I know a writer who is fighting cancer right now…again.

I’m sure when he received the diagnosis he had a moment of WTH. After all, he’d already fought and beat it once–and isn’t once enough in a lifetime?

But true to his character he didn’t give up, he’s pissed and fighting even harder this time around. His upbeat and “can do” attitude inspires me. Although he and I are connected on Social Media, we’ve only met in person a couple of times. Yet he has been a role model for me as a writer and as a human being. And I cheer him on from the sidelines. We never know how our lives can influence others, do we?

And this isn’t his first or second go around with fighting against the threat of defeat.

This particular writer was told, more than once, that his work would never sell. Yet he kept writing, honing his craft, and ultimately self-published his work, while always working hard at his platform building, and guess what? He became quite successful. Even to the point of getting the attention of the big boys in NY and Amazon. Yes, he’s a fighter.

As writers we all must fight that good fight. We must believe in ourselves when no one else does. We must believe in ourselves as we work to build our skill set and get in those 10,000 hours of writing to learn our craft. And sometimes we have to believe in ourselves when others do, and we doubt our own talent! It’s a rocky road we must travel. But I can’t imagine a different path.

Here’s an inspiration I like to read on a regular basis…a reminder that things happen in this world we do not choose, yet how we respond is us making a choice.

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” —Joel Barker