Back when I was a working girl and many of you weren't even a glimmer in your parents' eyes, I kept journals. In them, I'd set the dollar amount I wanted to hit daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. And since I'm a visual person, I'd clip photos of what I'd buy with that money.
For some reason, my journals kept me motivated. I'd put a big check mark every time I hit a goal. New washing machine, jewelry, trip...whatever I wanted. Often, the goal was to get a new book, visit a friend I hadn't seen in ages. Sometimes during lean months, the goal was simply to have a nice meal.
Looking back later, I'd find I produced more books and sometimes raised the bar on myself, hitting several thousand dollars more than I'd worked toward.
Good books to help included:
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Dr. Susan Jeffries
Wishcraft by Barbra Sher
anything by Shakti Gawain, starting with Creative Visualization
You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay
I was partially paralyzed for 18 months when I began this method. First goals were to move my legs, walk without crutches, get off of pain killers, and stop feeling like a victim. I was bitter, angry, depressed, and a single mother with a young son. But even writing Thank You on a bill I could pay was a goal worth keeping. Gratitude produced abundance.
Set goals. It works. But you can't hit a target you don't have.
Writing buddy DeAnn sent a link to our group that defines how to set goals. Even if you're familiar with the concept, this blog post is worth the read. Sometimes seeing something through a different lens recharges our will to succeed.
http://romancebeckons.blogspot.com/2012/10/career-planning-for-authors-wwow.html
I need to heed my own advice. Have been trapped in one of those "life hells" that pop up now and then. Both parents in and out of hospitals and nursing homes, neither doing well (understatement), with me between helping them and taking care of things at home with my family here. Haven't done much writing. Pretty much became a hermit once I arrived back here. But I'm working my way through whatever needs to be done and hope to get back into what feeds my soul...the writing.
Have a great weekend coming up.
More next time (and hopefully soon).
