How Yoda’s Philosophy Helped Me Start my Way to the Writer’s Life!

It was back in January when I signed up for the Wealthy Web Writer 2012 Money Making Website Challenge. I don’t really know why because at the time it was like hell at home. I was looking for something totally new, something like a bubble where I would be safe.

That journey took me really far and led me to some beautiful results. Now my roadblocks are gone and I’m on my way to the writer’s life!

But I’m jumping ahead…

My son comes from Haïti and I adopted him when he was 14‐months‐old. On my own.

When he arrived, Jerome was under the 3rd percentile, full of parasites, did not walk … much less talk. Then came the nocturnal terrors and attachment issues. I noticed one thing: his behavior with me was directly related to the time I was spending with him.

As he grew up, he seemed to get better. So I started to spend more time doing activities for myself. Big mistake.

Even after eight years, his memory of abandon is still very strong. It’s deeply embedded in the unconscious mind of the adopted child.

And last January, it all exploded. Jerome was shaking the bridge as we say in the adoption world. On a daily basis, he was challenging me, testing me to see if even while doing bad things I would continue to love him.

The worst part is that I reacted strongly to his bad behavior. It took me several weeks to realize what was happening and react in a way that addressed his abandonment issues.

The process was painful. I felt deeply guilty as a parent, totally incompetent, and lost confidence. Things needed to change.

I dove into the challenge of making the Money Making Website. I got up at four in the morning and wrote during Jerome’s swimming pool, martial arts classes, and dentist appointments … well pretty much everywhere! I decided to set up a launch date to make sure I would finish it.

My mindset shifted completely because I organized myself to work efficiently and get results. I was happy with that kind of work.

And I started to see some results at home, too.

Instead of concentrating on what I could have with my son, I concentrated on what I already had: a wonderful son who was fighting his own way using his own survival mode strategy and who was probably as stressed as me.

My Journey through the MMW challenge helped me drill through my own ceilings and conquer my own weaknesses: I launched the MMW on time and got the 1st prize co‐winner for the challenge. 1000 unique visitors in just 10 weeks was my 2nd prize.

KayakCanoeBlogger.com

In addition, I found my niche: blogging. And I got two articles accepted by Wealthy Web Writer.

But most importantly … it’s no longer hell at home! What makes me proud is the nice bonding I got back with my son who decided to launch his own blog last April … on Hockey!

The results? Like Yoda said, I chose To do and paved my way to the writer’s life.

Valerie Leroyer @blog4outdoors, is a freelance blogger and copywriter. You can visit her blog at http://kayakcanoeblogger.com.