Finding My Voice In 2021

I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to begin writing as a career. It is what I have always wanted to do and due to present circumstances, it's a necessity that I find a way to work from home. I started with reading blogs and watching YouTube videos by professional writers to get an idea of what it would look like to be a freelance writer. In doing so, I began to realize that what I had thought was a pipe dream may actually be possible for me.

The first step I made was investing time and money into building a professional website which is still under construction at the time of writing this. The other thing I did almost immediately was come to Vocal to start writing something—anything! I was eager to stretch my writing muscles and start publishing.

Just 2 weeks after my decision to start a career as a writer, I won the first place prize in a Vocal challenge!

Read it here!

The week I wrote and submitted the article was the same week I moved my belongings from Louisiana to Utah where my family and I will be starting over in more ways than one. It has been a time of great uncertainty and change. I had just handed over the keys to my apartment in Louisiana when I got the email that I had won the $1000 first-place prize! For the first time since becoming a full-time parent, I had made real money to contribute to my family's finances and during a time we needed it most. It was an answer to prayers and the affirmation I needed to go after my goals for 2021!

My goal for 2021 has been a lifetime in the making. I was only six years old when I declared to my family that I wanted to be an “arther” (author) when I grow up! Pre-pandemic 2020, I was going through a group study of a book when someone asked the question, “what is the thing you dreamed of doing when you were a child?” I was astounded to hear how everyone’s answer more or less revealed something about themselves. I was even more astounded to say my childhood dream aloud and realize: I still want that!

Although I have always known writing is what I want to do, it never seemed like a real option for me as a career. It has always been something I would do someday: when it became safe, when I had more life-experience, when I finish my degree, or when my kids grow up. No way am I falling for those lies anymore! But, here is the worst one of all: I believed that I didn’t have anything to say. I thought, in an age where everyone is published via the internet, what could be said that hasn’t been said already? Then, this revelation came to me that changed my thinking: it’s not about the words I say, it’s my particular voice that makes the difference. Maybe my words aren’t one-of-a-kind, but my influence is. No one else has my voice!

This simple change in thinking has allowed me to say “I am a writer,” without the same insecurity and restraint that I felt before. I’ve always believed in the importance of diversity of thought and voice within publications, but I didn’t believe in the importance of mine. No more of that! In 2021, I’m no longer my worst critic but instead, becoming my biggest fan.

One of the driving forces of the changes that I’ve made to my thinking has been seeing my husband confidently walk out his dreams during the last year. In 2020, my husband went through a nine-month alternative education course for web development with no prior knowledge of coding. He now has a job as a software engineer at a startup in Salt Lake City, which he landed before even graduating! Seeing him work hard and go after his dreams this past year has really inspired me to be confident in the things I want and go after them!

Will all my dreams come true in 2021? We learned from 2020 how unpredictable each new day can be. There will be situations in life that I cannot control or change, but I do have the power to make decisions about my outlook. I am hopeful that in 2021 I will be able to reach my goal of making an income from writing so that I might contribute to my family’s finances, stay home with my toddler, and fulfill my lifelong dream of being a writer. Most importantly, I have resolved to take on the new year with bold confidence and to remain hopeful, no matter what insanity awaits us in 2021.