Hit the Reset.Time to Grow Up
It's been 2 years since my last post. So let's start with the excuses:
I was in my senior year of collegeToo much homeworkToo much studyingNot enough time60 hour weeks at workToo tiredEyes burn at the end of the dayCan't thinkSingle MomDisabled childSchool problemsHelp with homeworkDoctor's appointmentsNot enough timeNot enough energyNot enough to write aboutToo much to doToo many projectsTime ManagementNot enough willpowerNot enough motivation- Wrong goals
Okay, no more excuses. I'm back. I started off strong in 2014 which lasted about...2 weeks. Then I got too busy. Again. I stopped posting content. In fact, I didn't post a single letter to any of my sites, nor WA, from July 2014 to January of 2016 (I even let my membership lapse). And during all of that down time of ignoring my dreams, I made $308.97 from the work I had done at the beginning of 2014. It's quite ironic to me that the year I did the very least (literally zero effort), I made the most.
Tonight, I've crossed out all of the excuses. They're just excuses. It all boils down to one thing, my goals were lacking. My goal for 2014 was for Kyle and Carson to fly me to Vegas. Decent enough goal, but it wasn't a SMART goal. It wasn't specific enough. It wasn't as timely as it needed to be. It didn't keep me thinking about content. I didn't set any goals for 2015...which is precisely why I didn't DO anything in 2015. And here we are in 2016. New year, new goals.
My new goals are to publish one post 6 times a week. That's just one a day. That's specific and totally attainable. I have 3 websites. I will post to each twice a week. I did that successfully this week. So I know it's attainable. It doesn't take too long at all once I know what I'm going to write about. And since I started posting this week, I've found I actually have a ton to write about. I have posts for one site planned out through the end of next month. I have hundreds of videos I can post and write about on another site. And the third site is about my son...who gives me content every single day. That really can't be an excuse. It's simply not true. I have plenty of content, I just need to sit down and write it out. Easy peazy, lemon squeezy.
The income from my sites has been low. But now I can see that it's solely because my efforts have been low. Last year was proof of that. I made more than my first 2 years combined without lifting a finger. But if I hadn't done that work before, I wouldn't have made it at all. It was proof, yet again, that this stuff really does work. The graph at the top of this post is proof also. My numbers started climbing back up immediately when I started posting again. So now I'm determined to make it happen. My long term goal is to make Kyle and Carson take me to Vegas. But my focus is going to stay on my short term goal. I have a post to write and get published by tomorrow. No more excuses, just git er done.
So if I can offer anybody any advice, it's simple. Make a SMART goal. Keep your eyes on that goal and just do it. Quit listening to the doubts and naysayers that question if it's really possible for you. Anything's possible for anybody. But it's up to you to make it happen, nobody else can do that for you. Just buckle down and make it happen.
Good luck!
Recent Comments
6
There are a lot of "I can do it posts" on WA. Yours feels authentic. I love the fact that you have mapped your future posts for the next month. That is the key. You need to have a plan. And, then work the plan. The worst thing is to know you have to write everyday and not have a clue about what you should write about. Keep your forward looking post plan up to date. And then just work the plan.
You shoud be honest and assess whether 6 posts a week is realistic. ...not saying it isn't, but only you know your life demands. Set yourself up for success. You can always exceed expectations!
Since I loathe personal public embarrassment (for myself) I would also suggest that you do weekly posts here on your progress to plan. It might help motivate you. Then again, you aren't me!
Keep going. Keep moving forward. Good luck!
Thank you, I very much appreciate the feedback. I did six posts this week and as long as I have a plan for my writing, I'm pretty sure I can make it happen. I had to start planning posts because I would think of one and three more would pop up. That's a problem that always gets me sidetracked and away from writing...chasing my ideas down and not following through on any of them. I'm going to fix that this year. I'm updating my planner with which post I will write on which day and planning ahead. The ideas get written down too, and followed up on when I'm done with my post for the day.
I think posting here once a week is also a great idea. I will try to do that as well. (Writing that down on my calendar now). Home life just changed drastically and I'm finding I have a bit more own time now since I finished college and am now homeschooling my son. Now it's just a matter of keeping myself disciplined enough to stay on track with my plans. Thanks for your suggestions, I really appreciate it.
No problem. think about what a blessing it is to have three ideas pop in your head. Just write them down. Schedule for later. Edit out the ones that are less worthy. And write the ones that are great. Good luck.
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Fantastic post, great to meet you - and good luck with your goals now! Welcome back :)