I am officially a professional writer.

In high school, I knew I wanted to enter a profession that had the primary responsibility of writing. I would write stories about my everyday occurrences using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher well before I knew about blogs. I never thought about becoming an astronaut, a movie star or the President of the United States. Writing was always my dream job.

It’s been almost 10 years since I took my first creative writing class. Since then, I completed a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, several internships, hours of volunteer writing assignments and four years of work as a human resources specialist before I accepted my first paid full-time writing-focused job. Every dollar I spent and every minute of time I donated was worth it.

The lesson I learned is to never lose sight of your goals. Even if it takes 10 years, or a lifetime, you will feel a sense of accomplishment when you achieve your goal.

Have you learned this lesson yet? Share your story in the comments section.