Shoot for Your Dreams with Determination and Patience-

by Andrea Mack

When I was a kid, I used to help my dad with our home renovations. He never read any instructions or sketched out more than a quick doodle on a napkin. He just started putting things together based on his creative intuition. Nine times out of ten, he’d do it wrong the first time. But he’d take it apart and we’d build it again. Or we’d find another way to make it work. He didn’t give up just because he hit a snag.

I’m like that too. I’ve written four novels. I still haven’t achieved my dream of getting one of them published, but what I have done is taught my daughters about what it means to be determined. They’ve seen me working hard and putting in the time. They’ve seen how I don’t give up easily and my patience as I face the challenges of rewriting and rewriting again. And I love that I’m fostering that determination and patience in my own children, the same way I learned through watching my dad.

Once you find the thing that’s really important to you, the kind of important that catches in your heart and won’t let go, then you need to keep trying.

You need to expect to try and fail and try again. Be determined. Be patient. But follow your dreams. You never know what you might be learning…or teaching someone else along the way.

I’m so thrilled for my friend, Christina Farley, because she’s the perfect example of someone who has shown determination and patience to make her dreams come true. She inspires me to keep working to achieve my own goals and dreams. Congratulations, Christina!!

Andrea Mack writes middle grade fiction, picture books and beginning readers. She is the author of MR. FIX-IT (Scholastic Canada, 2007) and over twenty books for children learning English. When she’s not writing or reading books, she teaches play-based kindergarten. To learn more about Andrea, visit her blog at www.andrea-mack.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter @AndreaL_Mack