growing up dyslexic, she lived like a recluse and had to deal with bullies, she attributes her writing to most of her childhood experiences. In her words “I write about power because I had so little”
On the tenth anniversary of her death, Huntington Library decided to put out most of Octavia’s archived works and they discovered a handwritten note to herself. In it Octavia wrote:
“I shall be a bestselling writer.
After Imago, my books will be on the best seller lists of LAT, NYT, PW, WP etc
My novels will go onto the above lists whether publishers push them hard or not,
Whether I’m paid a high advance or not,
Whether I ever win another award or not.
This is my life. I write bestselling novels.
My books will be read by millions of people
I will find the way to do this
So be it
See to it”
She believed she could and she did.
Success don’t just happen, you have to hunger for it. Make a plan, write it down and every single day, and work at achieving all that you desire.
Despite the self doubts that will be sure to sneak, don’t let it deter you. Feel the fear and do it anyway.
In the words of Beyonce, “Dream It, Work hard, grind till you own it, who knows you just might be the next Bill Gates in the making.