The Little Island That Could

Douglas Clark
-Head writer, The Inspiration Engine

So the forces that keep our planet in a perpetual state of rebirth did it again. Off the coast of Japan, a new island was born yesterday. Granted, it’s a tiny little thing, but the idea of land, reaching from below the ocean waves, cresting the water’s edge and  rising up toward the sky fascinates me. The concept is not new, one only needs to study the Hawaiian Islands to understand just how powerful island building can be. But for me, I like to get lost in the idea of the new island's growth. How big will it become? Will flora and fauna take hold and make it a lush paradise? Will it remain barren and lifeless because of continued volcanic activity? Will it get washed away from the relentless pounding waves against its tiny, fragile infant shores? I find myself wanting to visit that little speck of land, just to see it in person.

In reality, only time will tell what happens to this little island, but imagination brings a whole host of possibilities. That’s the beauty of taking reality as the basis for your ideas. Mother Nature gives us everything we need and all we will ever have. But it doesn’t have to end there. As a writer I use reality as a spring board, a starting point, and a frame of reference. From there I expand and explore the story, creating a new reality. Each story is different and takes on its own unique set of details, characteristics and flaws. Much like real life the unexpected arises, tragedies and triumphs unfold, and lives are lived, people are loved, lessons are learned, and remembered.

It’s impossible to rewrite the past. However, when writing, you can mold the characters, setting, plot, actions, and whatever else you wish to tell the story. Unbound by the limitations of reality, the only thing needed is to remain true to the reality you create in your new universe. You decide if that tiny infant island grows up to be a colossus like Kilauea or gets pummeled and washed away by relentless tides.

Thanks for reading.

Questions and comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

Perseverance Pays Off

What keeps you going?  How do you go on when you know it may never get any better than this? 

Hope.  As corny as that sounds, it’s true.  It’s very rare that you find a person who’s life is absolutely nothing but despair, or total happiness.  Life has a way of fluctuating and changing without you even lifting a finger to help it.  But if you don’t even try to direct it on a course that you can live with, it will become oppressive.  That attempt at driving your life forward can be hard, but it can also be rewarding. 

Those clichés about ‘giving it your all’ or ‘never giving up’ and the like are clichés because people have used those thoughts and ideas to persist, strive, endure.  The mere act of living through hard times is an act of perseverance.  Now, I’m not talking about continuing on a path you know will lead to failure.  I’m not suggesting that you take on an endeavor you know to be fool-hearty and just shlog through hoping it will all work out in the end.  No, what I’m talking about is staying focused on your dreams, accepting your limitations, learning to deal with them and exploring new ways to achieve your goals. 

Remember, life can and does change if you change the way you look at it.  Striving for the ideal is motivational, comparing your success to the past is logical, and driving yourself to not give in to despair will help in your longevity.  Perseverance isn’t just about not giving up, it’s about doing better with what you have, even if what you have is less than yesterday.  Tomorrow can be better, you just have to give it your all.

  

You gotta believe you’re awesome to Be awesome.