Quote of the day

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up." --Anne Lamott

I know that many of you have hope that if you keep writing and learning and honing your craft that the dawn will come. I also know that waiting for the dawn is difficult when the Monster of Rejection keeps poking its ugly head into your dreams. But don't give up.

I remember when my sons were training for their black belts the Master told them that very few students attain that level. He told them to remember the first day they started Tang Soo Do. White belts flooded the dojo. Over the years, many students who had started with them dropped out. Some made it to orange belt; others to green or another color. But only a couple stuck with the rigorous training schedule that would eventually lead them to the ultimate test.
After years of training, both of them earned their black belts. It wasn’t easy. It was probably the most challenging and difficult thing they have ever done. Yes, there were times when they were tired and felt like giving up. But they didn't. Yes, they failed belt tests, but they learned from their failures and trained harder. 
Only those who want the dream, who can taste it and feel it and pour their heart and soul and sweat into it, will succeed. You see, they have this intangible little something deep inside of them that whispers in the quiet of the night or seeps into the free minutes of their day and says: keep going, one step at a time, keep going. That next step might just be the one. The dawn is right around the corner, waiting to welcome you.
I hope that each of you has a great week filled with hope and promise and, most of all, love.