What Does SUCCESS Mean to You? by Steph Beth Nickel

 
Photo Credit: geralt on Pixabay.com

Before we can determine if we are on the path to success, we must determine what success means to us.

For many, being successful means earning a lot of money, writing a bestseller (or two or three . . .), growing a social media following of 100s of thousands, etc.

But maybe you define success far differently—and that's okay.

For years, my goal has been to self-publish. But including such a lofty goal on a list is infinitely easier than breaking it down into its multiple components: completing the manuscript(s), learning each step of the process, enlisting the aid of others, and following through (especially that first time, when every step has a learning curve).

Despite a plethora of reasons (and excuses) for not being further down the path, I am taking steps in that direction. Recently, I fired off my manuscript to beta readers and asked for their input.

As writers, we never truly know how the reader will receive our words or if those words will achieve the goals we have for them. Receiving input from trusted individuals and making recommended revisions (especially if multiple people comment on the same thing) will make our writing stronger.

I have several other goals and means of measuring success but have had the desire to self-publish for more years than I can remember. So, I will press on in that direction . . . with the help of my beta readers—and so many others.

And when distractions come along, which they will, I will determine if it's time to re-evaluate my goals or press on. Although self-publishing is still a goal of mine, it is not, by any means, my highest priority. My husband is retiring next year, and the plan is to sell the house we've been living in for over 20 years and move west with our daughter to be close to Son #2 and his wife. Finding my place in our new community and "finishing well" are my idea of true success . . . whether that includes publishing multiple books or not.

As Christians, isn't it amazing that, from God's perspective, we have already attained the ultimate success. According to Ephesians 2:4-6, ". . . God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus . . ."

These verses, among so many others, assure us of what has been referred to as "the already but not yet." Because of our faith in the Lord, a success far greater than any we can imagine has already been secured for us.

What an encouragement as we travel the path to what we define as success in the here and now!

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version@), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do Not Despair by Steph Beth Nickel

Does your Lifetime Achievement Goal look something like mine: become a multi-published author who makes a good living from the sale of her books so she and her hubby can enjoy his retirement without worrying about finances? 

It may not look exactly like that, but you get the idea.

While I still plan to indie publish several books over the next decade or two (or more, Lord willing), that may not be what God has planned for me.

There’s an old saying that goes “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

Currently, I have the honour of editing blog posts, books, and more. What a privilege to hear “it sounds like me, only better” and “you’ve not only made my writing better; you’ve made me a better writer.

How humbling! How encouraging!

Does God want me to spend my time coming alongside others and helping them polish the message He has given them to get into the world rather than publishing my own books?

Possibly!

And that should be a-ok with me. After all, His plans for my life are the very best—even those I would not choose for myself.

How about you? Are you despairing over what you’re not able to accomplish rather than doing each task as unto the Lord (Colossians 2:23)?

No judgment here! That’s what I do far too often—although I might not admit that it’s actually despair.

How can we determine if we’re investing, rather than merely spending, the time God gives us each day?

Here’s a series of questions that might help:

•  Do I commit each day to the Lord, asking Him to accomplish in and through me all He desires?
• Do I see my opportunities to bless others as opportunities to bless Jesus (Matthew 25:31f)?
• Do I do each task as if doing it for the Lord, as mentioned above?
• Am I willing to accept the fact that now may not be the time to pursue my writing goals?
• Am I willing to honestly evaluate my schedule and make space for those goals, dreams, and aspirations that persist?
• Am I willing to say no to good things on my list in order to take hold of the writing goals I believe God has for me?

These are only half a dozen of the questions we could ask ourselves when deciding if now is the time to make room for our writing.

If you’re like me, that’s only one important step on the road to publication. Next, we have to zero in on what we want to write.

Some writers are incredibly focused. They write primarily on one topic or in one genre—and they are quite content to do so.

But there are those of us who have eclectic interests (are scattered, are caught up in the Oo, Shiny!, or…SQUIRREL).

