When We Believe
by Lisa Norman
Welcome to the holiday season, when thankfulness and belief mingle with the season’s magic, whether you’re in the cold, snowy, magical northern hemisphere or the warm southern sun.
Like the little girl in Miracle on 34th Street, we may allow our hearts to hope and dream of the new year. And in that moment, everything changes.
Creativity is an act of belief. Every story, painting, or project begins with that quiet leap, the decision to trust in something unseen. To believe that our work has meaning before there’s proof that anyone will care.
The Difference Belief Makes
Once upon a time, I worked on a group project that mattered deeply to me. I’d poured months of heart and planning into it. Despite months of planning and promo, only a few of us were generating interest. As the event neared, it became clear one person didn’t really believe in it. Their contributions were late, their communication distant. Their promo material hadn’t generated any involvement despite them supposedly being an influencer.
And then they said the words that destroyed me. “I’m only doing this to help your little project.”
Little?
The person did not know about the work others had invested or the quiet attention that project had garnered from some big names in the industry. We had people waiting to see the quality of our materials, the same materials that were suffering from late contributions.
Help?
As if the project depended on them? When so many of us had already poured our hearts into it?
It wasn’t malice. They were simply showing up out of a sense of duty, not conviction. And that, I realized, was the real problem. Creative work, like belief, can’t thrive where the heart isn’t present.
Helping with the project they didn’t actually believe in was distracting this person from other projects. Because, while they weren’t doing a lot, they were carrying guilt and stress about not meeting commitments.
That was the energy that was pouring out to their followers: guilt and stress. They were hurting their own brand in the process of unintentionally destroying ours.
Our creative energy is like a pitcher. Every project we take on is a glass we choose to fill, and there are always more glasses than there is energy.
If we pour our creativity into something we don’t believe in, we’re taking it from projects that we DO believe in!
When We Help Without Believing
I’ve been thinking about this lately. How often have I done the same?
Have I said yes to something because it felt polite, or because someone needed me, even when my heart wasn’t in it?
Helping without belief feels noble at first. But it quietly drains both giver and receiver. The energy doesn’t multiply; it flattens. It’s like trying to light a candle with a damp match. The intent is kind, but the spark won’t catch.
And yet, when we show up for others with belief, when we’re invested in the possibility of a project’s success, that potential transforms everything. It fills the work with joy. It tells the people around us, “I see what we’re building, and I believe it’s worth the effort.”
If you know the story of Elisha and the widow, it has a lesson for us all: if we pour out our creative energy, it will expand. Suddenly our pitcher miraculously contains more energy than we could ever imagine. It goes farther. Our creative capacity grows exponentially.
The Creative Kind of Faith
In Miracle on 34th Street, belief doesn’t come from proof. It creates the proof. That’s how it works in creative life, too.
When we write, paint, or collaborate from joy and conviction, people can feel it, even if they can’t name it. Joy leaves fingerprints. So does obligation. Readers can sense the difference between a story written from delight and one forced out of duty. So can collaborators.
It shows up in our marketing, too. I’m so guilty of this, I feel bad writing it, but I’m going to tell you. If we just repost something someone’s posted—without a note, just “signal boosting”--maybe people read it, maybe they see it. But they can feel our lack of enthusiasm.
If we post something with a note, adding a bit of a personal comment about how excited we are for the project, people can feel THAT energy, too. And no, you can’t lie. I am a firm believer that emotions and our hearts show, even when filtered through the cold screens of social media.
Belief is contagious. It’s what keeps writers revising after rejections, artists painting after criticism, and musicians practicing when no one’s listening. It’s the gentle breeze that fills our creative sails.
Start Believing Instead of Helping
I used to think the best way to support another creative was to help, to fix things, to offer advice, to make it easier. Now, I think the best help is belief. Oh, helping is good too! But belief? That’s where the magic happens.
When we say, “I know you can do this,” we’re giving someone courage. That kind of honest faith changes everything.
Maybe that’s the real miracle of creative life: that we get to believe in one another even when the world doesn’t yet see the magic we see.
A December Blessing
So this December, I’m choosing to believe: in my work, in my fellow creatives, in the quiet miracles that happen when we show up with joy.
Belief isn’t just a holiday sentiment. It’s creative potential energy.
And when we share it, when we dare to say, “I believe in you,” we just might give another writer the energy to finish that project they’ve been putting off. The energy to try that marketing experiment or to send out one more query.
I want to encourage you: as you move into 2026, pour your energy into projects that bring you joy.
What examples of the power of belief (or lack of it) in a creative individual can you share?
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About Lisa
Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not playing with her daughter, writing, or designing for the web, she can be found wandering the local beaches.
Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of No Stress Writing Academy. She also runs Heart Ally Books, LLC, an indie publishing firm.
Interested in learning more from Lisa? Sign up for her newsletter or check out her school, No Stress Writing Academy, where she teaches social media, organization, technical skills, and marketing for authors!
Top image by Deleyna via Midjourney.
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34 comments on “When We Believe”
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Lisa, this is brilliant. I just quoted some of it to my son, who after waffling on a difficult decision has moved forward—but with one foot stuck in the past. Protecting himself with his disbelief. I love the way this post evokes what it means to be ”all in.”
