As I am sure you have guessed by now, I love writing and reading. However, there is another love that ranks right up there with those two I don’t share that often in my “writer networking” world. I am a DIE HARD BAMA FAN. It’s true. The obnoxious kind. When I was a little girl I didn’t go fishing with my daddy. I watched Alabama football. I learned to scream at the television and throw things across the room from my daddy (who I hope doesn’t read this blog and find out I am sharing with the world his bad football watching habits). I also learned that being a Bama fan is something to be proud of.
I promise this has something to do with writing. Hang in there. I am almost through gushing about my team 🙂
Anyway, yesterday I went to Bryant Denny Stadium (for those of you non-football fans this is the University of Alabama’s football stadium) to pick up my son from Nick Saban’s ( Alabama’s head football coach) football camp. The sun was beaming down with NO clouds in sight and the temp was a lovely 100 degrees. Gotta love the south. The smoldering heat was taking away from my excitement of seeing my son on the field. Then Coach Saban walked out onto the field. A thousand little boys gathered around him and took a knee with their helmet in their hand. Then he talked to them. I realize he was talking about football and their future. However, I got something else out of his words. I actually jotted down the things he began to tell them because I realized they applied to me as a writer.
“The media has you accustomed to instant gratification. Success doesn’t work that way.”
“You have to set a goal and then have a plan to accomplish it.”
“Be responsible for your own determination.”
“Success isn’t possible without hard work. You have to be positive in what you are trying to accomplish”
All of those things applied to me. They apply to everyone. For a writer they really hit home. Success isn’t instant. Besides if you didn’t have to work hard to accomplish your dreams and you were given instant gratification it wouldn’t be as sweet. The song my girls listened to over and over again about a year ago was “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. I loved the words of it. Because truly it’s all about the climb. When you’re at the top looking back at the journey will be so very sweet.