motivation – Patricia Elliott

What Shall I do?

November 12, 2025 Patricia Elliott

This year has been a slow writing and publishing year for me. Life has been super busy and changing in big ways, so writing kind of took back stage to everything else.

But I don’t want that to continue to be the case because I have so many stories to tell and limited time to tell them. I’m not getting any younger and with the loss of my dad, that knowledge really hit home.

But with that knowledge hitting home, it also made me realize how precious time is with your loved ones and it’s been hard to focus on things like writing because I don’t want to lose out on time with them.

Even now as I sit here, my partner is cooking in the kitchen, and I’m in the living room. This is not where I would usually be because I want to be by his side, doing as much as I can with him. He said that he could handle dinner, so here I am, trying to pick-up where I left off many months ago.

We both started new jobs. I actually accepted a Site Supervisor position for the first time. Something I had never really wanted to do because if you know me, my life was previously stressful so the last thing I wanted was to be the one responsible for everything running smoothly. *lol* But everyone has to excel upwards at some point, right? We can’t stay where we are forever or we never grow, and at 47 years old, it’s time for me to grow in my industry.

So tell me, are you working on climbing the ladder or are you just coasting? If you’re coasting, then I understand completely. Change is difficult for me, but so many things have been changing that I figure I might as well embrace it and change with it.

What about you? What have you changed in your life this year? Share in my email or in the comments below. Also, I want your advice, should I work on releasing my zombie series, or would you like to see my steamy trilogy?

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When I Was 41, My Husband Left Me

May 24, 2025May 24, 2025 Patricia Elliott

Starting Over…

When I was 41, my husband left me. Over time, he wanted to come back, but I refused to let him return home, unless he got help with his addictions and anger. But I should have acknowledged by that point that my marriage was over and had been for a long time. We’d been married for 21 years, but it wasn’t going well. He had gotten into some stuff that wasn’t good or safe for myself or the kids. Three years passed and soon it was 2022, and I got the fateful call. The stuff he had gotten into had killed him, and I was a widow at just 44 years old. Fentanyl had taken another life.

Now, not only was I trying to figure out who I was as a woman, I was also trying to figure out who I was as a widow, and now officially single. What kind of life did I want for myself? Who did I want to be? What kind of example did I want to set for my kids? In life, we are going to face all sorts of disappointments and traumatic situations, and when we do, we have a choice to make. We can rise to the challenge or we can fall. We can choose to let depression take over and wallow in our miserable existence, or we can make a decision to live. I found that when the hard times hit, my mindset was everything.

That isn’t to say that you don’t allow yourself to mourn or that you don’t deal with negative emotions, but you also know that your life is going to be what you make it. Life isn’t just our sad times or our bad times, so you either learn to rise and rebuild or you let them destroy you. Hard times are inevitable. We can’t get through life without hard times, but how we respond or what we choose to do when they happen will make or break us.

So I rose up. I made a change to a better job with better pay. I mourned for my husband, and then I chose to find love again. This time, I knew what I wanted and what I didn’t want in a relationship. I wanted someone who would step up and be a true partner, and not act like another child. I wanted someone who knew what they wanted out of life and was already established. I wanted someone who was kind and gentle and knew how to handle their anger. Someone who would never take it out on me and wouldn’t abuse me when they were angry.

I started dating for the first time in 24 years. I met some nice guys, who I saw more than once, and then others, who, quite frankly, gave me the willies. And then when one guy said he didn’t think it was going to work out after two months, I met an incredible man on Bumble. I know this is probably cliché, but I could see the beauty of his soul in his eyes. He’d faced hardships in this life, but he didn’t allow those to define him. He rose above them just like I had. He takes care of me and is super supportive. Even after a busy day, he doesn’t come home to sleep. He invests his time to help around the house and spends quality time with me. He doesn’t live all his life on a video game or with his nose in his phone. He’s present with me and I love him incredibly. He wants to help my kids be the best version of themselves and invests his time to help them. I couldn’t ask for a better man in my life.

I never thought that love could be this way. I’m able to share my feelings and not worry about getting my head chewed off, and he’s receptive to my fears. Sometimes I still feel like the other shoe is going to drop, and I know he sometimes worries about the same, but honestly, we’re so similar, but different enough, that it just works so amazingly. When my dad died, he was there for me. He took care of stuff around the house and took care of me while I processed what happened.

