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Before you start a task, whether it’s writing, working out, or even organizing a closet, take a moment and think about what you want the outcome of the task to be. Setting your intent beforehand helps clarify the task in your mind, allowing you to focus on it more. Your brain will automatically work in that direction and try to determine ways for you to get that outcome. Some of the ideas you come up with may surprise you!
If you need to write a scene that you’d like to be deeply emotional or perhaps a descriptive one, think about that before you start. If it’s a scene that should be filled with compelling action, focus on that outcome for a moment. If you are going to do a challenging workout, remember how you want to feel at the end of it.
State your intent out loud. Setting your intent ahead of time will provide better results. Give it a try and let us know how it works for you!
How many hours are in your day? A measly 24? Do you ever wish there could be one or two extra squeezed in so that when the words are coming fast and furious you wouldn’t have to stop? Or that there would always be an extra minute to prepare a healthy, homemade dinner or shine the sink?
Even though we can’t give you more hours, we can make a few suggestions to make the most of the ones you’ve got – both for you and your family.
A lot of times we want things to be perfect – both the words on the page and what we do to support our family. Last week I had a bad night and couldn’t even pull it together to order carry out. We had a dinner of chicken nuggets, leftover pizza, carrot sticks and apple slices. And my kids and husband were so happy – nothing gourmet or fancy but we were all together and that’s what counts. It’s the same with writing – sometimes it’s just about putting the time in and getting the words down on the page. And even though you may not feel inspired, be happy and proud that you made it happen!
Take a breath. That’s one of the quickest ways to stay in the present moment. When you’re writing, be there (not flipping over to check email, FB or Twitter). Stay on the page, in the scene. And when you’re with your family, really be there. When you wash your hands, be in that exact moment. The present moment is all we’ve really got, so you might as well cherish it.
Celebrate with everyone! I have two young kids and they’ve watched me on this journey. Long before I got ‘the call’ I’d promised them a night at our favorite local hotel when I got the deal. They were really excited for me when the call finally came but also really excited in general to celebrate. It became a time for the whole family to be together and enjoy the moment. It made the whole experience so much sweeter.
So enjoy every moment you’ve got.
Have you ever had a goal that was so big, so far out there, that it didn’t seem like it could ever come true? I think we all have at one time or another. But I’ve realized a certain kind of magic occurs when you passionately believe in something that doesn’t yet exist.
Our subconscious seems to be working toward that goal even when you don’t realize it, noodling around the possibilities, trying to find a path for us. We find ourselves making choices throughout the day that automatically align us with our dream, sometimes unknowingly. Thinking about our dream, visualizing that seemingly impossible end result, makes us feel good, so we do it even more. Then the universe steps in to help, providing us with a chance meeting with just the right opportuity to move us closer to our goal. And as we draw nearer and we start to realize that all these things are lining up to provide us with a direct route, we take even more action. The snowball effect at work!
As writers, I think this is a particular gift we have. We believe in our stories and characters enough to spend six to nine months (sometimes over a year!) to bring them to life . And sometimes we don’t even know if anyone other than a critique partner or our moms will read them. So take that ability and put it toward your dream!
Dr. Wayne Dyer encourages us all to passionately believe in something that doesn’t yet exist. That might be writing a book, hitting the NYT Bestseller List, or recovering from an illness. Whatever it is for you, believe in it passionately with energy, and you’ll be amazed at the results.
Please take a moment and share what it is that doesn’t yet exist for you! And then don’t forget to come back and tell us about it when it happens! 
In the midst of the holidays, as the year winds down and winter settles in, it can be a challenge to think about ‘thriving’ as a writer or in any other aspect of your life. When really it would be so much easier to hunker down and zone out with some junk TV and a big bowl of your favorite comfort food (hello, my good friends Ben & Jerry).
But this is the time to plant the seed for your future success. To manifest the life you want by the actions you take. Right now. Lana and I talk a lot about baby steps and little bits of progress because that’s what works for us. What works for you?
One of the most important things we’ve learned about what it means to thrive is that it’s personal to each of us. You get to create your life on your own terms. It’s waiting for you in every moment. For me, it was the deep knowing that I was a writer. No matter what. Ups and downs. Successes and challenges. Nothing changed my inner belief. And that gave me a sense of peace that no outward praise, encouragement, or even ‘the call’ when it came, could do. I can celebrate the success and learn from the obstacles and still be ‘me’ the whole time.
The best me I can. The one who thrives every day.
Several times each day, we are presented with opportunities. These are simple choices but can make all the difference in the pursuit of our goals whether that be completing a manuscript or exercising. I can certainly attest to the siren call of laundry or vacuuming over writing. But how about remembering that each time you choose to put away the dishes instead of pursuing your goal, you missed an opportunity?
Before giving yourself permission to complete that mundane chore, spend 15 minutes pursuing your dream. Set the timer, and for 15 solid minutes, write. When the timer dings, then you can do that chore. Just think what you could accomplish if you made this choice a few times each day!
Ask yourself – what can I do today to move closer to my dream? Now go set your timer for 15 minutes!
So next time you decide to dust, use the opportunity to get 15 minutes toward your dream. You won’t believe how great it feels!
This blog post comes to us courtesy of fellow thriving writer, Jodi Anderson.
