Passion of Olympic Proportion by Gerri Brousseau

I’m sitting here so mesmerized by the Olympic Games that I find it difficult to concentrate on writing. I am amazed to watch these young men and women strive to achieve their dream. No one is born with the idea of becoming a doctor, a firefighter, a writer or an Olympic Champion, but somewhere along their life’s journey, the seed is planted and grows. I am watching these young men and women and I’m thinking about how much they have in common with writing. At some point in their lives they discover they have a talent, whether it is in swimming, volley ball, or diving, it is discovered. And it is refined. They spent hours practicing. They probably gave up going to school functions, such as dances. They probably have not read the most current best-selling novel; and probably have not seen the hottest movie of the summer for many, many summers. They probably have friends who have told them they are crazy if they think they have what it takes to get to the Olympics. And I would suspect that they probably do not have time for dating. They spend their time honing their craft. They are passionate about being the best at what they do. They spend countless hours alone, be it in the pool doing laps, jumping off diving boards, running a track against a time clock and despite everything, they continue on. There is no sick day, there is no vacation, there is no such thing as not feeling like practicing today. There is a driving need to be the best. They will not listen to those who say they are crazy. In fact, perhaps the negative comments are a fuel to propel them onward. They never give in and never give up. This is the mark of a champion.

What does this have to do with writing? Whether it’s writing, striving to pass a bar exam or getting a GED, it’s all about never giving in and never giving up. It’s about that seed of greatness which is in each of us. A seed which each individual needs to discover and nurture and grow into the greatness which I believe was destined for each of us. Be brave. Have passion and NEVER give up.

I have recently had the joy of having a friend share a recent success with me. She is a fellow writer who some time ago felt defeated. We had a brief conversation and I asked her this … if you had a thousand rocks in your yard and I told you that under one of those rocks was a check for a million dollars with your name on it, how fast would you flip those rocks? Would you stop after you flipped 20 and did not find the check? No. After 200? No. The answer was she would flip them all until she found the check. I was so thrilled to share in her recent success, especially when she told me that what kept her going was my analogy.

Can we all become champions in our own lives? Certainly. This blog is Nights of Passion, but I say live Lives of Passion and realize your dreams. What are you passionate about? What is your dream?