I’m going to write a book.  It’s a dream of mine.

This is something I’ve wanted to do for years, and now I’m going to make it happen.

I want to experience more healing and awakening from what my life has revealed to me.

I’m making a strong declaration to write this book and to tell you.  Putting it in writing will help manifest it into being a reality.

[Tweet “Sharing your dream publicly gives you rocket fuel to blast through your fears and make it happen. “]

What am I doing to ensure my success in actually getting writing done?  I took a writing workshop in March with Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild.

I’m currently taking a memoir class to learn the structure of stories.  I will continue to take classes and work 1:1 with the instructor of that class to learn how to write a book.  I gave myself a firm and loving commitment.

Do I get nervous about this project?  Heck yes!  

When I listen to writers talk about how long it took to write their book or how many books they’ve written that were rejected, my inner critic says, “You’ll never be able to do this.”

Then I notice my higher-self saying, “You can always hire an editor help you so that you can make it happen.”

If I let fear or my inner critic win, I would never attempt this project. 

I won’t let my dream slip away.  Writing a book feels like it’s on my path.

I’ve made a promise to myself that I won’t reject myself before an agent or publisher rejects me.  Rejecting myself would look like giving up, becoming overwhelmed, losing interest, or procrastinating.  I want to learn how to write

I always think about what is the worst case scenario if I spend time and effort and I can’t get a book published?  This answer is that I self-publish.  That is a great option too!

What stops you from attempting to make your dream a reality?

Could it be that …

• You care too much about what other people think instead of what you want to do?
• You hide by procrastinating, doing busy work, saying you don’t have enough time, feeling overwhelmed, or trying to do it perfectly and giving up.
• You listen to your ego – your little self – and you believe what it tells you — you aren’t good enough or who do you think you are to _______and stop yourself from even starting.
• You let fear dominate your decision instead of going for courage and taking small action steps to make it happen.
• You don’t want your freedom badly enough to try so you live an ordinary life.

I want to you feel as if you lived an extraordinary life because you can do this.

How to make your dream a reality:

John Norcross, author of Changeology: 5 Steps to Realizing Your Goals and Resolutions, recommends the following five steps to make your goals happen:

1)   Make small changes to your behavior.

I have a busy schedule so I could use that as an excuse not to write.  Instead I am getting up at 6 am in the morning to write for at least an hour every day.  

If you change your routine to make your goal (dream) a priority then you can do it.

2) Define SMART goals. Make your goals using the SMART acronym: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-specific.

I’m not going to give myself a deadline on when this book gets written but what I’m doing right now is to continue study with my writing teacher.  I need to know where I’m going with my writing before I launch into the actual writing of the book. So I’m specifically going to take writing classes in the summer and fall, and by November I will have a book proposal written.

3) Track your progress. You can use your calendar to monitor your progress.

I’m going to start writing 1000 words three days a week as a goal.  

Norcross calls this technique self-monitoring.

4) Reward small achievements.  This is important and I use this with my clients.  When they set a goal, I ask them what will they do to reward themselves.  Don’t skip this step!

When my book proposal gets accepted, I will buy myself a Jamie Joseph ring.  This would be a special gift to myself that I would be proud to have for doing this work.

When you reward yourself, it will help you to stay focused and  excited about your goal.

5) Make it public. When you share your goal with family or friends then it helps you stay accountable.

Now you know that I am being accountable to not only myself but all of you know my goal;)

Norcross says this can help you stay on track.

Go easy on yourself if you miss a few action steps.  Martha Beck has a handy way of keeping people on track in her book – The Four-Day Win: End Your Diet Wars and Achieve Inner Peace.  You take your goal and divide it in two.  So if you want to work out 4 days a week, start with two days a week.  You chunk your goal down to do something every four days.  Then you reward yourself with something small every four days you stayed on track with your goal.  At the end of the month, if you’ve stayed on track, give yourself a bigger reward.

What is your dream and are you willing to share it here?  

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Photo credit: Gnuckx