I guess I’m kind of rambling, but the point I wanted to make is that, no matter your age, you can start over. It’s not the end of the road when something tragic happens, it’s a vehicle to create change. How your life turns out really depends on your mindset. If you believe the world is out to get you and always complain about everything, that’s exactly what will happen because it’s all you train yourself to see. My husband had that mentality, and it fostered such a bad temperament that it was draining. You need to surround yourself with people who want to reach for the stars.

So I hope you will join me in reaching for the stars by joining my newsletter. You will also receive a free short story in the process called, “Into the Fire.”

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What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

September 20, 2024September 21, 2024 Patricia Elliott

What do you want to be when you grow up?

How many times did you hear this question when you were growing up? I bet it was more times than one could possibly count. This question often comes up again in a round about way when you hit mid-life, but this time, instead of everyone else asking you, you are asking yourself.

You look back on your life and re-evaluate all your decisions. Are you following your dreams? Are you where you thought you’d be by this point in your life? You hear people talk a lot about a mid-life crisis, and a lot of people do go through it in one way or another. It causes some to make some unsavory choices, especially in relationships. It causes others to become depressed as they think they are too old to make any positive life changes or to start a new career.

When I was younger, I made some bad course choices in high school which limited my ability to study certain jobs and/or trades, but every time I thought of something I would like to do, my mind always came back to writing. Writing. Writing. Writing. That was my passion. That was where my heart stayed. And anytime I think about shifting my current security career to something else, I keep going back to my writing. I want to make a career out of writing stories to share with the world.

So my advice to you is to follow your passion. If you don’t follow your passion, you will wish you did. We all have a passion that hits us hard and hits us young, and often times we think we can’t do anything with it because it’s too fanciful of a dream. But nothing is impossible if you work at it. Okay, maybe you can’t fly like Rogue from x-men, but you can certainly find ways to fly and fulfill your dreams. All it takes is planning, effort and determination to not give up when the going gets tough.

I just released my next novel, The Blues of Atlantis. It’s a story that I wrote over 5 years ago on Wattpad. Ironically enough, I had its sequel, “The Cowboy’s Heritage,” published first through BVS, but that one has since been pulled from publication and will be re-published shortly. I am hoping to have it released in October, depending on how smoothly things go this month.

I am following after my dreams, and I promise you that you can follow after yours. Think back really hard. What was it that you loved the most when you were younger? What did you dream of? Was it flying to the moon? Was it working with animals? Was it writing? Movie making? You have to live your passion or life just passes you by and you’ll look back wondering what could have been.

Don’t let that be you. If you have a story, write it! If you always loved to draw and create, do it! The only person stopping you is you.

For as long as there have been men, there have been myths. And as long as there have been myths, there have been dreamers. Dreamers who wonder what else is out there.

Nerina Winters is no different. She lives a fantasy life as a mermaid, putting on daily shows at the aquarium. Until one day, she finds herself sitting in the doctor’s office. The revelation of what’s ailing her reveals a family secret she isn’t supposed to know about until her thirtieth birthday.

But it’s too late. The secret is out. Now she’s on the run with a husband she no longer trusts, who harbors a secret of his own. Her husband quickly learns that secrets are perilous by nature.

Some swear by them.

Some die from them.

But who will live, and who will die?

And will they live long enough to find out?

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Investing in Self

June 14, 2023June 15, 2023 Patricia Elliott

Seems selfish doesn’t it? Investing in oneself as opposed to other people. Isn’t happiness found most in when you serve others? That is true on one hand, but to truly be happy, one must be happy with who they are too.

So often we live for other people that we forget to take care of ourselves, and we invest so much in others that we forget that we are important to. This is something that all mothers will relate to. When we have kids, lives become about the kids. Keeping them safe and happy, and alive. Not always an easy task to accomplish when they are sitting there crying or screaming that their bread wasn’t cut the right way.

