February 9, 2010

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about “aha” moments. You know those moments when you discover your true passion, or you decide to make a big change in your life. “Aha” moments are what inspire people to make permanent weight changes, for example. You can know all the right tools to lose weight, and you can even have some temporary success, but you will never really succeed until you are completely inspired to do so. You have to really want it!


I started this project because I wanted to change my life. And while I think I have made some small improvements, I think I am still lacking an “aha” moment. But how does that happen? Does it just smack you over the head one day when you least expect it, or do you have to put in some sort of effort for it to happen?

I was at the library yesterday picking up some books for my kids and I started browsing. A book entitled “Mommy Millionaire: How I Turned My Kitchen Table Idea into a Million Dollars and How You Can, Too” by Kim Lavine, caught my attention. I started glancing through it and eventually decided to check it out. I brought it home and as I started reading different sections I noticed a theme: persistence. I don’t have an interest in marketing a product I have created, but my writing is my product, and I thought in that sense the information was relevant. She notes in her book, “persistence in the face of resistance brings success.” I think that is never more true than when the resistance is your own fear. She further points out “there is no reward without risk, and the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.” Have you ever noticed some of the biggest success stories come shortly after someone hits bottom or has $10 in the bank? I figure this happens for one of two reasons: (a) They have risked everything and it is finally paying off and/or; (b) they were finally desperate enough to throw all caution to the wind. Risk is hard for me because I like to know what’s coming next. What I think I forget is we never really know that anyway. I also think I’m not quite desperate enough yet – although I think that time is quickly approaching. I am starting to build up some ideas in my head of what I want and they are becoming more and more pronounced every day. One of these days I will want it bad enough.

I am pushing forward though. I have submitted a recent article I wrote to three different magazine publishers. I have also written a story for a contest and applied for a writing job with About.com. I am proud of myself for doing these things – stepping out of my comfort zone. I have not had an “aha” moment just yet, but when I do, I think I will be prepared to move forward with it!