Patiently Persistent

I learned in physical therapy every brain injury is different, no one can predict how a T. B. I. will affect the body. In the middle of the struggles of physical therapy, I did learn valuable life lessons.

• Be patient, recovery takes time.
• Be persistent, you will fall, mistakes are part of the recovery/learning process.
• Be grateful for what you what you can do.
• Use your time wisely.

These principles apply to the writing life. Every writer’s journey is different, although the end goal is the same. Each writer is at a different place in life and will eventually get to where they need to be. Writers must learn to be patiently persistent!

Patiently Persistent?

On a recent episode of American Idol, Katy Perry shared with some unsuccessful contestants, “It will happen when it is meant to happen.” This perspective teaches us to be persistent towards our goals, but patient in the process.

Writers must understand there is a reason for the process, just like in recovery. No one starts where they want to be. This requires tremendous patience on our behalf or else we will make careless mistakes and possibly harm our careers. This means more than just waiting.

The dictionary defines patience as, “The ability to remain calm when dealing with a difficult or annoying situation, task, or person.” In those early days of my rehabilitation, each setback was a blow to my self-esteem and I almost gave up. Like my desire to get back to normal life, a writer’s desire for publication can cause us to become frantic and do stupid things.

Recently I learned an old coworker and friend suffered a stroke. I reached out to him on social media to encourage him. He assured me he was fine. But I noticed his sentences didn’t make sense and were full of typos, which was uncharacteristic of him. I talked to another coworker who shared that our friend wants so badly to get back to work, but he doesn’t realize that he is mumbling and his postings are incoherent.

I know how my friend feels because I experienced it in those early days. A brain injury makes people impulsive and short-tempered. Sometimes I struggle with my impulsive tendencies.

Only slowing down helps us have a better perspective of our abilities and where we’re headed. No matter how confident we are of our abilities, impatience can distort our reality. There are many other reasons why we need to be patient.

1. It gives us time to understand our abilities. As writers, we can evaluate our skills.
2. It keeps us from hurting ourselves. It keeps us from making careless mistakes in our writing career.
3. It keeps us from hurting others. It helps writers refrain from hurting others with their words.
4. It allows us to heal and to get stronger. It gives writers time to grow in the craft.
5. It gives us a better understanding of our circumstances. Writers can see where they need to improve their understanding of the business.

Patience can benefit us in our writing journeys and helps writers endure the process. There will be times of rejection and discouragement. A patient writer can endure those seasons of disappointment.

Rejection isn’t meant to stop us, but to help us grow in the craft and become better writers. Rejection helps authors understand the business side of writing. You and your writing are an investment of an agent, editor, and publisher’s time.

I have heard stories of successful writers who post rejection letters on the walls above their desks to inspire them to keep going. Successful writers also know how to be persistent.

Persistent?

When I was in rehab, I had to go through a series of evaluation exams to test if I was able to advance to the next stage of my recovery. If I didn’t pass the exam, I had to continue in physical therapy until I was ready to progress and eventually be released from the hospital.

Never have I been so discouraged as when I was unsuccessful at doing the most common daily tasks: buttoning and unbuttoning a shirt, tying shoes, walking a straight line without stumbling. That season taught me a lot about growing.

Failures and mistakes are part of the growth process. When they occur it isn’t the end of life, just a reason to keep going. Be patient and keep growing:

• You will make mistakes.
• Mistakes aren’t the end of your life, giving up is.
• We all fall down at times, getting up makes us stronger.

My leg muscles literally got stronger each time I had to pick myself up off the floor. Every rejection letter a writer gets should motivate them to keep going in their writing journey—it’s making us patiently persistent.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.