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Question for you.
How do you define success?
I know, I know, we just met and that’s a
heavy question to drop on a stranger. But really stop for a moment and think
about it.
There are so many external influences
when it comes to success: society (be rich! be beautiful!), family (get a great
job! be happy! marry that doctor!), and even friends (go drinking with me
tonight! date that sexy guitarist!)
With all of those rampant (and sometimes
conflicting) expectations, it can seriously bog down the most important success
meter of all: yours.
That said, riddle me this: at what point
in your life will you be (or did you become) a success?
If it helps, I’ll go first. This has been
a long road for me with lots of self-doubt and second guessing. I used to think
success meant “following the plan” and checking off a list: degree, job, house,
marriage, kid. You get the idea. Comfortable life. Good job. Lots of money.
But as I started down the path, my list
stopped making sense. I did some things out of order, and skipped other things
altogether.
It was more like: degree, debt,
soul-sucking job, perfect husband, more debt, parents basement.
That’s right. Married woman with a
fulltime day job in her parents’ basement. I felt like a failure.
That is until I took a serious look at
life and what I wanted out of it. I wanted happiness. I wanted creativity.
Control. Joy. Love.
So I reflected on the aspects of life I
already had that I cherished. Perfect husband: check. Creative outlet (my
writing): check.
I wasn’t miserable. I’d lucked into some
aspects of my life that made me start to realize what success could mean…
something totally different than what I originally thought.
Happiness. Incredible wealth. Charity.
Pure joy and love for every minute of the day.
So I buckled down. I wrote like hell at
all hours of the day and night. I wrote in the mornings. I slept in my car
during lunch. I did whatever it took to publish my books. I marketed and
researched and studied. And though it’s been one helluva ride, I’ve loved it.
Now I’m a fulltime writer. Check.
Success is ever-changing. It evolves with
you. It’s not an end-goal, but it is important to savor the victories along the
way.
If you look closely at where you are and
what you want, I think you’ll find you already are a success in more ways than
one.
So tell me… what does success mean for
you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
About Boyce
S. M. Boyce
is a lifelong writer with a knack for finding adventure and magic.
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Some Fun Freebies
From betrayal to
seduction, romance to murder—the Grimoire Saga has it all. This series is the
perfect summer escape into a land of magic, talking books, discovery, fun, and
adventure.
I enjoy being a goldmine of activity. I
love it when there’s LOADS going on, so here’s a list of some fun stuff going
on right now in Boyce-land:
A Signed Paperback Giveaway! Love the way paperbacks bend in your hand
when you read them? You can enter the Goodreads Giveaway to get a signed
paperback copy of Lichgates. Enter
that by going here.
Instant winner! Had enough awesome yet? Too bad, because
here’s another freebie. You can get the eBook copy of Lichgates (Grimoire Saga #1) absolutely free. I recommend you get the
box set for the best price on all the books, but I wanted you to know about
this anyway. Enjoy!
Explore the Bundle of Souls Tour. I’m actually on tour right
now! Until June 30, I’m on a caravan of blogs traveling the net to celebrate
the Bundle of Souls tour. Take a look at the super-fun bloggers who have teamed
up to bring the magic of the Grimoire Saga to life. See the full calendar here.
My Latest Novel
I’m
actually on tour right now! Until June 30, I’m on a caravan of blogs traveling
the net to celebrate the Bundle of Souls tour. We’re showcasing the release of
my Grimoire Saga Box Set, which features the first three books of the Grimoire
Saga AND a discount code for 25% off the preorder of Illusion, the fourth and final book of the series.
Hell
yeah! If you want to go ahead and preorder Illusion
(Grimoire Saga #4), you can order here
and get your copy before the rest of the world.
The Book
Description
This
collection contains the first three novels in the Grimoire Saga, as well as a
special preorder discount for the series finale, Illusion.
Experience
the haunting world of Ourea from the beginning as Kara Magari uncovers a secret
door in the middle of the forest—a portal that transports her to Ourea, the
hidden world full of terrifying things. This epic series challenges traditional
notions of good and evil, pits monsters against each other, unravels the
secrets of magic, and showcases the power buried within us all.
From
betrayal to seduction, romance to murder—the Grimoire Saga has it all.
This set includes:
●
Lichgates:
Grimoire Saga #1
●
Treason:
Grimoire Saga #2
●
Heritage:
Grimoire Saga #3
Also included:
An exclusive
preorder discount code for the final book, Illusion:
Grimoire Saga #4. Illusion releases November 3, 2014. Sign up here for
release notifications for Boyce’s work.
Available
at these retailers:
This was fun! Thanks for having me.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for writing it!
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