What's the hardest part of writing?

Traveling so much this month I had to opportunity to meet a lot of new people. The number one question people ask me when they hear I am an author is, “What’s the hardest part of writing?”

There are lots of answers I could give because they all pose their own problems: marketing, editing, time management, etc. But there is only one answer I ever give. The hardest part of writing or doing anything is making yourself do it.

It isn’t easy to sit down and write every day, but when I decided to be a writer I knew that was what I had to do. The truth is it isn’t easy to follow any dream. The first step is always the scariest one. What if I fail? What if people laugh at me? Whether your dream is to write a book, learn to paint, change careers, go back to school, or open you own business, that first step to changing your life is absolutely terrifying and the following steps don’t get any easier.

However, it is worth it. Don’t wait for the moment to be perfect. Was it the best time for me to start writing a book while I was working a full time job, working on a second degree, and trying to figure out my life? Probably not, but I did it anyway. Life probably won’t make it easy on you, but it is up to you to stop letting excuses choose your destiny. Figure out what you want and go after it no matter what hurdles you have to cross.

In the end you will be happy for the life you lived and not regret the life you dreamed of having.