THERE WAS A TIME IN THE NOT-SO-DISTANT PAST, WHEN I WAS A CLOSETED WRITER. YEP, MY NAME IS KRISTEN AND I’M A WRITER. THERE, I SAID IT.
We all have voices of doubt – the ones that tell us we are not good enough, that all the books that ever need to be written have already been published, etc. However, when you find the thing that lights you up, even if you have ignored it for half of your life, RUN towards it. It’s never too late. I’m living proof.
I still remember laying in bed with a debilitating stress-induced back injury after my life came crashing down, when a friend came to visit and brought me a gift — a small writing journal. It wasn’t my first time at the writing rodeo, but it was a defining moment that allowed me to crack open the vault that sheltered my dreams.
I started jotting notes, inspirational thoughts, ideas…and they grew into sentences, passages and larger pieces. Eventually, I was published in a few venues which gave me some writing chops and made me realize, I can do this. The validation fueled me on. I continued to write. I attended a writer’s workshop and various other events. It is from the seeds of this dedication, hard work and deep passion that Best Self Magazine was born. It is from those same seeds that my book and subsequent ones will come forth. It is what I love to do — I’m happiest when I’m writing (preferably from a sidewalk café in Paris).
Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to chase your dream. Get out from underneath your excuses and find a way to them. Your dreams are calling!
Kristen’s message of hope, renewal, and self-empowerment is universal. It is the triumph of the soul and her personal renaissance that undoubtedly stays with you…
~ Joy McManigal, Founder, The C4 Way
