Finding Joy On The Road To Success

If you want to know the truth, the life of a self-published author is not as easy as I make it look. (Ha!) Sometimes the disappointment of slow book sales, the absence of reader feedback, the frustration of unanswered emails, and juggling my own brand development and marketing including content on all of “the socials”—it could totally discourage me if I constantly focused on that side of the equation.

After a few years of this do-it-yourself author life, I’m discovering a strange beauty in these challenges. I’m being shaped and forged; developing an unflinching resilience in spite of the obstacles. There’s a deep appreciation for every victory. I’m growing into the author God needs me to be. The struggles may be real, but each of them plays a critical role in authoring my life story. Taking time to enjoy the steps of the journey help make the road feel less long and less lonely.

Beautiful Beginnings: Embrace The Season

When I pause, take a breath, and spend some time thinking about it, this season of my author journey offers moments of joy that I could easily overlook:

Creative Freedom: I get to stay true to my voice, writing what God puts on my heart without external pressure.
Personal Connections: Selling directly allows me to personally put books in my readers’ hands. Each sale and every customer interaction are greatly appreciated and deeply meaningful.
Work-Life Balance: At this stage writing is not my primary income source. So I’m able to pursue my passion for writing without financial pressure, while still prioritizing my relationship with God and my family.
Space to Grow: This is my time to experiment, learn, and develop new skills without heavy expectations.

Look for your own joys in the season of life you’re in now. And don’t discount anything. They may seem small, but like me, each one is personally molding you into someone much stronger and wiser—someone who’s now equipped for the rest of the journey.

Deep Roots For Great Fruit

Think about a tree. Those with large, thick branches and luscious fruit also have deep roots. In fact, those roots are at least as deep and wide in the ground as the branches are wide above ground. The roots always come before the fruit, otherwise the tree would fall over from the weight. Our lives are the same way. God has to develop deep roots of integrity, character, godliness before we’re allowed to produce fruit. He doesn’t want us toppling over during the first storm. We can take comfort in the fact that things we go through are building deep roots to keep us from crumbling when we eventually see success.

Reframe Frustrations: Find Purpose In The Process

When your dreams and goals are taking longer than you’d like, frustration, disappointment and doubt all feel like they are converging upon you. They’ll do any and everything they can to knock you off course. It’s important to remember that although the grind may be slow, the lessons within it are worth embracing:

Celebrate Small Wins: For me, every book sale is a point of progress that I need to appreciate. One sale is always better than no sales. Be grateful for every one of them.
Rethink Rejection: Every 'no' clears the way for the right ‘yes’. I choose to believe that God is closing wrong doors and opening the right ones for me. My mentality is, “Anyone who says ‘no” is missing out on connecting with a great person and fantastic writer!” You need to believe and say the same thing about yourself.
Embrace the Wait: Whether we like it or not, delays build patience and persistence, shaping our character. Don’t fight it. Stay calm and keep pushing forward.

Let’s renew our minds—every challenge has something to teach us.

Practical Ways To Enjoy Your Own Journey

Enjoy the journey. Yeah, it sounds good, but HOW exactly do we enjoy a painfully slow grind? It’s all about keeping your mind focused on the right things. Here are some ways to appreciate the journey, slow as it may be.

“Look To The Hills”: Talk to God throughout the journey. When you hit points where you need encouragement, ask God to encourage you. He has a way of sending refreshment along at just the right time to keep you going. (Psalm 121)
Refresh Someone Else: The Bible says, “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Get yourself off of your mind and focus on encouraging someone else in their journey. What you give away you’ll get back in return.
Document The Journey: Journal your progress. Keep track of the ways God sends encouragement your way and the victories you have. They become priceless memories you can turn to when you need a confidence boost.

Keep Learning: Use this season of life to sharpen your skills. Read books, listen to podcasts, attend webinars. Before your dreams really take off you likely have more time (more than you will when you blow up). Use it wisely and get wiser.
Connect with Peers: Surround yourself with big dreamers who sharpen and inspire you. Get into Bible study group at church. You’ll learn that you’re not the only one facing challenges. You’ll be encouraged with others through the Word of God.
Never Discount A Victory: Don’t dismiss any success. Nothing is insignificant. No win is too small to acknowledge in some way. Even if you just create a celebratory Instagram Story, appreciate your victories.

Make no mistake, I don’t have this perfected. I’m writing to myself today as much as I am writing to you. I’d love to have exclusive 5,000-person book signing events scheduled every month for the foreseeable future. I’m not quite there yet. I’m still very much in the grind at this moment, but I can still enjoy what I AM privileged to do. Those big events will come soon enough!

Enjoy Every Step On Your Road To Success

We have to remember that the road to our dreams is not just about reaching the goal. It’s also about everything we’ll learn along the way, and who we’ll eventually become. Savor this season of life. One day you’ll see that these moments prepared you to handle the future you’re believing for now. It’s only a matter of time. Enjoy the journey.