Quotes that Keep Me Going Strong

I love motivational quotes. They help me regain my focus and my drive whenever I grow weary or worry about the tasks at hand.

When I was struggling to get through the publishing door, I read a Donald Maas book HOW TO WRITE THE BREAKOUT NOVEL. He made me think a lot about my goals and my motivation for writing. This quote is on my inspirational wall:

I hope that your measure of success will be not be the gratification of getting an agent or seeing your name on the cover, but putting together a novel of real depth--of having something to say and saying it in a story with lasting power. Donald Maas

When I was feeling negative and getting caught up in the noise that rattles in the publishing world's cave from time to time, I read James Scott Bell's book THE ART OF WAR FOR WRITERS. He wrote:

Every moment spent whining about your writing career is a moment of creative energy lost... turn grousing into energy by writing. James Scott Bell.

He's a smart man. There's always noise. There will always be complainers and whiners and mean girls and more, but I just keep my head down and write. That's what I do best. And it keeps me out of trouble :)

I love Delle Jacobs quote:

The object of goals is getting there... the object of dreams is the journey. 

Delle Jacobs reminds me daily to focus on the journey. And I would add this to it, don't ever put obstacles in another person's path as a means of achieving your end goal. There is room on this road for everyone. Be kind, generous, and encouraging to others. That will make the journey all the better.

And a few years ago, a friend sent me this quote because it reminded her of me.

The master at the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly  knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both. Author James A. Michener

That she thought of me in this light truly humbles me. I don't know that I always succeed in mastering the art of living, but I do try to find joy every day. And I'm blessed to have this desire to write planted in my soul. I love writing. It's like breathing to me. The process of crafting the stories, unraveling the difficulties within the plots and understanding the characters' deeper motivations and conflicts is exciting.

So maybe the master at the art of living is a person who has found his or her passion and is actively pursuing it every day.

What's your passion? What do you want to do every day and what brings you joy?