Something I’ve noticed myself doing lately is making excuses. Why I don’t work out more, why I don’t eat better, why I haven’t finished that 3rd book (I’m working on it!!!), why… why… why… why…
I always have an answer, mind you, but it occurred to me today that, despite how legitimate those reasons are, they really are just excuses. And I’m as guilty as anyone of making those.
The biggest thing I was guilty of with this was with my writing.
Don’t get me wrong – I have my books NOW, but for a long time, I listened to all those reasons, and never pushed forward with my craft. It’s why I was almost nearly 40 before my first book came out when I’ve actively loved writing for much longer than that.
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I’ll never make it.
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It’s so hard to ever make it big.
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I’m a single mom (or dad).
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I have a baby/toddler/child/teenager/grandchild.
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I work all the freaking time.
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I don’t work enough.
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I’m too old.
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I’m too young.
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No one would read my stories.
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I’m stressed out because of X, Y, or Z.
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My character stopped talking to me.
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I don’t know where to start.
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I don’t know how to end.
My darlings, I’m here to tell you that these? Each one of these? They’re excuses that you tell yourself to keep you from doing what you really want to do.
In this case, that would be writing.
So, to borrow the catch phrase from an athletic shoe company… Just do it
Make time. Write. Practice. Get better. Grow. Even if you take just 30 minutes a day – write only one PAGE a day – you’re doing more than the person who’s sitting there telling themselves why they CAN’T do it.
If you write one page every day for a year, at the end of the year, you’ll have a 365 page novel. Bully for you!
If your excuse is you don’t know what to do next? That’s another excuse you can check off of there. There are tons of resources out there, ways to help you figure out where to go next, what to do.
Or, hell, you’re reading this! Give me a shout. I can’t hold your hand through the whole process, but I’m happy to give you some tips on what worked for me. I won’t do it for you, but I’ll be more than happy to give you some direction.
Just remember, my darlings… You’ve got this.
If you really want something, don’t let self-doubt give you pause. Sally forth, and grab it with both hands. What’s 30 minutes out of an entire day? An hour? Especially when it could mean you achieving your dreams…