Waiting for Lightning to Strike

I'll give you an example from my life. My son was born when I wastwenty-six. I made the decision to stay home with him the first two years.But, I knew I needed brain stimulation and interaction with an adult world,so I decided to pursue my interest in writing. I wrote my first article,sent it to a magazine and waited. Every day I anxiously checked the mail todiscover if today would launch my writing career. When the manuscript wasfinally returned with a regrets note, my aspirations of being a writerended. I figured an editor knew better than I did what I could do. I'd beenwaiting for my career lightning to strike.

Twenty something years later, I know success has little to do with lightningstrikes. So, when I left the corporate world to live and work from themountains of Montana, I took with me that same dream of being a writer. Forsix months I studied writers and writing, read books, attended seminars andlearned the business of writing.

I wanted to be a columnist so I developed a strategy to become one byvolunteering to write a life reflections column for a regional magazine.When they agreed, my writing career was launched while I learned thediscipline of column writing and fine-tuned my new craft. Today that column,"In the Scheme of Things," is self-syndicated in several states and Canada,and a second column, "Winning at Working," (the one you're reading) waslaunched a year later. It now reaches hundreds of thousands of web-basedreaders and is the foundation for my first book.

So what's the difference in today's writing success? Luck? Yes, but it'sself-created luck. Better writing? Sure, I'm a better writer today than Iwas in my twenties. But, that's not it. It's discipline and determination.There are days when I'm not in the mood to write, but writers write, and Iwrite. There are days when marketing my column to another publication orgetting one more rejection seems overwhelming. Those days I take a deepbreath before giving myself a kick and moving on.

People who are winning at working have discipline and determination. Theydemand more of themselves. They push themselves to do the project whenthey're not in the mood, make the phone call, brush off the rejection, orlearn the skill they're missing. They know there are few career lightningstrikes in the world they live in.

(c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.

Sign up to receive Nan's free biweekly eColumn at www.winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently withQVC as a Vice President. She has held leadership positions in Human ResourceDevelopment, Communication, Marketing and line Management. Nan has a B.A.from Stanford University and M.A. from the University of Michigan. Currentlyworking on her first book, Winning at Working: 10 Lessons Shared, Nan is awriter, columnist, small business owner, and on-line instructor. Visit www.nanrussell.com or contact Nan at info@nanrussell.com.