Notes To My Younger Self:

You are impatient. This might come to a surprise to you since you assure yourself that your hurriedness is just your way of getting things done. And you do, get a lot done, and do things well. Being from an immigrant background, you learned to work hard and strive. Great traits, although ones that come hand and hand with the fear of being lazy and idle. Fun and rest are luxuries reserved for after the work is done. So you figure things out. Make opportunities where there are none. Assess, organize, execute until the job is done. No matter how long it takes, no matter how tired you get, you press on and never give up. You will be tempted to argue that these very traits have served you well as a pilot. Passengers as a whole are impatient. They never want to wait. As a result, pilot’s are masters at figuring out ways to move forward. This is an undeniable fact. When it comes to writing though, your impatience won’t serve you. You will be tempted to approach your stories with the same get-it-done checklist that works in other places in your life. Stories are different. Characters are complex and layered and don’t always reveal themselves at first glance. You will have to invest. Your time, your energy, your heart. You’ll need to be still. Sit, wait, and listen. You will have to shift your belief that this act of being still isn’t idle or lazy; it’s necessary. Since here, in this quiet space is where the intricacies, the ideas, the movie unfolds. 

E.L. Chappel author of Spirit Dance/Storm Makers/Coming very soon: The Surge

“Today I will wait, if waiting is the action I need, in order to take care of myself. I will know that I am taking positive, forceful action by waiting until the time is right. God, help me let go of my fear, urgency, and panic. Help me learn the art of waiting until the time is right.”~Melody Beattie

aka The Glamorous Wife