We All Have A Ball And Chain...

That weighs us down tremendously. And sadly, that ball and chain is ourselves...

Saturday, during a M.A.D.D. meeting, one of the Women's Youth Directors shared her very personal story with the young women that were in attendance. I honestly don't think she realizes how much her story hit home for me.

First off, M.A.D.D stands for Making A Direct Difference. It is a nonprofit organization that empowers the development of youth in the community through self-expression. I have currently become a Women's Youth Director as well. So now that that is cleared up, let me continue on with that I was saying.

One of the things that was mentioned was that aside from not letting anyone bring us down, we have to remember to not allow ourselves to bring us down as well. No matter what it takes to get to our goal in life, the fact that we get there is all that matters. Some of us go straight for what it that we want out of life, while others, myself included, take the "long route." That "long route" is our minds allowing doubt and fear to get in the way of what it is that we want.

Growing up, I always wanted to write. Whether it was poems, short stories, novels, or songs; I just wanted to write. Now, that's exactly what I do. That's what I mainly do, but it wasn't always like that for me. I didn't solely focus on writing because I allowed my fear of the unknown, of negative feedback, to keep me from fully pursuing a career in a field in which I love.

Writing is a part of me, but reading is my passion.

For the last five years, I have been a proofreader. I was only a proofreader to one until late last year sometime and even then, I was scared. Like, seriously. I had previously doubted my ability to do my job well, even though, the person that I had proofread for hardly ever received reviews for proofreading errors. For some reason, I was just scared that I would fail. But that's another thing that the Women's Youth Director said; she said that "Yes, I have failed, but I did not quit." That, is what makes all of the difference. Though, I haven't failed, I have not quit either. Instead, I allowed myself to pick up more clients this year and I did so with pride. Humble, but proud. I know I am not the best proofreader out there, but I am good at what I do. To say that I am great would mean that I was completely perfect at it and I know full well that I am not at that point yet, but that doesn't mean that I am not trying to get there.

Basically, I'm tired of holding myself down and it's been a long time coming that I shook that ball and chain...