May 12, 2017

Up and Out of the Easy Chair by Pamela Mytroen

Are you considering a daunting project? Afraid to exit your comfort zone? The worst part is thinking about it and wallowing in fear.

Three fears I face as I consider proposing a column for our newspaper: 

1). I am afraid that people will think I am being self-important, self-aggrandizing, or just plain weird. I am afraid I will lose their respect and friendship.
2). I am afraid that I will not honour God or help anyone.
3). I am afraid that I will fail.

Three Questions to understand fear

1). Why am I considering this project? Is it to hammer somebody over the head with truth, to showcase a shiny talent, or is it to bring light to darkness, and a stream to the desert?
2). Will this honour God? Does it line up with Scripture? Will it help people? In what way will it help people spiritually, practically, emotionally, intellectually, or socially?  
3). How will I recognize failure and/or success? Failure happens when we do not reach our goals (or when we do not learn anything from not having met our goals!).  

Eight Steps to help me move forward: 

To envision success, we need to set some goals. For example, here are my goals if I would like to propose a column in my newspaper:

A)   Pray and read God’s Word for wisdom and guidance. Write it down.
B)   Write three sample columns, about 350 words each that will bring light, truth, hope and a little humour to the readership.
C)   Share them with three godly people to get feedback. Do they affirm or not? Adjust writing based on feedback.
D)   Set a date to have seven more columns finished (Kathleen Gibson suggested I write a total of ten to show my editor) and a date to propose the column with the editor.
            F) Write seven more columns and a proposal. Meet with the editor, and                            adjust writing based on feedback.   
            G) Publish
            H) Evaluate based on feedback.  Did readers learn any godly truth? Did they feel enlightened or more hopeful?
            I) Continue praying, reading God’s Word, and writing, based on the feedback. 
             
Once I look at my goals, I see that the daunting task can be taken one step at a time.  Like Sandy Somers said in an earlier blog, the first step to see a harvest is to set the plow in the ground. I can do that. I can start with one step.

How do you feel when you consider an intimidating project? What steps help you move from the easy-chair to the battlefield?

Pam Mytroen


16 comments:

  1. Thanks Pam. I've been procrastinating about something and this has given me the push to just make a plan and do it. ;)

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    1. Now I'm being held accountable after writing this post, so I'd better get on my pony too!
      Pam

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  2. This is such a practical post. thanks Pamela!

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    1. Thanks, Tracy. Thank you for all you do as well and Happy Mother's Day!! Hoping the WorDshop went well. Was thinking of you and praying.
      Pam

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  3. 3 questions to understand fear? Excellent - and not just in writing!!

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    1. Thanks Bobbi. Breaking it down into steps, or even just putting it in writing, helps me get perspective. Now I need to get with it!
      Pam

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  4. Heh Pam I think you would be a fabulous columnist. I say go for it!! I found it very rewarding when I did it and it sure kept me writing. One thing I noticed that I think was God's Grace to help with fear was that once I wrote a column and it was sent in; I sort of forgot about it. I just didn't think about it anymore for some reason, so much so, that if someone came up to me and commented about it, I was always surprised...like I had almost forgotten I had written it LOL. So that did seem to help with fear of what others might think; I just let it go out of my mind once it was sent in. Worked for me!! Blessings on your endeavour. I'll be your biggest cheerleader!!

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    1. Ha ha, Thank you Gloria! That is a good thought. I think you are right. It's like a test - we worry up until the test and once it's over, we relax. Good point. Hey I will need your cheerleading indeed!!
      Pam

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  5. Great ideas Pam. You can do this. You have so many wonderful ideas and are following the leading of God. Don't be afraid. God and the rest of us are behind you.
    Blessings
    Janis

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    1. Thank you for yoru encouragement Janis. It makes me feel surrounded, bolstered, uplifted. Yay!
      Pam

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  6. I'd say you are well-prepared, Pam. You write convincingly, with humour, faith, enlightenment, the right motivation. You write to honour God, to help people. What a good analysis of the situation. Great business plan. I think I'd better save this was to help me through my fears and hesitations. I like the way you've included other reliable people in evaluating what you are doing. Practical--yes! Thanks, Pam.

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    1. Thank you for your always kind words, Sharon. I sure appreciate you!
      Pam

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  7. It sounds like you've mastered setting goals, developing plans to achieve them, and breaking your projects down into easily doable steps. This is something I've learned over the years to help me conquer my fears, stop procrastinating, and actually achieve the goals that I've set for myself. I turned this knowledge into a workshop that I presented at our InScribe Fall Conference last year. Although writing a column may seem like a daunting task, it looks like you've made a great start towards achieving that goal. I know you certainly have the talent, and I will be cheering you on. So get up out of that easy chair and get engaged in the battle!

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    1. Ha ha, thank you Nina! I've begun collecting and editing some pieces that I can use as starters.
      Pam

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    2. Thank you for that nudge, Nina!
      Pam

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