Why it's a marathon not a race
And how Bernardine Evaristo reminded me of it.
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I recently returned home after 10 sun-filled days in Portugal. I'd like to tell you it was relaxing but that would be a lie. We all know holidays with small children are wonderful for all kinds of reasons, but relaxation isn't a word I'd used to describe the experience. Let's say wholesome and happy and leave it at that.
While I was there, I did manage to do a bit of reading and I devoured Bernardine Evaristo’s personal memoir ‘Manifesto: On Never Giving Up’ in just a few days.
What I find so inspiring about Bernardine's career as an author is that she was so patient yet so determined and focussed. In Manifesto she describes how she forgo the security of a mortgage and stable full-time job in her late twenties and thirties in order to have the time to dedicate to her writing.
She knew that traditional responsibilities would pull her time in another direction that wouldn't leave her fulfilled. In short, she was financially poor but creatively rich.
Helping others, however, has always been something Bernardine has found time for. Through her academic work she has supported many young writers, especially those from marginalised backgrounds - an act that meant placing her own ego to the side when their achievements surpassed her own.
“We must pass on what we know to the next generation, & express gratitude to those who help us – nobody gets anywhere on their own,” she writes.
Then in 2019, at the age of 60, her dedication was finally rewarded when she won the Booker Prize for Girl, Woman, Other. This was a long-held ambition that she had dreamed about and manifested for many years.
“I won the Booker Prize at sixty which was the perfect age for it to happen to me, although astonishing that it happened at all,” she writes. “At this stage in my life, not only have I developed a formidable work ethic, but I know that I will not rest on my laurels”.
One of the ways Bernardine says she manifests her dreams is by writing the reviews she hopes her books will receive, even before putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard. She has to start off believing that the book will be a success before anyone else does. Envisioning the future she wants, she says, helps her put in the work to make it happen.
Bernardine's unique perspective and steely confidence sent me home from my holiday with renewed determination for bigger professional dreams of my own.
The average career spans decades, not years. And while this might seem obvious, sometimes it’s important to be reminded that we’re in it for the long game and not just short-term success.
What may feel like a wild pipe dream right now, may become a reality if we give it the time and dedication it needs to come to fruition.
One of my personal long-term goals involves this newsletter, and reading Manifesto coincided with me earning a place on Substack's Grow Programme. Over the course of six weeks, I should come away armed with the tools to grow this newsletter and help realise its full potential.
After two years of writing it, my aim for The Freelance Parent remains the same: to add value to the parenting space and create a community of fellow working parents who want to feel supported, heard and less alone.
But I've started to think about how I can push things further and reach more people, adding value in bigger and better ways - and perhaps more countries. (Hello to my existing readers in America and India).
What are your long-term career goals and what are the professional dreams you daren’t even say out loud? Even acknowledging what they are can feel quite empowering.
If you have time to join in on a discussion, I'll be launching a thread at lunchtime today (1pm BST) so we can share those bigger dreams and aspirations. Do you dream of writing a book? Or becoming a well-known expert in your field, or perhaps you'd like to start a brand new business altogether? Perhaps you use manifestations like Bernadine or keep your goals written down. I'd love to hear how you set aspirations for yourself - both in the long and short term.
If you fancy a bit of extra reading this morning, here’s my latest piece for the Metro. It's about the importance of flexible working and why I'm pretty annoyed at men such as Rees-Mogg, Johnson, and Sugar who are determined to undo our progress.
Until next time.
Cat x
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