Back in September 2020, I read a book about “releasing blocks” and becoming the best, most ideal version of yourself — the version that lives in your deepest desires.
I’ve always wanted to be an author.
I have vivid memories of being in our old wood-paneled family minivan on cross-country road trips as an elementary school-aged kiddo and writing and illustrating on my folded pieces of construction paper, telling my family I wanted to be Dr. Suess when I grew up. Why Dr. Suess? No idea. But in the early 1990s, he apparently was my picture of success. (I was much less aware in the 90s.)
The love of writing and the idea of becoming an author never left me, so when I read this particular “release your blocks” book back in September 2020, one of the suggestions was to start seeing yourself as the person who does the things that you want to accomplish by taking actions that align with becoming that person… like changing your email signature to say “best-selling author”, even if your book isn’t even in process (yet).
So I did it.
For almost three years, my email signature has said “author”.
I run a pretty cash-heavy topline business (that’s a story for a different day) — and so far I’ve invested over $110,000 in hiring author coaches, ghostwriters, and PR agencies to get a book out into the world.
And yet, there is one thing to which I didn’t actually commit (at least not until I made a decision two days ago) and that is writing publicly… and hitting publish daily.
I already write in my journal every day (and have for years), but I’ve never shared it anywhere else.
So here I am, with my proverbial hat in my hands.
If I REALLY want to become a published author, I’ve got to publish HERE first.
I listened to the book “Become Your Future Self Now” a couple of days ago, and one of the things the author Benjamin Hardy wrote is that when he decided to become a writer… he started WRITING.
Mind-blowing, isn’t it?
I can’t HIRE my way into building a career like the authors I admire, but I can pull myself up by my bootstraps and do the thing I’ve always wanted to do — write.
Publish. Daily. And imperfectly.
That’s my mantra for 2023. #dothework
