Guest post by Lisa Jordan
In The Wizard of Oz, Kansas farm girl Dorothy runs away to find her heart’s desire. A tornado hits her area and she ends up traveling to the magical land of Oz along with her three companions who are searching for their own hearts’ desires—the scarecrow, tin man, and lion. Dorothy is a fictional character, but her story resonates with us who have our own hearts’ desire.
This week I’m celebrating the release of my debut novel, Lakeside Reunion. This book is the story of my heart and dedicated to my husband. Achieving my dream of becoming a published author happened because of three Ps—passion, perseverance and patience.
Passion: When I was sixteen, I read a novel by a popular secular author whose words captured my tender heart and held it captive until the end of the novel. Her happily ever after ending made my heart sigh with satisfaction. I credit the novel as the catalyst for my ultimate heart’s desire of becoming a novelist. As a happily ever after girl who loved God, I chose to write contemporary Christian romance.
As with any dream, life has a way of detouring our heart’s desire, taking us down unexpected paths. I fell in love and married a handsome Marine (we celebrated our 22nd anniversary yesterday), and we’ve been blessed with two sons. Additionally, I operate an in-home childcare business. When my boys were young, I focused on them. After all, as much as we moms would love to, we can’t recapture their childhoods. As they grew older, I returned to my dream of becoming a novelist. The dream never left—it was simply sidelined for a season.
Persistence: Becoming a novelist doesn’t happen overnight. My publication journey took over 10 years. I continued to develop and hone my skills. Working full-time in my home, caring for my family, returning to school to earn my early childhood degree, and my other responsibilities made finding writing time a challenge at times, but I wanted it badly enough, so I fought to find time in my crazy schedule. The late nights, ignoring the piles of dirty laundry and letting the family fend for themselves at meal times finally paid off when my agent called to let me know my dream had become a reality.
Following your heart’s desire requires daring to dream and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Fear of the unknown may have you quitting before you even get started. Stepping out in faith enables you to see beyond by your own limitations and see what God can do through you.
Patience: Your heart’s desire may cause you to create unrealistic expectations of yourself and others. Know your strengths and your weaknesses. Have a teachable spirit and be willing to listen to guidance, particularly to those with more experience than you may have. You have something to offer, so don’t sell yourself short. However, just be aware, every new venture requires a learning curve and a willingness to listen. Dreams take time to achieve. Put a plan in place with SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) goals. Don’t rush the process. Celebrate each milestone as you work toward your overall goal.
Think about the legacy you will leave behind for others. Do you want to be known as someone who played it safe and shelved her heart’s desire, or do you want to be known as someone a woman who had the passion, patience and persistence to follow her dream? The only person standing in the way of your dream is you, so step aside and allow your heart to lead. As Henry David Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
Your Turn: Are you following your heart’s desire? If not, what’s holding you back?
Heart, home and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories that feature them come naturally to her. She has been writing contemporary Christian romance for more than a decade. Her debut novel, Lakeside Reunion, will be released in November by Love Inspired. Her second novel, Lakeside Family, will be released in August 2012 by Love Inspired. Happily married for over twenty years, Lisa and her husband have two young adult sons. When she isn’t writing or caring for children in her in-home childcare business, Lisa enjoys family time, romantic comedies, good books, crafting with friends and feeding her NCIS addiction. Visit her at http://www.lisajordanbooks.com/ to learn more about her writing.
