The Race And Your Pace

So, this was a post for Day 4 of the IG challenge. The second to the last day. I had fun posting most of them, even though I know I ended up posting photos with seriously long captions (or not exactly that long). Before any of you would ask, this post's title has something to do with what I read from one of the photos posted for this IG challenge. But we'll get to that later.

For Day 4 Part 1:

For this particular post, we're asked to post the best/impactful advice that we've received for the last three months. But I have to be honest with this one. I can't remember any advice I've received over the months. And that sucks! Seriously! I hate it. Or maybe I'm not paying that much attention to any words given to me as an advice because my mind was out there somewhere.

Thank goodness, I wasn't late in posting this. Haha!

#daretoshareIGchallenge

So this is Day 4, right? Of posting pictures for this IG challenge. Honestly, there were a lot of advices I've received for the past three months. But sadly, I've forgotten most of them because of 1.) having poor memory when remembering important events/people you've met, 2.) I never gave it a second thought, or 3.) I chose to ignore it. Which is, of course, a really bad thing. Don't be like this, people. Seriously speaking. Especially 2 and 3.

So why this quote became the best advice for me? Let's say this concerns with my age. I may still be young, if you consider someone turning 26 as still young (😂). Like teenager young. I still have a lot of things to do before I turn 30. But life, and sometimes my own fear, never let me do those things. It's frustrating.

But here's one thing I learned. You should take the first step, despite the risk, to fulfill it. It's scary, I know. Believe me, I feel scared most of the time. But at the end of the day, once you've taken the first step and another soon followed, don't you think that's the most amazing feeling? That you've done something for yourself despite the fear and anxiety really trying their best to take over your life.

At least, that's what I've felt before. Now I want to feel that again. 🙏🙏

Risk it!

This was one thing I always tell to myself. But most of the time, I got so clammed up that I never get to do that first step, to take that risk. So now that I reminded myself of this again, and seeing this quote, I know I got to do it. I have to. There's no one else out there who would do it for me. Taking baby steps for now would be the best. Until I managed to dissipate that big fear I have in me, I have to take those steps so I can finally get there--to finally reach it.

For Day 4 Part 2:

So, I was promoting here again. Haha! Well, I know I'm a slow writer. But I also want to know if there are people out there who would be reading the stories I wrote. I've met a few online and I was really thankful that they took a chance to buy my book and read it. I mean it! It's still the starting line for me, but it's a step for me to reach my goal. I just need to be diligent about all this, right? Diligence, patience, and prayers.

Oh, and this one is about my second approved Filipino manuscript and the first one published under Precious Hearts Romances.

#daretoshareIGchallenge

So you could say that this still concerns my fascination in Japanese and its culture. And as I mentioned in one of my posts before, at times, I tend to put some of its elements into my writing.

Just like my 2nd approved/published manuscript titled "Mirui's Hyacinth (Smile At Me)". This one was published under PHR. And yes, I'm using my real given name as my pen name.

Why did I say that this story has Japanese elements to it? It's the FL's name, Mirui. She's a half-Japanese and grew up listening to Japanese ballad songs which she usually play in her violin when she needed to medidate before a performance.

As for the pictures at the top and bottom, they all describe her--her hobbies and fascinations. You could say that two of these pictures are my frustrations. Haha! I guess we all have our own frustrations in life, huh?

#iamprecious
#preciousheartsromances
#dreamcometrue
#writerlife
#writingjourney

Can you guess which of the two pictures there are my frustrations? Guitar and ice skating. Wait, I guess I used the wrong word for that. I'll think of an appropriate word for now. But anyway, now you know I extended my fascination for anything Japanese into my stories. Maybe not in all of them, but I still extended it. Which makes this the reason why one of my goals is to go to the Land of the Rising Sun someday. I don't know when, but I'll do what I can to fulfill it.

So about the post title...

Actually, Ms. Arriane posted a photo with this quote on it: It's not a race. Honor your pace. To be honest, it hit me. I know I'm taking things slow which produced both good and not-so-good results over the years I've been trying to do my best to fulfill my dream. Which is why I have two published stories already and there's one that's to be published. It's still a few to most of them. But seriously, I do things on my own pace, even if I was scolded most of the time because of this. I don't want to race with the others because that puts pressure in me. That kind of pressure builds slowly in me until such time I can't take it anymore and would make me think of giving it all up.

Thankfully, I haven't reached that point yet. For now, I'll still do things on my own pace. Not just for the novels I'm going to write but also about having a relationship. Even though my mom and my sisters kept on bugging me about having a boyfriend, and even if I keep seeing photos and posts of my friends and former classmates having long-term relationships, getting married, and having kids already, I don't want to rush it.

If he will come to my life just as planned, then I will wait for him. Who knows. I might find him crossing my path before I knew it. Right?

I'll post the photos for the last day of #daretoshareIGchallenge tomorrow. Wait for it, okay?