I used to get up every day and just start focusing on others. Feed the kids. Dress the kids. Make sure hubby was happy and all the while forgetting to take care of myself. I didn’t do my hair. Didn’t do makeup. Didn’t dress up. Didn’t care to dress up really, just give me sweatpants, leggings and a t-shirt that I shared with my husband and I was ready to go for the day. Heck, I rarely went for hair cuts. I just recently got my hair cut for the first time in like 8 years.

But over the last few years, and especially last year since my husband passed away, I’ve been rediscovering myself. Trying to find my style and who I am at 45 years old.

Funny eh? I’m still learning who I am at 45. Does the learning or growing ever end? Do we ever stop evolving into the next person we’re going to be? Ever changing, ever learning.

I’m wearing dresses, and trying to take pride in my appearance. I’m also attempting to style my layered hair. I’m currently failing miserably at styling, but I’m trying to invest in myself because I’m worth investing into. And so are you.

Of course, being happy with yourself isn’t based on how you look on the outside, but whether you are happy with who you are on the inside. And when you are happy inside, it shows on the outside in your smile…in your eyes…

However, don’t forget to spoil yourself too…you deserve it. Get that dress you love. Get those shoes. That purse that screams YOU. Walk down the street with your head held high, not because of anything you wear, but because you know who you are. And YOU ARE WORTH EVERY PENNY YOU CAN INVEST IN YOURSELF! Get that new job. Take that new class to learn something new. You are smart and amazing. And can do anything you set your mind to!

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Vortex of Desire is an amazing adventure into perilous worlds and exploration of hidden desires which lie beyond the wormhole; discover a torrent of new and exciting stories on earth and throughout the universe while experiencing love that will not be denied. Ride the waves of the multiverse and get ready to experience the twists and turns of desire. Enjoy the voyage.

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COVER REVEAL Vortex of Desire is an amazing adventure into perilous worlds and exploration of hidden desires which lie beyond the wormhole; discover a torrent of new and exciting stories on earth and throughout the universe while experiencing love that will not be denied. Ride the waves of the multiverse and get ready to experience the twists and turns of desire. Enjoy the voyage. Get your pre-order sale price here: https://amzn.to/3OpQYfI Cover by https://www.facebook.com/JessicaGreeleyGD #cover #CoverReveal #preorder #preordernow #preorderalert #PreOrderAvailable #PreOrderToday #friday #fridayvibes #FridayFeeling #fridaymotivation #scifiromance #scifi #books #newromance #scifibooks #Romance #romancebooks #ebook #darkromance #aliens #newbook #newbooks2023 #booksale
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A Job or a Career?

January 11, 2021 Patricia Elliott

One of the most interesting things I’ve come across when it comes to someone’s passion is that whatever it is transports them to another world. When I stepped onto the ice—my sport of passion was ice hockey— it felt like I entered a whole other world. I was no longer me. I dawned a helmet and gear, like a gladiator, unafraid at the prospect of falling or being hit by another player. I became a whole other person, or maybe I become the part of me that was hidden deep down.

Passions are something that engulf our entire spirit, consumes our person. They make life worth living every day. They make your career come alive. Jobs are great in the sense that they allow you to have a roof over your head and food in your bellies, but they don’t feed you the desires of your heart unless you are following after what you are most passionate about.

Sometimes we spend ages trying to figure out what we want to do with our life, but usually one certain passion hits you when you are young. Me, I’ve always enjoyed writing ever since I was little. I’m not by any means popular, but I like following the ideas in my head and making them a reality on paper. My son, ever since he was little, had a passion for diseases. He used to go school and scare the teachers with his knowledge about them, and they’d be calling us, worried about him. My daughter loves science. My other son loves cooking and the idea of being a chef. He’s starting his first ever college course on becoming a chef today.

Do you know your passion? Can you think back to when you were younger and recall what it was that you enjoyed most? Are you doing that today or are you just going through the daily motions of a job you hate because you don’t think you have a choice?

Life is far too short to not live your dreams. Sometimes we think that we’re too old to go after something new. I turned 43 years old last year, having survived my fifth car accident and Covid, so I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on who I am, and what I want to do with the rest of my life. I don’t have a fancy house or a fancy car. I am not worth millions of dollars, but there is one thing I do have and that I’m following after, my passion for the written word while doing security.