A writer has stories only they can tell, for characters only they can bring to life, and who is, hopefully, surrounded by amazing, encouraging women who will not allow them to turn their back on their awe inspiring, one-of-a-kind talent with words.
So given that definition, how about it? Are you a writer? I say, yes!
Building your dream is much like building a house. You have to work on it every day, not just when your muse strikes. Each brick you lay, each sentence you write, puts you closer to your goal. Steady progress is the answer. There’s no quick fix, no easy answer. There’s no way around the time you need to spend with your butt in the chair. You have to work at it even on your off days.
Despite the times when it feels as though our dream is out of reach, like a destination we can’t see from here, you’ve got to keep your eye on the prize. The prize might be the end of the next chapter, the end of the book, or the publishing contract you’ve been waiting for. You get to decide that part.
Building dreams takes careful planning. It’s nothing you can do half-way. Much like the building of a house with a solid foundation, each scene has a purpose and every character is well defined.
So how do you make it through all this work and drudgery?
Before you sit down to write, put a huge smile on your face. Change your language – instead of saying ‘I have to write’, say ‘I get to write’. Lucky me! Take a moment to visualize your fingers flying over the keyboard, of the words pouring out onto the page. Feel that amazing sensation when you know you have that scene right, when you’re feeling the angst and longing your characters are feeling, when you’re simply typing what they’re telling you to, fast and furiously! You can’t wait to see what happens next! Make yourself a checklist for the week of the page count you hope to achieve each day, and when you reach it, congratulate yourself. Share your successes with friends. Celebrate all the mini-milestones along your path!
Enjoying the journey is a huge part of building dreams. It gives us the energy and perseverance to continue, step-by-step towards the end result. Stay true, my friend. Together, we can achieve miracles!
Tell the truth: have you ever considered quitting writing? Shutting off your computer for good—or at least bellying up only to check email and Facebook? Reclaiming your house, your sleep schedule and possibly your sanity? Maybe you’ve even announced to your family that you’ve put the muse on the shelf for good.
What stops you when the doubts and demons creep in? Your passion for writing, your goals and determination?
Okay, what stops you on the other 364 days? For me it’s the amazing circle of women writers in my life. Because of our schedules, we stay in touch mainly online with an occasional lunch or weekend conference but their friendship, support, and sometimes the rear-end prodding mean the absolute world to me. We keep each other going and in this crazy, roller coaster journey, I can tell you that I would have thrown in the towel years ago without them. They are truly soul sisters.
If you don’t have that in your life, go find it. Now. Join a critique group, a local writers group. Go to meetings, conferences. Meet and talk to people until you find your perfect fit. Writers can be shy, solitary creatures by nature but I can guarantee that putting yourself out there will be so worth it.
And if you haven’t already, tell the non-writers in your life about your work. You’d be surprised at the reaction you get from people. Once you’ve been writing for a while, the shiny new feeling wears off. It becomes work sitting your butt in the chair which it is and that’s fine. But you’d be surprised at how many people out there want to write a book or have another passion they haven’t pursued and just the fact that you’ve been brave enough to make it happen is a big deal. It is so celebrate yourself for that. Better yet, celebrate with your soul sisters!
I grew up on a dairy farm in the Mid-West. Life on a farm is a challenging one – lots of hard work and long days. And then there’s the weather. On more than one occassion, I performed my own version of a rain dance with the hope of helping my family’s crops grow. My own children have been known to perform a ’snow dance’ with the hope of a day off from school. These sort of things don’t always work, but sometimes they do, and they almost always make you feel better.
When is the last time you did a happy dance? I would argue that these are far more successful than the other two types of dances I mentioned. While we might automatically perform a happy dance when we receive good news, I would highly recommend that you perform this dance several times a day EVERY day. Be verbal with it. Get physical. Do it for a minimum of 16 seconds. Try it while you’re stopped at the traffic light. Try it in the shower. Try it while you’re sitting at your desk chair. Try it just before you start writing.
The power of this dance is unbelievable. It elevates your mood, raises your energy vibration, and brings good things into your life. Before you know it, you start expecting good things to happen – and guess what? They do! I challenge you to try happy dancing three times each day for ten days. Keep us posted on how it works for you!
Sometimes I imagine what life would be like, my writing life anyway, if I lived alone on a mountaintop. Just me, my laptop and an inexhaustible supply of Oreos. Think of what I could accomplish. The productivity. The creativity. But that isn’t my life. It isn’t the life of most writers. We balance jobs, families, friend, stacks of laundry and all the stuff that makes our lives full. Really, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Heck, yes, I want a career, a best seller, the whole bit. And I want my life too. All of it. But sometimes it can be a challenge to carve out the time for writing in the midst of everything else.
That’s where the 15 minute solution can help. Lana and I took a great online class on producing multiple books a year by a wonderful author Kerri Nelson. Kerri shared some of her secrets to productivity (if you’re interested in the class check out http://redriverromancewriters.com/workshops.php).
I learned a lot from Kerri but the most life changing has been an investment in a simple digital timer. Set it for 15 minutes at a time and I can write at least a page in that short amount of time. No matter what is going on in my day, I can find 15 minutes. Sometimes four or five times. While writing in bite-size chunks may not be for everyone, it makes the work manageable, fun and something I can accomplish every day. No matter what.
Try it for yourself. I think you’ll like it.
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