My Quote For The Day: Sweat

In keeping with the theme of my "Getting Things Done" post, here's this bit of inspiration from The Writer's Little Instruction Book: 385 Secrets for Writing Well & Getting Published, by Paul Raymond Martin.

In writing (as in most endeavors) sweat rules over inspiration. 

Do the work. Just do it. Don't wait for inspiration.

How To Get Things Done Now In 2018

Henry Ford once said you can't build a reputation on what you're going to do.

The founder of the Ford Motor Company definitely built a reputation as a captain of industry by doing. But most of us don't do what we should.

Doing: the act of performing or executing: action - Merriam Webster

Doing... executing... deliberate action that leads you closer to your goal. That is how to get things done. What do I do? Not what I should. I sleep. I procrastinate. Do you? Be honest... What we should do is venture forward.

Now... Daily... every hour... minute... second. Period.

I'm learning that again and again and again throughout each day. It is my top goal for 2018.

For me that means meeting my writing goals, my entrepreneurial goals, etc. Over the first month of January, I set some "things" in motion to get things done. One of my first financial goals was to make an average of $50 a day in my spare time - on side hustles.

For me to say I achieved that goal, I had to make an average of $50 a day for seven straight days. Last night, I reached my goal. Over the last seven days, I have made about $57 a day.

How did I do it? By doing... by executing... by deliberate action. It's a simple solution, but hard to do. It's really a mental exercise: you versus yourself inside your head.

"I should get up off the couch and get to work," you think to yourself. "OK... one more hour of Netflix, then I'll get up."

... Three hours later...

"It's almost midnight," you say. "It's too late now. I'll do it tomorrow."

... Three days later...

"I'll do it next week for sure."

Any of that sound familiar? That's me sabotaging my own efforts. It's me when I'm not doing... not executing... not taking deliberate action. Set a goal. Then fight yourself every day to do it. Execute every day. Take action every day.

Like Yoda from Star Wars said to young Luke Skywalker: "No! Try not! Do or do not, there is no try."

Trying is lying.

What have you done to meet your goals? What inspires you? Please share with me. We are in this together.

Boo. Didn't Make My Goal

Pack it up...

Didn't make $800 in Eight days. Well... I'm packing up my apartment... About to post everything I can on E-bay... 

My car is going to be repossessed... Life was good....

OK... it's not that dire... 

Yes... I didn't make the $800... but... I managed. 

It's amazing how much we can accomplish when our back's to the wall.

It's on... we are about to kick it into another gear...

Can I Make $800 in Eight Days?

So... tomorrow... the day after Christmas... I begin a quest.

It's a quest that was born out of necessity. I had a contract fall through. As a mostly self-employed dad who depends on contracts to pay the bills, when one fails to deliver.... that means trouble.

I had a contract that supplied me with about $500 a week. Over the last three weeks.... that contract went bust. Maybe $100 a week at most.

Now... I'm forced into a challenge: I need to make $100 a day for the next eight days to pay rent. I have secured a new contract to replace the old one... But... I won't collect that check until mid-January.

So... for the next eight days, I will keep you abreast of my progress...My goal in 2018 is to be able to write full time. 

But before that... I'm going to bust my ascot...My unanticipated business mishap also messed up my Christmas. I wasn't able to buy my kids anything... I'm planning my own personal Christmas on Jan. 25, 2018... 

Let's Get Vulnerable: A Moment Of Truth

I'm truly excited again.

I'm writing. I'm seeing stories everywhere. Yet... for those who have followed me... if you're still here from years past, you may be curious about my lapse. 

I neglected this blog for awhile. Life got in the way. A move across the country. A separation. A divorce. The resulting depression and ultimate acceptance.

And here we are. What helped me rebound?

I recall one of my earliest memories. It was of my mother reading herself to sleep. It was after she and my father divorced. She was a single mom. 

I was often fearful at night... I'm not psychologist, but I figure I was trying to cope with my parents divorce. I didn't want to sleep alone for irrational fear that I'd wake up without either parent. 

So... I slept near my mother... in visual proximity. I had to see her bed or I just didn't feel safe. What did I see? It influenced me more than I or she could imagine.

