Believing in Your Gifts

I’ve always loved three things in my life: reading, writing and singing. But it’s taken me a long time to realize that writing and singing were my gifts. It’s not that I wasn’t told that they were or that in the back of my mind I didn’t know…the truth was I didn’t believe I was good enough to do either. It didn’t matter how well I sang or how many times someone told me how much they enjoyed my performance because deep down I never really believed them. I wonder sometimes what I would have done differently with my music in school if fear hadn’t held me back.


The same went with my writing that began at an early age. I remember getting my first journal and I believe my love affair with words started then. I moved on to stories, plays and poems that I’d scribble into notebook after notebook for only me to read. I was too scared to share any of it with anyone.


In college, I started sharing some of my poems and I can remember being told that I should pursue writing. I thought, “Who would want to read some of my stuff?” I focused on my music, but writing always popped up in creating songs and crafting poetry to express myself.

Now, almost ten years later, I understand that you have to believe in your gifts to really soar with them. You have to let go of your fear to let your gifts grow.

I’m not saying that I don’t still have off days as a writer, but I finally believe that…I AM A WRITER. That’s huge. I got serious about becoming a published author about a year and half ago and now within the last month I’ve been offered a contract for one of my short stories and asked to send in my full manuscript for my YA novel.


Validation does encourage the spirit, but you still have to know within your being that you are your gift to achieve any amount of success. Success is usually based on status and money, but I truly think it should be measured in realizing your gifts and honing your talent to share and enrich other lives no matter what the calling!