Let me be among the first to say this: The holidays are right around the corner.
Among those holidays is New Year’s Eve. That’s the day you write down your goals, post them on the refrigerator, on the bathroom mirror and on the cork board at your desk, and vow to achieve them (this time). You’re so fired up and sure that you’ll get ‘er done, that you commit to finishing the goals by the end of the first quarter. I’m sure it won’t take the entire year. I can do this!
And then April 1st rolls around. Damn, how did that get here so fast?
No wonder it’s called April Fools Day. You’re among the other fools who thought you could actually finish all that stuff by now.
Those 20 pounds (and maybe a few more) are still there. You’re still craving a nicotine stick after every meal. And you’re no closer to adding “author of” to your bio than you were in November.
Making the resolution to “Write my book this year” — and actually starting in January — sets you up for a big, fat piece of failure pie. Why?
January is the start of everything for the new year. It’s the new fiscal year for most businesses. There’s all that other stuff you want to accomplish that starts on Day 1 of the year. You’ve got holiday shopping debt on your mind. You might be still hung over from December 31st. And, this time, we’re starting a whole new decade! Yikes!
Commitment is what carries you through to completion for any goal you set. Deciding to finally write your book sounds more like a “have to” than a “want to”. True commitment sounds more like, “I know what I have to share is going to help someone . . . lots of someones. And I know I have what it takes to write a great book that will change people’s lives.”
Add to that a heaping helping of momentum, and you’ve set yourself up for success.
Momentum is that mojo you fire up well before you really get going with something. It’s that revved up mental energy that screams, “I’m so freaking ready to do this! Nothing is going to stop me!”
Now, that’s what I’m talking about!
These two secret weapons — commitment and momentum — fuel the success of your goals. But you’ve got to start early, earlier than you think you need to, earlier than you feel 100 percent ready, earlier than you did last year, and the year before that.
January will be here before you know it. There’s no doubt you’re committed to writing the book this go-round. It’s time to get the momentum going now.
So, what are you going to do?
Anita R. Henderson is CEO of The Write Image, LLC and creator of Write Your Life. Known as The Author’s Midwife, her work with high performers has resulted in multiple bestselling and award-winning books and has helped authors grow their media and online visibility, speaker platforms, industry credibility, and overall confidence in their ability to write a compelling, high-quality book and leverage it in their business or career.