For example, I have written dozens of devotionals, have several unpublished children’s picture book manuscripts on my computer, have made significant headway on two novels, and have ideas for countless more projects.

Even if I decide to commit time to writing several times a week, I must focus on the work at hand if I hope to get anything published.

For me, that means completing the memoir I’m coauthoring with Paralympian Deb Willows and the YA speculative fiction novel I began in 2019 or 2020.

I also have several shorter writing tasks to accomplish each month.

Do you despair over not getting more of the writing you want to do completed?

Take a deep breath. Pray for wisdom and direction. Evaluate your schedule. And, whatever you decide, rejoice in the opportunities you have each day to bless those God has brought into your life—with your writing or in some other way.

5 Steps to Achieving Your Writing Dreams by Steph Beth Nickel

A little note before we dig in … I use the singular they. Since some writers and editors don’t care for it, I felt a heads-up was a good idea. No need to make readers unnecessarily twitchy.

Hitting the bestsellers list. Earning a fulltime living as a writer. Getting that blog post written.

What are your writing dreams?

Whatever your dreams, there are steps you can take on the journey to making those dreams come true.

Here are five suggestions to point you in the right direction:

Determine your personal definition of success.

Fluid. Changing. As unique as the individual writer.

One writer may not feel that sense of satisfaction until their work is picked up by a traditional publisher. Another may choose the indie route.

One blogger may post new content regularly. Another may post only when they have something pressing on their mind.

One author may be overjoyed to see their first (and only) book in print. Another may throw a celebration when they’re able to resign from their 9-5 job.

What is your definition of success?

Determine to celebrate the small (and not so small) wins.

Did you post in your Facebook group each day this week? Excellent!

Did you finally get that promised guest post fired off to your friend? Good for you!

Did you just sign a publishing contract or upload your first book? Party time!

How and when do you celebrate?

Determine to make a plan.

Kudos to each of you who make a detailed plan and, for the most part, stick with it! Scheduled posts? Check. Write x number of words per day? Double check. Set short- and long-term goals? Triple check.

Some writers can only stay on track if they have a dated game plan culminating in the finished product. Others prefer fewer constrictions but still need a rough idea of where they’re headed and how to get there.

What does your planning look like?

Determine to be flexible.

Make a plan. Be flexible. Make up your mind.

As we all know, Robert Burns was correct when he said, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” If COVID has taught us nothing else …

Still, there are many things beyond the writer’s control, but they press on and take responsibility for what they can control.

Do you “go with the flow” or does a change to your plan give you hives?

Determine to persevere.

During the last five months or so, some have buckled down and achieved long-unrealized dreams. For others, victory has entailed getting out of bed in the morning. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re among the latter group.

Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” I have also heard it said that a better translation would be, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the ground beneath your feet.”

So, whether you’re making steady progress or simply standing up is progress, determine today to persevere. Take one more step on the journey to achieving your writing goals.

How will you persevere today?

Share in the comments what steps you’re taking to achieve your writing dreams.

 

Three Easy Steps - Tracy Krauss

I'm a big nerd when it comes to goal setting and making lists, so I was kind of excited about this month's topic. Yes, I'm one of those people who look forward to making New Year's resolutions. I also create very lofty 'to-do' lists each summer. And, come fall and the beginning of the school year, I re-organize my goals to line up with all my other commitments. You could say I'm a goal setting junkie.

There are tons of tools out there and even more pieces of advice on how to set and then actually reach your goals. You've probably seen the S.M.A.R.T. acronym which encourages the creation of goals that are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Sensitive. This is good advice, but to be honest, I usually don't bother to work out the details in this way.

After coming at the topic from many different angles, I've come up with a simple plan that seems to work for me. It includes three different 'lists':
1. Yearly goals
2. Monthly 'to-dos'
3. Daily tasks

To start off,  I keep a fluid list of things I wish to accomplish each year. It includes WIPs I plan to finish, publishing goals, marketing goals etc. I revisit this list often, adding and subtracting as I see fit. In fact, I have lists going all the way up to 2020. You could call it my 'five year plan'. The key to my system is the word 'fluid'. I stopped beating myself up a long time ago if I didn't get everything stroked off my list. I just roll it onto the next year's list and I'm back on track!

My monthly 'to-do' list is just as fluid, but I add such things as church and community commitments, Inscribe commitments, blog commitments, (like writing my post for this blog, for instance) and other things that I know need to happen in that particular month. My yearly list is never far from my mind, so items from that list get added to the monthly 'to-do' list when I see the opportunity. Once again, if it doesn't get done, it just gets rolled into the next month's list, guilt free.

Finally, I keep myself on track by having a list of daily tasks. For instance, I didn't get around to writing this post until the 14th (yesterday) because I was busy with the beginning of the school year. I usually try to schedule my posts further in advance to avoid any pressure. Somehow, this month slipped away. When I realized the date, I added 'IWO blog post!' it to my tasks for September 14 and voila - here I am!

I used to make written lists on paper and then switched to word documents. Now I don't bother with either. I use two amazing tools on my phone and/or tablet which sync so that it doesn't matter which device I'm using. My lists are always there! They are: Evernote and Wunderlist. Evernote is an app that has so many uses beyond writing lists which I won't go into here, but it is where I keep my yearly and monthly lists. I recently discovered another app called Wunderlist and it is a list maker's dream! I keep my 'daily tasks' list there as well as all my shopping lists.

This three step system may not be perfect, but it works for me. I've found it to be a very simple way to stay organized and productive.

_________
Tracy Krauss is a secondary school teacher as well as an artist, author and playwright living and working in northern British Columbia. Visit her website: tracykrauss.com 

Are You Deadline-Driven? by Steph Beth Nickel

"Would you like to write a guest post for my blog?"

What a honour! If we've hit a slump in our writing, there's nothing like being asked to write for someone else. That happened to me tonight, and in researching the possibility, I visited this site and realized today's the third. And I post on the third.

Photo Credit: pixabay.com

They say writers are deadline-driven. (And talk about an impending deadline. It will be August 4 in just over two hours—Eastern Time, that is.)

Lord willing, I will be traveling to the UK in less than a month. Therefore, I had to impose some rigid deadlines if I was going to get ahead of my responsibilities before setting off across the Pond.

I wrapped up one project on Friday and another today. I hope to have Phase 1 of a third completed by the end of the week. 

And on another front . . . My hubby and I are redecorating and decluttering room-by-room. We have the front room pretty much the way we want it. Woohoo! 

We are working on the house with a different kind of deadline. We haven't set dates for ourselves. We are simply completing one room and then moving onto the next. We will not put anything back into a freshly painted room that we don't intend to keep. As we go, we'll toss out the garbage and donate smaller items we don't want to tuck away for a yard sale. And before we know it, we will have achieved a lot.

And so it goes. Step-by-step. Deadline-by-deadline. We'll get there.

How about you? Do impending deadlines provide the motivation you need or do they stress you out? Perhaps it's a combination of the two.

Photo Credit: pixabay.com

If you find deadlines helpful, here are some tips to apply them to your writing—and other areas of life:

1. Choose a major project.

2. Break it down into "bite-sized" chunks.

3. Give yourself a deadline to complete the first goal on the list.

4. If you achieve your goal in the allotted timeframe, do a little happy dance.

5. If you don't achieve your goal, don't beat yourself up. It happens to all of us, and unless you're nothing like me, guilt is more likely to immobilize than motivate.

6. Consdier why you didn't achieve your goal. As the saying goes, "Life happens." We're all familiar with unexpected eventualities. Just be honest with yourself. There is a difference between an excuse and a legitimate reason.

7. Either way, set a new deadline and get down to work.

What keeps you motivated? What deadlines have you given yourself recently? How do you get out of a slump?