[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]Back when I was first struggling to break into the publishing world,
I read that a good way to fill out my portfolio was to enter and win
a writing contest. I did some searching and found a contest in my
area, and I put together a piece of writing. The only catch was
that in order to enter, I had to be a member of the organization
hosting the contest. And so I sent in my ten dollar money order
and joined.
It turned out to be a writer s group, and my membership included
a monthly newsletter. I won t tell you the name of the group,
but I called them The Valley Whiners. Every time that newsletter
arrived in my mailbox, I was livid for a week. It was filled with
advice from writers who had never been published, and page
after page of self-congratulatory back patting. Ohhhhh, Bob s
a real writer now, he got an article in a free online magazine,
circulation: 1. Way to go Bob!
The thing that bugged me about those writer s groups is that no
one seemed to do very much writing. Sure, they loved to get
together and talk about writing. They loved the idea of being a
writer however they romantically defined it. But none of them
were willing to face the realities of doing the work.
Writing is a lonely profession. You have to spend hours and days
alone in a room, under long periods of intense mental stress,
honing your craft and uncovering your deepest, most honest self
in order to expose it to a cruel world. No one can do that for you.
And all the talking in the world won t get it done.
So yes, by all means surround yourself with people who have
dedicated themselves to the same path. Hang out with successful
people and watch them closely that ll help you fill in the details
we discussed in the last lesson on visualization. And ask them
thoughtful questions. But don t waste their time.
And don t waste your time with groups like The Valley Whiners.
The work doesn t get done by drinking coffee and talking about
it. The work gets done by doing the work.
That deep source of conviction and motivation can only come
from within you. You have to find your own motivation, and you
have to want it badly enough.
47
Goal Setting That Actually Works
DO THIS NOW:
" Avoid affirmations and support groups like the plague
" If you ve filled a notebook with timid affirmations, burn
it immediately
" If someone comes up to you and asks you to join a
support group, do this: look them in the eye, squint, spit
on the ground, turn your back and walk away
I know I may sound like a jerk when I say it, but when it comes to
your goals, either do it or don t.
And that brings me to procrastination possibly the biggest time-
waster in the world.
HOW TO BEAT PROCRASTINATION
We ve shared a lot of straight talk so far, and we ve shone a clear,
cold lens on ourselves. I think such bluntness is necessary because
life is passing you by, and if you don t take action no one will.
The tools we ve discussed should put you well on your way to
achieving your goals. But you might still be plagued by one last
demon...
Yes, I m talking about procrastination.
Don t worry, it happens to the best of us. Procrastination raises
it s unwelcome head for a bunch of different reasons. Half the
battle is understanding why it happens to you. Once you know
your patterns, you can assemble a set of defenses in the form of
specific skills and habits that will become part of your life.
Over the years I ve learned that I put off tasks when I don t feel
sufficient pressure. Without the pressure of a deadline, those
creative juices just don t kick in. I m not talking about the flashes
of inspiration that strike you in the middle of the night, or those
insights that send you running from the shower in search of a pen.
Those are great when they happen, and those nuggets usually
form the core ideas of my writing. But if you wait around for
48
Goal Setting That Actually Works
them, you ll be waiting a long time. You have to be able to turn
on that tap on demand.
Deadlines help, because they force you to take action. I feel the
pressure build and build, and I get increasingly restless, until I
finally sit down at my desk and the words pour out. Of course,
deadlines only work if you stick to them. It works for me because
I don t accept excuses.
You can also apply deadlines to a commitment. A commitment
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]zanotowane.pldoc.pisz.plpdf.pisz.plkajaszek.htw.pl
