K.R.Dunn
Magic of Mortality?

I have been thinking of this post now since my last blog post because in my last one I comment how a big part of my drive and many other's to write and be successful is to get out of their current situation by having a new stream of income so they can decide what they want to do, not have to go to a "job" and do what other's expect them to do. Basically trading time for money. Well that is still true, but as I mentioned on my home page of website and many times before on my other social media pages, it isn't only about that.
Personally over the last few years I have to admit at my age I have been thinking more about my mortality. As you see friends and family suffer through illness or even death, and then have something happen to you both physically, mentally, and financially that really sets you back, you start to wonder what if? What I mean by that is "What if" I was to pass away in 5 or 10 years due to some disease or illness. Of course something like Covid-19 brings it back up in your mind as well. That "What if" becomes something looming over you, making you wonder what you can achieve before that happens. Many people are very lucky and have achieved greatness in their early years by many different means. Doesn't mean they are happy, but never the less, greatness was achieved either by stardom, entrepeneurship, creativty, or sometimes just plain old luck.
Now I have always said I want to "work" for something I have passion with. Overall I have been very lucky compared to many in being able to do that. For over 3 decades I have worked in the powersports industry which is an industry I have passion for still to this day amazingly when many have burned out long ago. I remember my favorite Parts Manager who I knew in the 80's who was into the industry as much as I was, but by the late 90's it was just a job to him and income and means to retire. Understandable for most people who do something for a very long time, it becomes stagnant to them. The desire to just retire and relax finally and enjoy your surroundings is very inviting as you get older.
For me though, my mortality makes me push harder to accomplish more with my life in doing something I love to do. I cannot go much farther in my current industry other than working for an OEM (Manufacturer), and I am considered to old to now start in that world as a DSM to work my way up. Had the opportunity when I was young to join a Manufacturer and do just that, but at the time it paid less and meant you would be driving a lot which I wasn't into at the time when I was making good money managing one store close to home. I probably should have looked more into the future from a benefits and career stand-point, but hey, I was young. I lived day to day which was also engrained into me from being forced to live on my own in short notice when I was only sixteen and a half years of age. I am a survivor. For better or worse that is what I am, but it probably didn't set me up for the best mentality going forward since I only thought about surviving each day and moving onto the next. Not the smartest kid on the block.
Now looking back, I see my mistakes. I didn't settle into a career job and ride out my 25 years so I could retire out onto the pasture or be a young retiree' looking for his next adventure. Oh well. Nothing I can do about that now, but I can affect my outcome on the here and now by pushing to reach my goals, making sure I keep doing what I enjoy. Which is writing, and even more so novel writing using my creative side to weave a story with characters people would love reading and learning more about them. That excites me to no end. Yes, I want success from my writing so I can enjoy this earth even more, but my favority part is the actual creation of the story as a pantser writer (aka: discovery writer), I love where the story takes me and then I delve into more research over an area only to see my story me somewhere else. Very fun, at least for me it is. Guess that is what makes one a real writer. The love of it.
I have already achieved and experienced quite a bit over my many years in the motorcycle world from great rides through incredible scenic locations, to racing on the track up to 180mph and enjoying leaned over at 100+ mph speeds. Nothing like it. Then combine that with the annual excitement of new product being released to reinvigorate the enthusiast in me and being responsible for the sales of that new product to prospective new clients was and is still very satisfying. But now I want to explore and enjoy the literary world as an author and all that encompasses. From the actual writing, and getting published, to the marketing both by talking and online social media. I enjoy it all and just want to do it full time.
I am already considered an expert in my industry, now I enter an industry in which I am a newbie. That is o.k. I always go 110% with something I am passionate about, so my own mortality worries only enforce my need to succeed and achieve as much as I can in how ever much time I have in this life. If that is my legacy, so be it. At least no one could every say I didn't try! A dreamer yes, and an over-achiever, but now I hope to just make it happen. Then I can be an inspiration to other's who also dream of success in the literary world. I want to write, and write more and talk about writing.
So here is hoping in a few years we meet in person on some cool beach somewhere under a palm tree canopy sipping a Pina Colada'. That will work for me, in between those new adventures I create traveling and experiencing the world of course. Ciao.