Soar to your dreams!
Kurt Warner was a former NFL starting quarterback who played for twelve years (1998-2009) He played for the Saint Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and the New York Giants. In 2017, he was inducted into this year’s hall of fame during the Super Bowl.
I can relate to this quote in many aspects of my life, but especially writing. I can’t remember when I first felt the desire to write. When I look back I think it was a form of play and a way to both express myself and give me that adrenaline rush that my competitive spirit and wild imagination always craved. When I was a kid, I discovered the hard way that I was unable to draw, and write physically, even after numerous therapy sessions due to my Cerebral Palsy. This was frustrating because I had a lot I wanted to express.
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Even as a kid, I knew I had to have something to do other than watch sports, play PlayStation, watch Judge Mathis, or watch a variety of action cartoons on Cartoon Network. Although those were fun activities growing up, I felt the need to do something productive. When I was 9, my parents bought me a laptop, it opened a whole new world to me. I started writing stories. My very first story was titled, The Rockers, it was about the adventures of a Hispanic family. Of course, this went unpublished as I was very little and this was just for fun. However, my Mom and Dad saw potential in this, as did I, so I kept on writing. There were poems that made my mom cry and stories that made others laugh.
I had confidence, a great deal of confidence at that stage of my life. Recently my mom and I had a conversation about how confident I was as a child. She told me about a time in my life when I would introduce myself to strangers by asking them if they ever met anyone famous. I would hold out my hand to shake theirs and say, “Well you have now, my name is HK and I am going to be a famous writer someday”.
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A few years ago, I lost that confidence. My life was turned upside down with my parents’ divorce. I soon moved out to my own apartment. I began to doubt myself and my abilities. When I first went to college, I did quite well, getting A’s and B’s. When I transferred schools, things began to fall apart. My grades slipped drastically and so did my confidence. My mom suggested taking a break to heal and re-evaluate. Although that was good advice, I continued to be lost.
Working toward my dream of becoming an author.
Little did I know that my pastime, my mom, and many others would give me a second chance at life and my dream. It all started with a suggestion from my Mom to start a blog. I was really unsure about writing again. I knew nothing about blogging, but with my mom’s encouragement I began reviewing accessibility of local places. People started reading my blog and the feedback was positive.
My mom pushed me to approach DVR to help me take it to the next level. I was terrified and excited at the same time. One day I would think, this is really awesome! Other days, insecurities would attack and I would doubt my ability to succeed. Some days it was the thought of succeeding that scared me. Soon a team was formed at DVR and their continued support and believe in what I am doing keeps me going.
Recently, I have begun to meet so many people, in real life and via the internet. I found myself slowly coming out of my shell. I push myself outside of my comfort zone. As Kurt Warner said,”…you’ll discover an inner strength you never knew existed. My inner strength is recharged with every message I get from others who read my blog and were inspired. I never would have thought that I could reach out to so many people, make so many friends, and spread so much awareness about disabilities. I have found my strength through my writing and have found my mission through my readers.