I'm A Writer & I Believe It?

I (Denise) am participating in a 15 day challenge over at Jeff Goins blog called the 15 Great Habits of Writers.  I'm a few days behind, four days behind, to be exact.  But that's okay.  Life can be crazy and hectic at times, so some things are allowed to fall to the wayside.

On Day 1, the challenge was to declare ourselves as writers.  I've already done that here when Honesty, Josh, and I declared to the world that we were writing a book.  The challenge for Day 2 is a little bit tricky.  You see, I may say I'm a writer, but most days I don't believe it.  The truth is, I've written for the majority of my life.  There are journals, notebooks, and several blogs filled with pages and pages of my writing.  But do I believe that I'm a writer?  No.  Do I think I have something to say to the world?  No.  Yet I love to write.  That's why I've filled journals, notebooks, and blogs with word upon word upon word.  And that's why I'm writing a story.  The message of hope, redemption, and of all the other themes that we're touching on in our book means something to me.  Yet I continue to struggle to believe that I am a writer!

Part of the challenge is to dwell on the fact that I'm a writer, with something to say, and that perhaps, deep down, I was made for this.  Made to tell the story (or stories) that are on my heart.  To bring to life characters and circumstances in a creative way.  So I'm dwelling.  I'm letting that thought sink deep into my soul.

The next step of the challenge is going to be more difficult.  The challenge is to go from just dwelling and believing that I'm writer.  The next step is to take action.  But not just any kind of action.  The challenge is to wake up 2 hours earlier than normal to write.  Ummmm....no.  Are you kidding me?!?!  I HATE mornings.  I'd have to get up at 6am.  Sorry, but that's not happening.

Or maybe it will.  If it's just for one day, I guess I can rise early to write.  Because I do believe that I'm a writer.  It's been one of my goals for as long as I can remember to become a published author.  So if getting up extra early one day this week is going to help me reach my goal, I guess I can do it.  Just this once.

What is one of your goals in life & how are you challenging yourself to achieve it?