Like so many weeks before, I’ve gotten my weekly email from Christina Katz that has her series : the 52 qualities of prosperous writers within it. On a number of weeks, I’ve had the pleasure to be so totally “in” with the subject that I had to write about it and this week is no different.

She opens this week’s section with the following statement.

Commitment is not the same as perseverance. When you persevere, it is implied that you are hanging in there. [Commitment is] something you participate in willingly.

I agree. 🙂

I’ve been married for 16 years this year, to a guy I’ve been with for 22 years (this year) and if you know how old I am, you’ll see when that started. Really early. This it’s been easy? No way. No how. Think it’s been worth it? Every moment of the good, the bad and the ugly (as is cliche).

Sure I’ve had a number of careers over the years and writing is one of them … but in truth, I’ve really only had two … the ‘logical’ me and the ‘creative’ me that gets expressed in multiple ways. I’ve been a Project Manager (logical me) for 12 years and a photographer/writer in the last 5. I transition back and forth between the two as my mind adapts to the changing environment around me. As I added one into my “life’s” mix, I didn’t eliminate the other. It become a part of my skill set and one I could give myself a break from but not let go.

To me, that is commitment. Even in a relationship, there are times where you have to say ‘leave me a lone’ but that doesn’t mean you walk away altogether. It’s a time to find the spark again, to renew, to figure out how to get over the hurdles and to press forward.

Photography was easy to get into and be successful with though now it’s tough. Will I give it up? No. But it will change.

Writing takes NOTHING to get into … geez, you can write in a blog … but it’s even more tough than photography to gain a top stop in the industry. Does that mean I’ll quit? No. I might write an article for a magazine or my local paper or jump into another novel if my last three are snubbed. It’s a part of the process and with writing, when a break is needed, it’s no harder than not-typing the letters S T O P.

But both of them are a part of me and as they change and morph and I guide the dual careers forward, I’ll find the place that suits me best … even if that suit doesn’t fit a year or two later and I have to buy a new one. 😉

Committed. One day, I will have my name on the cover of a published book. One day, I will get my photography certification. One day, I will have a great Project Management job. Every day I will love my husband and family.

I’m committed. Are you?