Ellen ES Ceely

As an adult I’ve struggled with creating long-term goals and dreams for my life. As a child and a teenager, I had all kinds of ideas about what I wanted my life to be like. At one point I wanted to be a theater director. At another I wanted to be an English teacher in Mexico. Life never went quite the way I wanted it to and, for a time, I gave up on making too many goals. Dreaming and hoping of what could be became too painful when disappointment seemed inevitable.

But the last few years have been life-changing and healing. I’ve reconnected with pieces of my soul I’d hidden away and forgotten. Therapy, writing, chronic pain, and the general grace of God in my life have continuously done a work in my heart I didn’t expect. Writing and publishing my first book, Child of Shadows, further encouraged this re-found hope I’ve been feeling.

The best thing I’ve done in the last few years is reconnect with the child and teenager that always dreamed of being an author. Regardless of what other dreams came along, that dream never died. The last few years have been a journey of fanning that flame of hope and it’s beautiful. What’s more, it’s caused me to create long-term dreams and goals once more. They’re simple, but they’re beautiful.

Writing Goals & Dreams

Someday I hope to make a full-time living off of my writing. Child of Shadows is just the beginning of what I hope will be a life-long publishing habit. Between books and blog posts and contract writing, I’d love to be able to quit my job and write full-time. I don’t know any writer who doesn’t dream of this.

My five year plan would be to finish up The Legends of Zale series. I already have the second book completed and sent out to Beta Readers, and I’m currently working on the third. I also have a vague idea of what the fourth and final book will be about. Growing my Patreon community would also be at the top of my list right now. There’s so much potential for what I could do there and I look forward to exploring it.

Once The Legends of Zale series is complete, then I’ll allow myself to begin working on other series ideas I have floating around in my creative self. There are so many worlds to be created and discovered and explored! I look forward to the journey.

Life Goals & Dreams

I love talking about life goals and dreams with my husband, Brian. We’ve talked about several different options. Sometimes we talk about whether we could open a Bed and Breakfast somewhere. Other times we talk about living in an old house in a small town. Still other times we dream about buying a small farm and living further away from the hustle and bustle of the world.

I’m sure there are unrealistic ideas we have about what it would be like to live each of these dreams. But what they all have in common is a longing for a simple, honorable life. We want to live in a way that honors the God we believe in. Our desire is to be a light to anyone we come in contact with. We enjoy spending time together and look forward to what our life and small family could look like down the road.

If we can make it to the end of our lives and look back with joy on the ways in which we used our time, talent and money, I know we’ll be happy. If we can help make better the lives of others who come in contact with us, we’ll be overjoyed. We both believe creativity is a core thing God has given us to use for the world and we’re enjoying figuring out what that means and looks like in our life together.

Only time will tell what the future holds. Until then, we’ll keep planning and dreaming and working towards goals as best we know how.

The Difference Now

I’m not going to lie: after so many years of feeling it was pointless to hope for wonderful things, it’s been scary to dream again. However, now I hold things with more of an open hand. I also recognize that I have the power to make certain things happen. If I want to publish a book, for example, I have options. If I truly want to do something, I’m responsible for making it happen. I can’t believe it’s just going to eventually work out.

Things might go wrong and I might mess up along the way. That’s okay. I’m human. I’m not perfect. I won’t try to mess up, but I have more grace for myself now when I do.

If you’re in the process of figuring out what you want for your life, I hope this post encourages you. If you’re at a crossroads and you’re trying to discern which route is the best, please know that you can always veer off the trail and fight your way through the woods to the path you should’ve taken. It’s never too late to change directions. It might be more difficult or more costly, but as long as you’re breathing I believe you have a choice.

Much love,
Ellen

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