A Dismissed Dream
That’s
exactly what this was to me. A dream that felt and seemed so ridiculously out
of reach that I couldn’t find a single reason to hold onto it. I shoved it
away, told myself not to be silly, and focused on my life.
Now, please
don’t get me wrong here. I have a gorgeous life and I’m incredibly grateful for
it. I have a wonderful, supportive family. I’m the eldest of seven children, so
I’ve spent many-an-evening sat at a rowdy, chaotic dinner table, my own
thoughts drowned out by bickering siblings. It sounds wild, and probably not
ideal for everyone, but I love nothing more than being surrounded by them. I
have my partner, who I met and fell in love with during secondary school. He’s
the one who pushes me forward, cheers me on and showers me with kisses. He also
leaves me notes in the mornings and pre-made cups of coffee (meaning all I need
to do is boil the kettle)! I have my Mum, who I absolutely, utterly adore. Most
people pull a face when told they’re anything like their mother (and in some
cases, this can be understandable), but being told I’m anything like my Mum is
the biggest compliment in the world. She’s magical. Honestly, she is.
So anyway,
with my dream cast aside, and now something that I sometimes fantasised about
to humour myself, I carried on. I went to college, and then I got a job. I
know, right? Riveting! To be completely honest, it wasn’t all that bad. I was
happy, I suppose, but not content. I woke up in the morning, caught the bus to
work, came home, and then went to sleep, ready for the next day when I’d do it
all over again. That was pretty much my routine, my cycle, what I was used to.
I moved through a few different jobs, trying different things out, hoping
fiercely that I’d find something that I couldn’t get enough of, something that
I’d feel passionate about. Sadly, it didn’t come, but I told myself on numerous
occasions that there were people who had it so much worse than me, and so, I
again soldiered on. I didn’t really have any complaints. I just didn’t feel…
fulfilled. Does that make sense?
Eventually,
through my love of reading and all things books, I decided to create my book
blog Becca’s Books. I would read, review, and share! I loved it from the
beginning, and I could never understand why the idea of creating Becca’s Books
hadn’t come to me sooner. I enjoyed it immensely. Reading a fantastic novel and
then sharing my thoughts was cathartic somehow. If anything, the book blogging
spurred on my reading and I was so excited to share more and more reviews with
like-minded, wonderful bookish people! In writing my reviews, I began to look
more closely at an author’s writing that ever before. I’d always pictured
myself as a bit of a storyteller. I’d loved writing in school, even if they
were only silly stories about cats travelling to Egypt and exploring ancient
pyramids etc.
Now, I was studying books like some sort of mad professor.
Eventually, amongst the countless stories that I’d played about with on my
laptop, I began one that I took very seriously, one that I became intensely
involved with. I created these characters out of my imagination who, as time
went by, began to appear very real to me. And that story continued to grow…
As the days
went by, an idea began to niggle at me, and gradually, that little dream that
I’d locked away in my mind began to creep out from beneath the closed door
marked as ‘unreachable’. I went to my day job, I read and, surprisingly, I was
still writing my story. I’d never managed to get this far before. This story was
special to me. It lingered in my mind long after I’d closed the lid of my
laptop and snuggled down in bed. Suddenly, it was all I could think about. And
then one day, completely out of the blue, I thought to myself, ‘I wonder if
anybody else would feel the same way about my story as I do’. I’d never been
much of an achiever. I’d done pretty rubbish in college, but I do think that
the courses I chose to study were pointless and had nothing to do with what I
actually wanted to do with my life.
After much
consideration, and a big gulp, I threw caution to the wind and decided to
submit my story. I had nothing to lose, so why not? Well… I hadn’t been
expecting to receive the call. Never
in my wildest dreams.
I felt,
once I’d ended the call, like I was
suddenly in some strange dream. I kept thinking, “Did that really just happen
to me?” I mean, out of the entire world, a girl living in a small town had
received that call? A not-so-special, exciting girl? Offering her a book deal?
I couldn’t believe. I still don’t to this day.
What I’m
saying is, don’t dismiss your dream. Whether that be to become a top lawyer, a
glamorous actress, or even an astronaut! Don’t look at your life and your
circumstances and decide that anything is unachievable just because of them. Your
circumstances do not define who you are, or what you’re capable of. I’m normal.
I’m just your average person, who does average things, like having a bath or
drinking a beer. I love pyjamas and takeaway food. I don’t attend sparkly
events or make a lot of money. I mean, I’m just me, and if you were to ever see
me in the flash, you wouldn’t look twice. I even got told once that I “didn’t
look like an author.” Ha, I know. I laughed too.
If you’re
reading this, I want you to promise me something. That no matter what, you
don’t shove what you want to become to the side. Life is uncertain, crazy and
exciting. You can never be sure of what’s around the corner. And take chances!
Take loads of them! They’ll lead you to places you never even imagined yourself
being. You’ll be shocked at what can happen if you step out of your comfort
zone, hold your head high and do something extraordinary. Seriously, trust me
on this one.
Becca x
If you would like to know about Becca's Books or pre-order her debut novel, Return to Bluebell Hill then use the links below:
Huge congratulations Becca on your book deal and what a fantastic interview Becca and Heidi! Don't ever apologise for following your dream, it doesn't matter how old you are or what your circumstances are, the only thing that matters is to go for it. life really is too short :) xx
ReplyDeleteInspirational blog post - thanks Becca and Heidi. The way to make dreams come true is do it and keep on trying till you get there. Wishing you both much success with your books. I'm looking forward to reading them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting Emma and Kate. Rebecca is such a sweetheart and I can't help wishing I'd been as brave when I was her age. I could have written a hundred books by now!
ReplyDeleteLadies, I can't thank you enough for your wonderful comments! They're so touching to read, and I also want to say thank you for taking the time to read my post, too. It means so much to me to really get out there how surprised I am at everything's that happening right now. Honestly, I'm just wearing a surprised expression 24-7 these days! Forehead wrinkles are imminent, hahah!
ReplyDeleteAgain, THANK YOU! You're fantastic xxx
What an inspirational post so thank you Heidi and Becca!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant blog post, thank you both! Wish I'd had the stamina at 22 to write a book. Took me another couple of decades to get round to pursuing my dream of writing. But there's another lesson - it's never too late to follow your dreams!
ReplyDeleteI hear you Kath! Mid thirties before I got my backside in gear!
ReplyDelete