The Seven Things I Had to Give up to Be a Paid Writer

Sometimes we have to rearrange our lives to make our dreams come true.

By Dean Drobot

Since keeping a journal as a child, I’ve considered myself a writer, long before being paid a dime. But not until I made an income from my work did I take a closer look at some things in my life that were holding me back from greater success.

I knew I had to make some changes and even give up some habits to gain the kind of success I want to see from my efforts.

Here are Seven

1. Ego

Rejection doesn’t feel good. It is a hit to our self-esteem. We tend to take it personally, so we do anything to avoid rejection. Even staying small. But if you don’t get comfortable with occasional rejection, it can stop you from trying at all.

Mark R. Leary, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neuroscience at the Interdisciplinary Behavioral Research Center at Duke University, explains,

Our brains don’t easily tell the difference between rejections that matter and those that don’t unless we consciously think about it and override our automatic reactions.

It is ultimately up to you how you respond to rejection.