By Karen Gavis/editor-in-chief

Sometimes, success can be achieved simply by going the extra mile and tuning out the naysayers.

Let’s face it, many people do not reach their goals because they never get started. Worse yet, others do not achieve success because of those around them who eagerly expound upon all the reasons why someone should not attempt something.

Talk about a drain. The result is that people have to work twice as hard to achieve their goals or dreams because extra energy has to be exerted to overcome the negativity.

Success would have been sweeter if a cynic had not sucked the wind out of someone else’s sails.

After I finally became brave enough to vocalize my goal of becoming a writer, cynics abounded. If editor rejection letters are not enough to sink a wannabe writer’s ship, try piling on the doubt of well-meaning family members.

“There are thousands of other people trying to do the same thing,” I was told. The underlying message — don’t even try it.

Although I had been writing for a while, in my mind, I would not be a real writer until published. I was determined to either accomplish that or die trying, and I am glad it was not the latter.

One day, I received a letter of acceptance from a magazine telling me how much I would be paid for an article and ran through the house leaping up and down nearly scaring my young daughter to death. I was a writer.

Eventually, doubt reared its head again. But this time, it was my own. I wouldn’t really be a writer until I wrote for a newspaper I reasoned.

And so here I sit — thankful I went the extra mile and swerved past the cynics.