Just Do IT

Yeah, yeah, yeah--there's some sort of sports product that says that as well.

Just do it.

Now, the slogan is referring to getting out there and taking on the world in sports--providing you wear their gear ;).  I'm stealing it as a life quite (borrowing...only borrowing ;)).

Most of us live in a state of longing, "Life would be better IF...." fill in the blank: I could lose the weight, I made more money, I had a bigger house, better job, was better at betting on the ponies. A lot of these "IF"s revolve around things we'd like to do--but can't (usually because of time). Write a book. Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

Pretty much it's a bunch of hooey. 

In the first grouping, those things aren't going to make you a happier person by themselves. You might have more things, but if your happiness is only based on external items or actions or perceptions of others--you are always going to be chasing the next thing. Gotta come from inside YOU or you'll never have enough to be happy.

The second group, the "I wish I had time to....." are also hooey. Massive Hooeyness.

We all have the same amount of time, and most of us are far more busy than we'd like. Yet, somehow we all think WE'RE far busier than everyone else and that's why we can't just do it--just go for our dreams.

Grand master hooey of epic proportions!

If you want to do something, you find the time. I've said it here many many times, but it needs repeating (as I again had someone say, "I wish I had time to write."). You make time, you find a way, you do whatever needs to be done to get your vision, your words, your WORLDS out there. Doesn't have to be writing, it can be anything that your heart needs. While I have not, nor do I want to--ever-- climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, my sister has. She's also gone to Antarctica and even kayaked there--why? Because she wanted to! 

You MAKE IT HAPPEN. Don't give into fear (Chuck Wendig talks about fear far better- and with more swear words-than I can- http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2017/02/21/writers-are-best-when-theyre-always-on-the-edge-of-failure/).

This is your life, if it speaks to you, find a way.

Just do it! And along the way, celebrate all the steps of the journey :).


PLUG! Okay, so in just doing it, I have ended up with a great book release party at the most awesome bookstore in the land, Mysterious Galaxy! http://www.mystgalaxy.com/event/marie-andreas-signs-san-diego

AND if you can't be there- up through the 24th- you can order a signed and personalized copy and have it mailed to you! 

http://www.mystgalaxy.com/upstream-our-universe-marie-andreas

#IWSG- Where do we go from here?

Welcome to another monthly installment of the Insecure Writers Support Group. A band of intrepid writers from across the land who gather monthly to share, hopes, dreams, and fears.

Join us! http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

I've been thinking about the next step for my writing career. Just writing isn't enough, we also need to be marketing, be worried about ROI above all, and monetarily break up our time (so we know how much we're losing by doing certain things instead of others). There's also trying to figure out how to make ads and newsletters. 

It seems like everywhere I turn, there is something else that "must" be done. You HAVE to have a blog OR you shouldn't have a blog-it takes away too much time and therefore not a good ROI. I feel that at any moment someone is going to come up and tell me the secret to being a successful author is to be able to rub my tummy while patting my head and chewing gum.

AKA- there is ALWAYS something else to do to succeed (beyond writing ;)).

I'm all for goals, and yes, I would love to make more money at my writing--but it seems that as of late I've been spending too much energy on all of that. Or at least trying to figure that all out.

I need to find a way to balance, to move my career forward, but not lose what I love to do. If anyone out there has some clues to obtaining that balance, please share!

Happy IWSG Day!