Off to boost this—with a personal note!
Thanks so much, Kathryn! I wish all the best to your son!
Kathryn, thanks for sharing your son's journey! It's so special to see young people at those crossroads of decision. Which way will they go? How will it turn out. I agree with Lisa: You just have to believe.
What a lovely and so very necessary message. I know that lack of belief in creative self is the cause of all my problems.
Mine too, Lisa! It can be so hard to trust ourselves. And you do lovely work.
Lisa, this is a fantastic message and I definitely needed to hear it!
Thanks, Ellen! I hope it helps!
Wow! You said it all!
This post is a keeper! And to be shared!
Love this reminder, Lisa. Wishing you peace and abundant words this season.
Same to you! And a joy filled new year!
I believe in you, Lisa. And I had to stop a moment to remember the little girl's name was Susan. Merry Christmas.
Thank you so much, Jeanne. Susan! That's it!
Beautifully said, Lisa. Thank you so much for this heart-felt post.
This was a challenging year, and a challenging one for me personally and in my writing. I struggled to revise my latest mystery, but realized at the end of October I'd complicated myself into a corner and also imprisoned the project with excessive, unrelenting expectations, which eroded my belief in it, and removed all the joy.
I gave myself some time to clear my head and refocus on the writing itself. As Chuck Wendig wrote in "The Gentle Writing Advice," "as authors, we operate best when we cease asking permission." This wonderful advice freed be to go with the project that pulled at me the strongest.
Several local writer friends believe in me and my writing, and one in particular who I've shared the outlines of the new novel with is extremely excited for me and very encouraging. That belief helps my own.
All the best in 2026!
Dale, belief and support from those around us is so huge. And I feel that writing yourself into a complicated space. I've been trying to untangle one of those that I created for... longer than I'll admit. Here's hoping for much joy and productivity in the new year!
It's so hard when the joy goes, Dale. I hope you get it back!
As an author of works for children, I know it's all about hope. When we don't have it, we don't operate as if success is possible. When we have hope, we push forward. Even if we don't reach the goal, we get further than we would have. This isn't true for creative works only, it's true for everything. To remake the world, we must first imagine what it can become and then believe in it so we do the work toward it with our whole selves.
Happy Holidays and thanks to WoTS for believing in your readers.
Debbie, you explained that beautifully. That's my hope for creatives in this coming year. That we'll find hope and joy.
What a lovely and helpful post, Lisa! As I started reading, I thought of Elisha and the widow's oil. Then I saw that you mentioned that in your article. Such truth in that story. The oil will come when we set up the vessel to receive it.
Many blessings to you for a happy holiday season and a healthy and productive new year.
Thank you so much, Kay. That was exactly the metaphor I was reaching for. May all of your creative vessels be full to overflowing this next year!
Amen.
Hugs. Thanks, Elise!
This is my very most favorite line, floating in the middle of this lovely post: "Joy leaves fingerprints."
I'm going to put that on my mirror. Sometimes when we're busy doing all the things, we forget to set a place at the table for joy. It's the most important guest of all.
Exactly, Jenny! That's my whole focus this month and into next year. May you have many joyous fingerprints in your life.
Agreed! That's one of the most quotable quotes ever!
Ah, Lisa, I so needed to hear this today - thank you! Rugged guilt is a big dampener on belief, one that I have been struggling with, and you have articulated it perfectly for me. A wonderful Christmas present - again, thank you, and wishing you a joy-filled, creative Christmas!
Oh, Glenda. Thank you for saying that. Yes, guilt is rough and such a thief. May you have a joyful Christmas and New Year!
Wow! You said it all!
This post is a keeper! And to be shared!
Thanks, Sally! Made my day!
My first and only writing partner is Sandy (S. Lee) Manning, who now writes thrillers (she's on #4 just launched).
We talked for hours when we both were members of SINC Central Jersey, and lived close to each other (and met at Red Lobster for lunch and (supposedly) pages sharing, but that doesn't tell you much about her.
What DOES is that she was part of the very small group of lawyers (she is one) and activists who got the DEATH PENALTY revoked in New Jersey - and I couldn't be more proud of her.
She is passionate and funny and witty, and lives in Vermont now with her husband, James Manning, who is, in retirement now, the novelist HE wanted to be.
They're a wonderful couple - one of our kids is best friend of one of their kids since Bouchercon 1998 in Philadelphia (they were both in school, and we had to get home in time to meet the school buses).
I believe in her, and the awards just reinforce that.
And I have only one of EIGHT copies of her first novel. I'll never tell.
Alicia, that is beautiful. And that's the kind of belief that empowers someone to do something LIKE hit #4 with a new novel. Congratulations to Sandy AND to you, because you have a treasure in that friendship.
Lovely and inspiring! Hugs! Thank you!
I loved reading this. It resonated like a big brass bell. I'll be taking the with me into my work and critiques in the new year.
I did that, and our little anthology that could has been a remarkable success in December, a month not known for a lot of book success.
Another article I read today talked about picking a word for your new year instead of a resolution. Thanks, I choose "Belief". Happy New Year.