Have you noticed how most people go through life? Have you noticed how most people operate in this world? They put fires down.
What I mean by “putting fires down” is that they let emergencies dictate their day, their week, their year, and their life. They want to write a book, start a business, or travel around the world with their family, but they get caught up in emergencies. They get engaged in urgencies and then, one day, they wake up and realize life is almost over. They realize the book they wanted to write is just another dream on the bottom of the long lost dreams pile. Yes, it’s hard to think about that scenario, not to mention living it, but this is what happens when you put fires down instead of making your dreams a priority.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to wake up one day in the future and realize your dream of writing a book is still just a dream. It doesn’t have to happen because you have the power to create your own future. If you wish to avoid that moment, you need to start thinking and working toward getting your book done. Today.
Many people contact me and tell me writing a book is “very important to them.” This sounds very promising, but when the rubber meets the road and it comes to acting upon their dream and to invest in themselves, they back off. You see, most people get stuck at some point because desires and actions are two different things. Taking action can be anything from blocking time in your colander, finding an accountability partner, or hiring a publishing coach or a ghostwriter. It means investing time and money in yourself, and that’s not always easy.
More than that, writing a book can be scary. Writing a book will force you to deal with your demons, and most people spend a lifetime trying to avoid that. Writing a book will bring up all the self-doubt, insecurities, and fear you hold inside and it will make you feel as if getting it done is a huge mistake. It might even feel like a suicide mission because speaking your truth can be as scary as hell.
The thing is, the universe has its own way of trying to protect you from making mistakes and getting hurt, so it activates fear and doubt. It has good intentions, but sometimes, listening to those voices will make you miss the point. The universe tries to keep you in your “safe-zone” so people don’t criticize you and you don’t get hurt. Because writing a book is all about playing big, speaking your truth, and helping others, and because it’s about connecting to your soul-mission on this planet and leaving a legacy, you will bump into roadblocks.
Unfortunately, when you BELIEVE the self-doubt, insecurities, and fear, you will never be able to finish writing your book. It’s simply too scary. And that’s why people say “writing a book is very important to me,” but they never get it done.
It is a well-known fact that highly successful people choose to put their attention on the things that are IMPORTANT to them rather than dealing with urgencies and putting down fires. They make their goals and dreams a priority because they know that’s what will advance their career and /or life goals. They understand that the most important goals a person could have, such as writing a book, will never be an urgent matter and therefore they choose to make it a PRIORITY. They know that writing a book will never be an emergency and that’s why they need to make a conscious decision to put it on top of their list.
Writing a book is never urgent - you will not starve or die if you don’t write a book and that’s why it makes it hard to decide to invest in such a project. However, there’s a price you pay for concentrating on fires rather than things that are important to you, and you might wake up one day wondering where time went and why you never made yourself and your dreams a priority.
These are the questions you need to ask yourself when the urge to write a book kicks in. There are no right or wrong answers, and it’s all about getting clear on your priorities:
1. On a scale from 1-10, where 1 is “writing a book is not a priority” and 10 is “I’m fully committed to writing my book,” where are you?
2. Am I willing to do whatever it takes to get this book done (invest time, money, etc.)?
3. Is investing in myself and my writing as important to me as fixing my water heater when it breaks or my roof when it leaks?
If the answers are any different than 10, yes, and yes, then writing a book is not a priority for you and most chances you will never get it done.
These questions will help you be honest with yourself and know where you stand. If writing a book is not a priority, then you know it’s time to put your attention on other things that are truly important to you. If it is a priority, then go ahead and do whatever it takes to get it done. Invest in yourself, invest in your dreams, and invest in your future.
Get your book done. You have what it takes!