by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan
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 have our own hearts’ desire.
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 will celebrate our 29th anniversary next month), 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. You may need to make sacrifices when scheduling events for a season to get the book finished.
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 embrace 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 S.M.A.R.T. (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.”
Are you following your heart’s desire? If not, what’s holding you back?
A Recipe for Romance
Sarah Sullivan will do whatever it takes to make her summer youth program permanent. But when she’s tasked to teach the teens basic kitchen skills, her hope goes up in flames. Not knowing the first thing about cooking, Sarah needs help. Smelling the delicious aromas coming from her neighbor’s apartment one night, she thinks she’s found her answer. Alec Seaver might know his way around pots and pans, but the lone-wolf widower doesn’t want anything to do with the free-spirited beauty next door. But after he becomes Sarah’s reluctant partner, Alec realizes that she might just be the key ingredient missing from his life.
Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Rachelle Gardner, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. She is the Operations Manager for Novel.Academy, powered by My Book Therapy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for almost thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, and playing in her craft room with friends. Visit her at lisajordanbooks.com.