Genesis 1:14-18 “Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights–the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.”
Somehow ancient peoples across the world, spent enough time looking up into the night stars to figure out that they never changed.
And that they marked off… days, months, years, seasons… coinciding with the seasonal weather patterns… and were spot on.
Wayfinding was used way before any tools were developed to help in open ocean navigation.
Pacific Islanders learned by watching, listening, and doing as taught by elders to do. With no maps. Or other written instructions. Only oral traditions and passed down experience.
And they got to where they were going.
The current “success” constellation that I’m under is called “having fun.” It’s found low on the horizon, early in the “success” progression… but can be seen by the naked eye.
As you embark on your success journey, running into this particular cluster of stars is inevitable.
Almost everyone, I’d say everyone, who has ever chased success across the sky has experienced the “having fun” leg of the journey.
I’m finding, personally, and after reading the many attempts by others, that the first short jaunt they, and I, have taken… is where the fun is at.
We get to the comfortable white sandy beach that the cluster points to and are thrilled!
It’s beautiful, it’s warm, the slightly salty, light ocean breeze keeps the bugs away, it’s heaven.
So we re-peat that leg of the journey… often.
Each time, having fun, and enjoying the characteristics of that comfortable spot.
It isn’t until we actually get off the beach, head up the jungle trail, to the highest point of our little comfortable spot, that we notice… more stars, a wide open ocean, and our comfortable spot is actually still… well within the sheltered confines of our very familiar lagoon.
We may not recognize the extra stars, but we recognize that it would take some learning to know what they are; and looking out across the vastness before us… we shrink within ourselves, knowing our little canoe is no match for that big body of water; but we do understand that to venture further, to really move out into the unknown…
is going to require… real work!
I’m having a lot of “fun” writing my weekly articles.
I’m really excited about my next book!
But all of the people I follow on social media, and Jesus Himself, are all pointing out to me that, “If you want to venture out further Dave, and try to succeed as a “professional writer”, you will have to start doing the real work OF a professional author.”
This year I have still but dabbled in the warm waters of “routine” “comfortableness” and “friends and family.”
I have climbed my little knoll, didn’t even break a sweat, and am staring out into the great beyond.
I’m trying not to make some of the same mistakes that I have made in the past when I wanted to be a “professional this or that.” Maybe I’m going too slow?
My Inner Critic keeps finding things to procrastinate over, instead of training all guns on the target of becoming a “professional author”.
Bringing up things like, “You need to clean and organize your garage into a shop a maybe take in some mechanical work.” Instead of learning how to put out a “new author press release”.
Bringing up things like, “You knew you would have to help grandma, it’s ok you let “life” take over the office space, you can write from anywhere, it’s fun when we do that!” Instead of learning what the next level of work is, and scheduling it in, utilizing the great office space to get into the right mindset… the mindset of a “professional”.
Bringing up things like, “You need to wait a little more, you aren’t quite ready yet, it’s ok, you’ll get there.” Instead of just taking the next little chunk, tackling it, and getting it done… “little by little”.
One of the things my Inner Critic cringes at, when we think about being a professional, is that, if we were one… then there would be someone waiting for us to “get it done on time, every time!”
Sure… I’ve been meeting my weekly article goals, and taking my sweet time on my books, but… there isn’t someone DEPENDING on me for them.
Also this year, this past spring, I gave myself a task of submitting 6 freelance articles, met the goal and now… the way it works, I have to wait to hear back. And these particular article venues don’t alert you if you are denied, only if “you got it!”
I’ll wait to hear back until January, and then reassess if I can use those articles somewhere else.
But that was just for fun too… to “see” if I could do it in time.
So just like being out on the water on a clear night, being able to see the stars… I’m taking all of the social media hits, and Gods promptings… as “signs and symbols” that I need to keep rowing.
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