What's Your Motivation?

I read once that each of us has “crucible” stories. These are stories of things that have occurred in our lives that proved to be life changing. Here’s one of mine:

I began my professional career as a newspaper journalist. When I was a reporter I felt a burden to write a book.

I began by trying to sketch out a 20-page outline, which took me several months to write. After finishing it and getting some good feedback, I really felt compelled to press forward with the book, but when would I find the time?

My occupation was that of a writer and quite frankly by the end of the day my creative juices were drained. I knew I had to leave the newspaper to focus on writing this book. I was afraid of taking that leap. What if I failed? What if I left my job and then couldn’t find the motivation to write the book? What if my spouse decided not to pay the bills or to leave me? All of the negative self-talk filled my head. I talked to a good friend and co-worker about my fears and she advised me to request a leave of absence. It would be unpaid, but at least I could go back to work if I needed to. I requested the leave and it was granted immediately.