A lot of you fine folks have followed me for many years. You’ve seen me through good times and bad.

You’ve shared my successes and my sorrows. You’ve seen me walk through some dark and twisted times and you’ve stood with me through them all. For that I’m truly grateful. It is however, all that dark time which gives me the right to say what I’m about to say.

Because for many years, nearly four years in fact, I chose to live an angry, bitter, and confused life my writing career has suffered. The goals I had when I began writing were great. When I published my first book, Campbell’s Rambles: How a Seeing Eye Dog Retrieved My Life what I had in mind was incredible and had it come to be I can only imagine the great things I might have accomplished, not only for myself but for those whom I was so grateful to.

That, however, did not come to be. Why? Because I was too busy living in a cloud of anger and lament from which I couldn’t seem to bring myself out of.

Had I only been causing my own self problems maybe it wouldn’t have been so devastating. Unfortunately my issues became other people’s issues and so for many years I not only caused myself great trouble but many others as well.

Now, here I am all these years later, living more successfully than ever before. I’m doing things I never dreamed possible yet through it all I still struggle.

I struggle with pain both physical and emotional. I struggle with financial and technical difficulties, not every now and then but every-day.

Do I let that affect me and the business of writing and promoting I’ve created? No.

I make the decision every morning upon rising from my bed, that I shall sit those problems aside, make a conscious effort to rise above them, find ways to work around them and continue forward.

Why?

Because it’s not just myself I’m responsible for anymore.

I’ve clients depending upon me to do the things I say I can do. Real people who’s writing or businesses depend upon me to be able to deliver the services I advertise and without delay.

Yes, of course there are times when things happen which are out of my control and when those things take place, those I represent are good enough to wait for me to resolve whatever problem it is that has presented itself.

But, when I wake up feeling depressed, or I’m having a Fibro Fog Day, that’s not their problem nor should it be. And so I have to find a way to push through the pain and do it anyway.

What is the point of my rant this evening?

That my friends is simple.

If you say you’re going to provide a product or service for the public at large and then you constantly deliver a product or service that is of substandard quality or worse make excuse why you cannot deliver at all, even though many of the people you serve care deeply for you, sooner or later they’re going to go elsewhere for that product or service you’re no longer able to provide.

What must you do?

From where I sit, knowing from where I speak, you’ve one of two choices. You can deal with your problems as needed and then sit your personal self aside, push through the pain and work your ass off not only for yourself but those you serve, or you can be honest, say you’re simply not able at the present time and take a leave of absence.

If you don’t do one of those two things sooner or later your professional reputation will suffer.

Although I’ve written two full-length books, am found in two anthologies, am owner creator of Tell-It-To-The-World Marketing (Author, Blogger, Business Assist) and blogger at large, and am becoming successful it has taken me many years to overcome the mess I made of my life.

It is with that in mind that I write these things and urge all of you who are dealing with tough times to take a good, hard look at yourselves and decide what you’re able and willing to do.

If I can help in some way, please don’t hesitate to ask.

But please, don’t delay in taking control of your life.

You worked hard to get where you are. While there’s no shame whatsoever in saying you’re simply not able to function at full-speed-ahead, it is quite unprofessional to promise products or services only to never deliver on your word, or worse deliver a product or service which is not of the highest quality possible.

Making a habit of that my friends will in the long-run do far more damage than taking a public step back will ever do.

There have been and will continue to be for many years to come times when I wish I’d stepped out of the public eye rather than making the mess I made of my life publicly.

The public at large has a long memory. The internet never forgets, and though I stand in a better place now in both the Indie and Marketing communities I have miles to go before I sleep to correct the damage I did.

I hope those of you reading who are having difficulties physically, mentally or both will take heed to what I say. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.

For now, this is Patty saying to yourself and those you serve be true and blessid be.