Eleanor Roosevelt - Quote of the Week!

Eleanor Roosevelt was a smart woman. Okay, so that might be the understatement of the decade. The woman was a genius - with words anyway - and quotes, which is why Thursday from now on (or until I run out of quotes) will start the official ELEANOR ROOSEVELT QUOTE OF THE WEEK.

Why Thursday you might ask? Surely quotes of the week should begin on Sunday or Monday, but then again this Eleanor Roosevelt we're talking about. The woman was unconventional. And amazing. President Truman called her the "First Lady of the World" because of all of her awesome human rights achievements.

Side note: did you know that her and FDR got married on St. Partick's Day - how cool is that? And Mrs. Roosevelt received 48 honorary degrees?! Amazing! (thanks Wikipedia!)

Okay, so back to my QUOTE OF THE WEEK. To kick start this lovely new tradition I give you the first quote:

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.

So I ask you - are you living life, experiencing it to the utmost?

Those that know me know that I seriously try to everyday. I think that goes hand it hand with why I write--it makes me feel so alive!

Now the second part of Eleanor's quote is a little bit more difficult. I'll reach out eagerly all day long, but without fear? Well, that part's not quite so easy. But as writers we have to remember that fear, more importantly, facing your fears is important if you're going to master this industry.

Fear of rejection (whether it's from an agent, editor or publisher), fear of success or failure, fear of writer's block, or deadlines, or reviews - are all part of the territory. But it's not so bad. Fear's what makes us human - makes us understand our characters, their personalities and motivations. It's an emotion that allows us to able to write such amazing stories.
And everyday that your conquer your fears makes you one more ounce stronger.

So experience life - every single molecule and mystery. Embrace fear - realize that you're stepping into unchartered territory, exploring a new adventure. And smile - because life is so much more fun when you're happy.