I’m finding habits to be both harder to form and more important to maintain all the time. Hence the blog post on a day when I said there wouldn’t be one. I’m writing this on my phone, immediately realizing the folly is this choice. Next time, I’ll write an extra blog post in advance and schedule it to post while I’m gone.
But I digress. One thing we’re trying to teach our son right now is the importance of goals. For me, I’ve got a bunch, not the least of which is writing my next book and building my platform. That last one is a goal I’ve thought about before. More accurately, it’s a wish I’ve had (because a goal without a plan is just a wish).
The reason it finally got upgraded to a goal is that I stepped out of my comfort zone and made a plan. I started an author page on Facebook. I picked up my posts on Instagram (from none to once a day). I’m tweeting more. And I’m blogging. Daily. Most of these are whatever is on my mind at the time, but it still goes to building my platform.
Now, as a writer it seems perfectly logical that to build my platform I have to write about it more, right? So why is THAT stepping out of my comfort zone. Because, believe it or not, I’m shy about my work. I don’t talk about it much and haven’t except on Twitter. There, I’ve found a community of authors and aspiring publisher authors where I feel safe.
No one ever did anything life changing by staying safe.
My wife has proven that to me this last year. March 1, 2018, she opened her wedding planning business. It was scary. It still is some days. And it is ANYTHING but comfortable. But she’s changing her world and doing something she loves. I’ve never seen her so consistently fulfilled as I have this last year.
So why not me?
Because I wouldn’t get out of my way and just do it. I let “fear take the wheel and steer” as Incubus would say. And look how far I got. I wrote, but it wasn’t my best. I tweeted a little, but it didn’t go anywhere. I blogged a couple times and no one saw it. Now, I’m throwing stuff out the all the time saying, “Look at me! I’m an author! Come take a look!” And lo, and behold, people are taking notice (thank you to everyone reading this for taking notice). I feel better, empowered, and successful just got writing this.
Oh, yeah, habits. So by committing to doing something that scares me and not compromising on the plan, I’m seeing success as I define it. I’m assuming my goals. And who of us doesn’t want more of that.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG