Like many of you, I work hard and play harder. But over the years, I play less and work harder. The last two weeks, I’ve worked 14-16+ hour days.
I help catch naughty folks for the government, and the increased workload and hours are what they are. But I also retire in 14-months and will welcome and appreciate the opportunity to write full-time and let others continue to catch naughty folk.
My friend Caroline in England asked me on Saturday how’s my book coming along, The Devil Pulls the Strings.

I told Caroline, my copy editor says she should be done with her review by next Sunday. Then off the manuscript goes to the proofreader. And when they finish, off the manuscript goes for interior formatting, and then it’s finally sent out for reviews.

Caroline also asked how long have I been writing? I said, I didn’t start writing fiction until I was in my fifties. But my first passions and creativity were drawing and poetry back in high school. But I hadn’t done either in a really long time.

Caroline asked why? Good question.

In high school, my art was selected to represent New York State in the Congressional Arts Contest. Two real-life heroes of mine, Carol Channing and Congressman Ackerman, at the U.S. Capital Building announced that my art was selected over 112 other high school students and would hang on a Capitol Building wall alongside every other State’s representing student.

This was a significant accomplishment because art was my life in high school. And this validation, this proof told me what I do matters and means something to someone somewhere.

However, when I returned home from the Capital, my mother didn’t say congratulations or well done. Instead, she said, “So, now you think you’re an artist?” Seven words said that shouldn’t matter. Because they’re just words. Right?

But to me as that kid in high school, those seven words meant something, meant everything because art was my ticket to a better future, my escape. And those seven words crushed my soul.

I never drew, never painted, and never created art ever again.

Then I discovered I could write poetry and received notification one of my poems would be published and a copy of the book stored in the Library of Congress. This notification made my day. Because to find validation, acceptance, and proof through a different pursuit was pulse-pounding-perfect.

But then the phone rang. I set the notification down on the kitchen counter to answer the phone – colossal mistake. The same seven-word person, my mother, just returned from work. I slammed the phone down and ran to the counter to snatch the letter. But I wasn’t quick enough. My mother walk to the counter, dropped her keys, and read the notification. Her expression, her voice, her words were full of disdain. “So, now you think you’re a poet?”

I never wrote another poem again.

That was a long time ago. I’ve since forgiven my mom and moved on. Now I write fiction and non-fiction to express myself. But I no longer seek validation from any seven-word-folks. Instead, I seek out and continue to find like-minded folks like you. My people, my tribe.

Over the years, I also discovered folks who inspire me by their words and deeds. Here are four individuals I admire for their brilliance and resilience to overcome and turn around adversities in their lives.

C.S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis is first on my list because I started writing fiction in my fifties. And his belief to always have and pursue your dreams no matter what age is a truism I live and breathe.

Lewis was a British writer and lay theologian who held academic English literature positions at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 19251954) and Cambridge University (Magdalene College, 19541963). He is best known for his works of fiction, especially The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Space Trilogy, and his non-fiction Christian apologetics, such as Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain.

Here are eight of his quotes I love:

1. “You are never too old to set another goal or dream to a new dream.”
2. “Some day, you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
3. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.”
4. “Free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.”
5. “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive.”
6. “Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward towards success.”
7. “One road leads home, and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness.”
8. “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

Henry Beecher

Henry Beecher is second on my list because his belief to hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects is my drive to over-deliver on the services I provide others. Beecher was a Congregationalist clergyman, author, public speaker, and social activist known for his vocal support to abolish slavery and involvement in the women’s suffrage movement.

Here are seven of Beecher’s quotes I like the most:

1. “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you.”
2. “Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself and be lenient to everybody else.”
3. “One’s best success comes after their greatest disappointments.”
4. “It’s easier to go down a hill than up it, but the view is much better at the top.”
5. “No man is sane who does not know how to be insane on the proper occasions.”
6. “Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into.”
7. “Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.”

Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is third because you can’t keep a good man down, and I believe you keep getting up because you can. Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years because of his attempts to overthrow South Africa’s apartheid rule. He was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Here are eight quotes from Mandela – all fantastic food for thought:

1. “People respond in accordance to how you treat them.”
2. “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”
3. “Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.”
4. “I never lose. I either win or learn.”
5. “Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”
6. “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
7. “One of the most difficult things is not to change society — but to change yourself.”
8. “Do not judge me by success. Judge me by how many times I fell and got back up again.”

Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is fourth because she defended the rights of women, young people, and the ignored. Her courage, stubbornness, and spiritual strength helped her get through and overcome her horrific childhood full of racism and oppression. She was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. Her life and journey, a beacon of light and hope. Angelou is best known for her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and she shares and shows you everything she dealt with and got through before she was seventeen.

Here’s are eight of her quotes that capture her wisdom and elegance:

1. “IF you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”
2. “I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.”
3. “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.”
4. “Nothing will work unless you do.”
5. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
6. “I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.”
7. “Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”
8. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”

Lewis, Beecher, Mandela, and Angelou all spring instant in my mind when I think of individuals who inspire.

So who inspires you, and why?

Here’s to writing stories readers crave and clamor for,
Joseph