CONTACT CAROLINE
facebook
rss
tumblr
twitter
goodreads
youtube

  • Home
  • Write Away Blog
  • Books
    • Books
    • Trompe l’Oeil
    • Heart Land
    • Gothic Spring
    • Ballet Noir
    • Book Excerpts
  • Video Interviews
  • Press
    • News
    • Print Interviews
    • Plays
    • Ballet Noir in the Press
    • Trompe l’Oeil In The Press
    • Gothic Spring In The Press
    • Heart Land Reviews
  • Contact
  • About
  • Resources
    • Writer Resources
    • Favorite Blogs
    • Favorite Artists



Of Failure And Thoroughbreds

Jun 11, 2014
by Caroline Miller
Danny Thomas, Marolo Thomas, what to learn from a horse race
0 Comment

Today I’m uncertain about whether or not I’ve done a good thing or a bad thing.  A friend has completed his second novel and I have encouraged him to send it out to publishers.  His first book was self-published and he seemed happy enough with that launch, so who am I to interfere?  My intentions are honorable, of course.  I think his work can stand critical review.  Still, success won’t come easily and I hope when he receives the inevitable rejections, he won’t be discouraged or angry with me for subjecting him to failure. 

 Would it help to remind him that many of the world’s greatest writers faced rejection, I wonder. The only difference between success and failure is perseverance.  

 Perseverance teaches us to learn from our mistakes and not waste time comparing ourselves to others.  Others don’t come into the picture.

 Marlo Thomas, actress and philanthropist, is the daughter of the once popular and beloved comedian, Danny Thomas.  In the early days of her career, she continually measured her failures to her father’s success.  One day, he cut her short.

  I raised you to be a thoroughbred, and when thoroughbreds run, they wear blinders to keep their eyes focused straight ahead with no distractions from the other horses.  They run their own race.   (“On My Mind” by Marlo Thomas, AARP, April/May, 2014, pg. 68.)

 Danny Thomas’s advice is good for us all to remember.  When you stop to compare yourself with someone else, you lose ground.  Stick to the track you’ve laid out and run it with all your heart.   

horse race

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Courtesy of www.garnd-national2010.co.u)   

 

 

 

Social Share

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

Subscribe to Caroline’s Blog


 

Archives

Categories

YouTube-logo-inline2 To access and subscribe to my videos on YouTube, Click Here and click the Subscribe button.

Banner art “The Receptive” by Charlie White of Charlie White Studio

Web Admin: ThinPATH Systems, Inc
support@tp-sys.com

Subscribe to Caroline's Blog


 

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Sitemap | Privacy Notice

AUDIO & VIDEO VAULT

View archives of Caroline’s audio and videos interviews.


Copyright © Books by Caroline Miller