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The Responsibility to Write

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I woke up this morning, took the dog out, did my journaling and mindset practice… but I didn’t want to write. Right after I finish my journaling is when I usually sit down and write my blog post for the day and then work on some fiction (or whatever book project I have going on).

But today, I didn’t feel like it.

I had nothing to say. I couldn’t think of any ideas. And it’s GORGEOUS out today. It’s a beautiful spring day in Western NY and the temperature is 63. In March!! SO not the usual for us this early in the year. Usually we’re buried in snow for another two months.

But today, it’s beautiful.

Surely this kind of weather in the beginning of March can be an excuse for not doing my writing for the day. I did my writing for the last two days, so I don’t need to do it today.

And besides, I don’t feel like it.

But, wait.

What’s that?

This nagging voice inside… telling me that I need to. That even though I don’t feel like it, it’s my responsibility to sit down to the page and show up. 

Even if I don’t feel like it.

But, UGH!!! I have nothing to say! I’m out of ideas. I’ve written enough this week!

And yet, the voice nags on…

You’re a writer. You were BORN to write. So you have a RESPONSIBILITY to SHOW UP every day and do the writing. 

Writers who are born to write are messengers for the world. They have ideas and stories and stuff inside that needs to be unleashed—that people NEED to hear. And it’s IRRESPONSIBLE and WRONG to keep that stuff to yourself. To hoard it and not bring it out into the world where it rightly belongs. 

Your community, your readers, your people need to hear those stories, those ideas, those messages. They’re waiting to hear them. Waiting for the moment when you come along and write something that changes their lives. That makes them think. That entertains them. That causes them to wake up and take action in their own lives because they’re so inspired, motivated and blown away by that little piece of writing you put out into the world. 

These stories and ideas came to you for a reason. They CHOSE you. 

Because you’re the one who’s meant to channel them from stories and ideas and messages in your head, to words on the page. 

And by NOT writing, you’re doing a disservice to all of the people who need to hear from you. Who wake up and the first thing they do is wonder what you have to say today. Who check their emails every morning, looking for a blog post from you.

Who are DISAPPOINTED when they don’t find one. 

Because your community, your readers, your fans WANT to hear from you. They want to hear what you have to say. They need to hear it. So they can keep going. So they can put one foot in front of the other today. So they can stay focused on their dream life and creating it for themselves.

Are you really going to DENY them of what they need by not writing today?

OK—I get it! Loud and clear.

I must write. I must write every day. I must write and create and unleash what’s inside me. The stories, the ideas, the messages. 

Even when I don’t feel like it.

Even when I don’t have the time.

Even when it’s the last thing I want to do.

I must write. I must write for those who need to hear from me. For those who are motivated, inspired and empowered in their own lives by reading my words.

So I take the dog for a walk and I ask a question, out loud, to the Universe: what does my community need to hear from me today? 

And then we walk. Soon after, a phrase comes to me… the responsibility to write. 

Now I’m getting impatient. Dog—stop smelling everything in sight! We need to get back home so I can write. The words are piling up in my head with every step we take.

Responsibility to write… You must… It’s a non-negotiable when you’re born to write…

Back in the apartment, I sit at my computer, open my doc and let the words flow.

What comes out is this post. This post that I didn’t want to write. That I didn’t even feel like writing.

But I wrote it anyhow. Because that’s what a pro writer does.

And you’re a pro writer, aren’t you?

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How do you get inspired to write when you don’t feel like it?

 

What Stories Are You Telling Yourself?

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As writers and storytellers, we’re often thinking about the fictional stories we want to tell and the fictional reality we want to create for our characters. 

But we don’t often think about the fictional stories that we’re telling ourselves. The fictional programming we’ve had since childhood that’s creating our lives and our realities right at this very moment.

While the fictional stories we want to tell are important, what’s more important is the fictional stories we’re telling ourselves.

Because it’s THOSE stories that are causing us to either have it all or have nothing. To love ourselves and our lives or to dislike all of the above.

You may not realize it because it’s a mostly subconscious thing, but there are stories you’ve been telling yourself your entire life—or that you’ve been told your entire life—about the so-called reality of the world and of life and of you.

But here’s the thing… just because you’ve had those stories and told those stories for so long, doesn’t mean you have to keep telling them. Because you don’t.

You can create ANYTHING you set your mind to, and ANYTHING is possible and achievable when your mind believes it is.

ANYTHING!!!

So with that kind of knowledge and that kind of power… what would ever make you think that you have to continue living those old stories that you’re telling yourself? And you know the stories I’m talking about…

  • I’m broke
  • I can’t do this
  • It’s too hard
  • Money is so hard
  • Life is a struggle
  • Writing is a struggle
  • Writers are broke
  • Writers don’t make money
  • Writing isn’t a real career
  • I can’t get paid to do what I love
  • Doing what you love is for retirement
  • I’m fat
  • I’m ugly
  • I’m too old
  • I’m too young
  • I’m not good enough
  • [insert your own BS stories and excuses here]

All of these (and more) are just FICTIONAL STORIES!! They’re made up, bullshit things that you’ve been telling yourself your whole life—or have been told your whole life. BUT—you don’t have to keep CHOOSING to tell this story or to let this programming run in the background of your mind.

You can consciously CHOOSE every single day, to write a new story. To wake the fuck up and realize that you are the only one who creates your reality. YOU. No one else. And no one else has ANY control over you or your life—unless you CHOOSE to give your power and your control over to them.

Life doesn’t happen to you. You DON’T have to live your life just reacting to what’s happening around you.

You can CHOOSE to create the day, week, life, MOMENT that you want to have, right fucking now. You can choose it and you can create it. All you have to do is set your mind to it and not deviate from that thought.

And you do not, do not, DO NOT have to do what everyone else is doing. In fact, you shouldn’t. Even if your best friend is doing it. Even if your siblings are doing it. Even if your parents are doing it. Even if every damn person around you is doing it.

That is their choice—and yes, they are making a choice, even subconsciously—to buy into the bullshit. To believe that reality is what’s true and imagination is what’s fictional.

When the TRUTH IS, it’s the OTHER WAY AROUND!!!!

Your thoughts and beliefs are CAUSE, the current reality you see around you is EFFECT. Which means your imagination and thoughts are what’s actually REAL and your reality is FICTION.

Because you can change and shift your reality anytime you CHOOSE to. You can wake up today and think a new thought and create a new, empowering belief, and act in a different way.

Normal people who know me think I’m out of my damn mind. People tell me on a regular basis that I live in La-La Land. And you know what?

I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!!

Because I KNOW what’s true about the Universe that we live in and I KNOW that living in La-La Land is the ONLY WAY to make your dreams a reality.

Yes, you have to take real, practical and consistent action in your actual physical reality, every single day. BUT—if you can get your mind to your destination first (via your imagination), you WILL see the results you want to see.

It’s literally IMPOSSIBLE for you not to. Because THAT’S HOW IT WORKS!!

If you keep showing up, keep directing your mind to where you want it to go, and stay entirely focused on your dreams and on the goals you have for yourself and your life, you will get there. It’s inevitable.

You just have to find a way to IGNORE everything in your current reality that you don’t like, don’t approve of or don’t want to live as a story anymore.

I get up every single morning and spend 30-60 minutes journaling and creating the reality I want to see in my real life. Over and over and over again programming into my mind and into my beliefs what I know and want to be true for me and my life.

Some might call that insanity. I call it using your power to intentionally create the life you want.

I no longer let life’s little BS get to me. Because I know that will always happen, and it’s my perspective, attitude and choice how I respond to it that really matters.

It’s time to release the old stories. Time to figure out what you actually WANT to see and have happen in your life, and then reprogram any thoughts and beliefs that oppose it.

Because it’s totally up to you. And a belief is just a thought you keep thinking. Which means you can CHANGE IT anytime you CHOOSE TO.

No, it won’t be easy. But it WILL BE easier than continuing to live a life that makes you miserable, depressed and causes you to wonder if this really is all there is.

I’m here to tell you it’s not. Not even close. Because the reality you currently see around you is just a product of—the EFFECT OF—your previous ways of thinking, believing and acting. And your thoughts, beliefs and actions are ALWAYS in your control.

Really, they’re the only things you need to be in control of. Because once you’re in control of your thoughts, beliefs and actions, you can and you will be able to create absolutely ANYTHING you want for yourself and your life.

Even if what you see in your current reality is a million miles away from where you want to be.

That gap can be filled QUICK when you tune into your inner world and connect with the power of your mind. A current reality that looks dire right now can totally transform in a matter of days—even minutes—when you get your mind in the right place.

