Dream Big, Set Goals, Take Action - Wendy H. Jones
As I write my blog post on the 1st of every month, the first blog of the year always falls to me. It's an honour to set the blog on its way for another year, with a rousing rally cry for the year ahead. I love standing on the cusp of a new year where every day is a blank page waiting for the stories of our lives. As you can imagine, this New year does not feel quite the same. The past year has been somewhat taxing and as 31st December 2020 hands over to 1st December 2021, most of the UK, and indeed much of the rest of the world, is in lockdown. Many people are probably thinking - what is there to be happy about?
However, I believe this is a chance for us to look at our writing business and our writing itself, evaluating where we have been, where we are at present and where we would like to take it in the future. Much of the first lockdown saw most of us in a daze but that has largely worn off now and we can see things much more clearly. This is a perfect time to take stock and take action.
Dream Big
I think we should dream big and especially so this year. Grab a piece of paper right now and write down your writing dreams for the year. Heck, don't just make them big, expand them, and then expand them some more and make them ginormous dreams. They may seem impossible but how do you know that? Write them down large and pin them somewhere you can see them daily. Read then regularly until they are a part of every fibre of your being.
Set Goals
Write down your goal for the year. Then break this down into monthly goals. Then break the down into weekly goals and then daily goals. How do you eat an elephant? (I'm not advocating this, it's a saying. No elephants were harmed in the writing of this blog.) One bite at a time. How do you reach your goals? One step at a time. How do you realise your dreams? One tiny goal at a time.
Take Action
Here's the clincher; you cannot just write things down, you need to take action. Put the necessary steps in place to be able to meet your sub goals each day. If this involves blocking time off in your diary - do it. If it involves getting up thirty minutes early - do it. If it involves palming the kids off for an hour a day - do it. Okay, maybe not that one at the moment as you'll fall foul of lockdown rules. If it involves writing a certain number of words per day - do it. They say actions speak louder than words; in this case actions can lead to many, many words.
So, to you my writing friends, I do wish you a very Happy New Year. I wish you a year where you are healthy, wealthy, wise and writing up a veritable storm. My prayer for you is that your publications will be many, your goals will be met and your dreams realised. Remember you are precious and you've got this. No matter what is going on in the world, you are still a writer. Embrace it and make the most of 2021. Make it your year to do extraordinary things.
About the Author
Wendy H Jones is the Amazon #1 international best-selling author of the award winning DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries. Her Young Adult Mystery, The Dagger’s Curse was a finalist in the Woman Alive Readers Choice Award. She is also The President of the Scottish Association of Writers, an international public speaker, and runs conferences and workshops on writing, motivation and marketing. Wendy is the founder of Crime at the Castle, Scotland’s newest Crime Festival. She is the editor of a Lent Book, published by the Association of Christian Writers and also the editor of the Christmas Anthology from the same publisher. Her first children's book, Bertie the Buffalo, was released in December 2018. Motivation Matters: Revolutionise Your Writing One Creative Step at a Time, was released in May 2019. The Power of Why: Why 23 Women Took the Leap to Start Their Own Business was released on 29th June, 2020. Marketing Matters: Sell More Books was realised on 31st July 2020. Bertie Goes to the Worldwide Games and the third book in the Fergus and Flora Mysteries will be published in 2021. Her new membership Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy launches in January 2021.
Thank you, Wendy, for your encouragement and friendship. I have already made a list and most of the items involve writing. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year. All the very best for your writing in 2021
DeleteVeggie here. Ok. Put the elephant down!
DeleteSorry, I promise the Elephant is safe and well 😂
DeleteGreat motivation, Wendy, thank you. Writing plans are percolating! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year and all the very best with those writing plans.
DeleteThe question, 'How do you eat an elephant?' is going to stay with me. It does so often feel like that when you look at what you'd like to achieve but what it will take to get you there. Happy New Year and have fun with nibbling away at that trunk and those ears, Wendy ;)
ReplyDeleteI will have vegetarians worldwide on my case 😂
DeleteHow to take our minds off all that is disheartening! :-)
ReplyDeleteWe do need something good to focus on 😁
DeleteGreat encouragement and practical advice! Will write down your suggestions Wendy and act on them!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I'm so glad you found the blog useful
DeletePutting the starch in our writing collars, Wendy! This year, I will be writing down my dreams and actually believing in them.
ReplyDeleteYou absolutely should. You should be dreaming huge dreams
DeleteWhat a lovely inspiring post at the start of a new year! Thank you Wendy x
ReplyDeleteThank you, I'm glad you found it inspiring.
DeleteJust what the doctor ordered!
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it helpful
DeleteThank you, Wendy. Writing is one thing we can do more of under the restrictions of this last- and so far this- year; and I think I did, but prayerfully dreaming big was a useful reminder - thank you. I need to focus on the dreams, set goals and just do it. Thank you for the kick up the proverbial. x
ReplyDeleteMay your dreams be prayerfully ginormous
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