A majority of existing novels implicate important messages, whether they are directly or vicariously stated. My recently published book, The Black Sisterhood Files, is a murder mystery that bears a veiled, yet sincere, moral: even the most villainous of creatures have love situated at the core of their hearts. The piece below is my humble attempt at sharing what inspired me to write the novel and my path to getting it published at the age of twelve. I don’t claim this to be a recipe for success for everyone, nor do I think that perception of affluence is uniform; it differs accordingly for all beings. My mere ambition is that someone shall stumble upon this article; someone who’s story is complementary to mine; someone who continuously ferrets the answers to lingering questions. After all, life may prove to be quite mundane if one does not constantly pursue their dreams. Over the course of my journey toward publication, I have unearthed a formula that helped me succeed: an unwavering resilience founded on passion.

The Black Sisterhood FilesIf you do not derive true enjoyment from doing something, you are simply exhausting the devotion that could be implemented into executing a more favorable task. At one point, you must ask yourself: Through the performance of this mission, whatever it may be, does my motivation lie within intrinsic or extrinsic factors? If it is the latter, do not question the circumstances twice: clearly, you are busying yourself with an occupation that does not brew inside the heart. As Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” It is not the decision of others to determine your talent; quite similarly to the abstract fish in Einstein’s quote, many live a life lacking the discovery of their genuine gifts. Yes, it will undoubtedly take months or years to establish and develop these aptitudes; however, all the things that are worth doing take time.

As John D. Rockefeller once famously stated, “I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.” However, one cannot flounder through the realms of this world, unbeknownst to what they scour or what their resilience shall attain. I do not mean to burst anybody’s bubble, but it is simply impossible to become, for instance, a prosperous author, basketball player, and lawyer all at once. Naturally, all of these objectives will require time, strategy, and endurance. These three ingredients serve as the rudimentary blueprint of success; however, afterwards, it is entirely up to you; success has no limits, nor definitions.

As is known, it is unfathomable to create a utopia; every being has their own vision of perfection’s elements. However, we do not all have to surge towards immediately changing the world. The quote “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise, so I am changing myself” is thoroughly sincere. If we all improve upon our own factors of imperfection, that would be a cohesive modification to all dominions of known reality. Nevertheless, we mustn’t go about evolving ourselves without sharing slivers of knowledge with the world. After all, knowledge unshared remains unknown. We can build the bridge to a bettered world, manifested entirely by effective communication and self-improvement.

In light of the current events, I would like to emphasize that the power to change institutional racism lies within our hands. The nature of the mind is a wonderful essence; it learns best either when experiencing a certain situation firsthand or when connecting directly with human emotions/encounters. Share your stories; do not allow for anybody to hinder the powerful voice that lies within you. And most importantly, always thrive while thinking.

Kristina O. NaydonovaKristina O. Naydonova was born in Washington D.C. in 2007, the second daughter of Anna and Oleg Naydonov. She grew up with an endearment for Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s mystery works. At the age of eight, Kristina began to formulate the manuscript for her crime fiction novel, The Black Sisterhood Files, now available on Amazon. She hopes to prove that no matter your age, race, or gender, you can achieve anything if you have devotion.

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