She read. She read into the wee hours of the night. I only caught a glimpse of it. But... oh, what a sight it was. She read novels. Her favorite... It was the 70's after all... Stephen King. 

We didn't have much. Just mom and I. She read alone at night...
but she wasn't really alone. I was watching... and flash forward decades... now, her example from so long ago inspires me and helps remind me who I am or should remember to be... a lover of words... and a writer. 

Thank you, mother. Te amo.

One Key To Writing: Write With Other Writers

I feel like a pretender. I can write.... I think I'm actually pretty good at it. I've successfully written thousands of articles. I've made my living as a full-time journalist. 

I have taught writing at colleges and universities. 

Yet... I suffer a disease many writers do. I lack confidence. I don't believe in myself. I doubt my abilities. Who am I to think I can do this thing called writing. 

I should just give it all up. Who am I kidding?

But... I can't. I won't. I shan't. 

Tonight... I took a step to put myself out there.... I met up with another writer. It was a bold step. I met someone online who seemed to share my passion for the written word. 

Then... throwing all caution to the wind... both of us decided to meet at a coffee shop and share something we had written. Ah... the glorious moment that it was. To share the written word over coffee (that was me... I believe she ordered tea)... it was magical... She was enchanting. 

If you dare to write... you mustn't write alone. That is how you sabotage your efforts. You must share your writing with others. But others who can help you. 

My beautiful companion tonight shared similar examples regarding our experiences when sharing our writings with others. 

So... for you reading this... Here's the down low:

Share your writing with whomever... but if you want critical input, share with those who will help you make your craft better. If all you want is your ego stroked, then share with your mother. She'll say how proud she is of your writing. If you want to grow as a writer, share with those who will dare to say... "That paragraph needs reworking... or...I'd cut that whole section out."

If they challenge you to discard your darlings... then maybe they may be helpful readers. 

A safer bet when it comes to potential readers/critics of your writing is to find other writers to partner with.

You should read their work, too. It should go both ways. Give to them...Don't only demand of them. 

You will both grow as writers if you mutually nurture each other. 

Tonight... I met a peer... a writer whose words I enjoyed reading... and whose company I enjoyed even more. It was a beginning, I hope. Writers need writers to help them along the way. Writing is a lonely business. But it doesn't have to be.

Cheers my fellow writers...

OMG! Is 2017 Actually Coming To An End? You Didn't Meet Your Writing Goals Did You?

It seems like yesterday was January 1st, 2017. 

Now January 1st, 2018 is upon us. OMG!

I can say this much about 2017... I failed miserably with my writing goals. Maybe... God forbid... you're like me... I spent day after day saying, "Tomorrow... I'll have time tomorrow..."

Ha! tomorrow is here. I wrote some notes... filled a few pages in a spiral notebook. But, didn't finish that novel.

Also... If you are an aspiring writer... you MUST READ! If you write poetry... Read poetry. If you write short stories... Read short stories, etc.

I read some. I wrote some... But, I did neither in the volume I should have as an aspiring writer. Let's not sugar coat it or go all snowflake and blame someone else for my poor decisions. 

I blew it. I didn't work on my craft enough to actually call it a craft. A truism: you can't call yourself a writer if you don't actually WRITE!

I know... tough love. But, I'm a father of five. I'm a tough love kind of guy because I know it pays dividends. 

Moving forward, what does that mean??? First of all, after correcting one of my children, doling out whatever punishments were necessary, then it'd be time for restoring harmony. 

What does that mean? You can rebuke yourself for falling short. Fine. Then... a restorative measure is necessary. Restore the creative process. Otherwise how can you move forward?

Forgive yourself for blowing it. Then... GET OVER IT. Get back to writing.

Set new resolutions. Maybe this time scale them back a bit and make them more realistic... or shoot for the moon, but, bring in a friend to keep you accountable.

Bottom line: Get back on the horse. Write. Start with one word. Then two; then 20; then 100... Keep going.

2017 may be at an end. You may not have accomplished what you wanted. .. But, 2018 is around the corner. Now's your time. Make it happen this year.

You can do it.