Transformation does not have to take years and years of your life. Transformation can happen in an instant—if you’re open to it and believe that it’s possible.

Because that’s what it all comes down to. What do you believe is possible? And not just what do you believe is possible, but what, specifically, do you believe is possible for YOU?

Most people won’t take on the responsibility of caring about how they think, what they believe, how they act and how they feel. They won’t because it’s easier to just keep focusing on the negative stuff and to keep telling yourself the same old BULLSHIT stories that you have up to this point.

It’s EASIER.

But really… is it?

Because living a life of struggle, of lack, of limitation, of NOT ENOUGH is one of the HARDEST things I’ve ever lived through. And it made life SUCK.

What I do now is so much easier. I get up every single day and I journal and I set intentions for my day and my life and for who I am and want to be. And then I do the work, I take action and I show up for my dreams. All the while trusting that it will all work out, because it always does.

Do I have days where I get caught up in my current reality and worrying that I’ve lost my mind thinking that things will ever change for me? You bet. We all do. It’s part of being human.

But I REFUSE to stay stuck in that. I REFUSE to let that take over my mind and all the work I do to keep my focus on my dreams and where I want to go.

I REFUSE to live my old stories of struggle, lack, limitation and not enough anymore. I just flat out fucking refuse.

Why?

Because I’m better than that (and so are you). And I know what’s possible when you believe it is. I’ve seen it and I’ve experienced it and I’ve lived it.

And that is what I will continue living. A life of ease. Of flow. Of abundance. Of unlimited possibility and potential. A life where dreams come true, success is inevitable, and I can HAVE IT ALL and ON MY TERMS.

That is the life I CHOOSE to create. And so it is.

#DreamLifeOrBust

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What life are YOU choosing to create? What old stories are you telling yourself? What can you let go of right fucking now? I wanna know! Share in the comments.

How To Become An Amazon Best Selling Author, Write 9 Books In One Year and Take Control of Your Writing Destiny

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Today, my new eBook, The 15-Minute Writer: How To Write Your Book In Only 15 Minutes A Day, became a multi-category best seller on Amazon.

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And not only that.

Today, three of my books were in the top 6 best sellers in the Authorship category.

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This is a BIG deal. Not only because I’m a self-published author, but also because authorship is what I’ve spent the last 8+ years of my life writing about. Since the first day I started my blog back in 2008, I’ve been writing about how to be a productive writer.

To have it pay off like this is just so awesome. And the thing is, NONE of this would’ve happen if I hadn’t done two really important things.

But before I tell you what those things are…

Two years ago I stopped trusting myself. I don’t know what happened. My entire life I’ve always followed my heart and trusted my inner guidance.

But for some reason, two years ago, I stopped trusting it. I started thinking that the answers were all outside me, so I spent months investing in workshops, courses, programs and coaches. All trying to figure out what it was that I was missing. What I hadn’t figured out yet.

That magic bullet that would finally make everything work.

Except I never found it. I found some really great workshops, courses, programs and coaches. But I never found what was missing.

Until a few months ago when I heard a voice that whispered to me, “it’s time.”

It’s time to step up. Time to stop looking outside yourself for the answers. Time to turn fully inward and find the answers there.

That voice was strong and persistent. And for the first time in two years, I decided I was going to listen to it. I wasn’t going to question it, I was just going to listen and act on what it was telling me to do.

It said that I needed to step up and GO BIG. So I decided I’m going to write and publish 9 books in 2016. 

And I was going to keep listening to that inner guidance. No matter what.

It’s my inner guidance that has led me to every book I’ve written so far this year. It was my inner guidance that told me to keep going, to trust that it would all work as long as I continued taking massive action.

And things have just been fucking magic ever since.

So far I’ve written and published three books. Two have become multi-category best sellers on Amazon. I’ve sold more than 1,000 books in a 30-day period. Today, I sold more than 500 books (512 as of this writing!).

Magic.

Which brings me back to my original point… the two things that changed everything for me:

  1. Trusting myself and my intuition
  2. Getting my mind in the game

It all really comes down to those two things. Because I’m honestly not doing anything different, other than writing more books. Why did the 5 books I’d published before the ones this year not make this big of a splash?

Because I wasn’t ready for it. My mind wasn’t there yet. I didn’t believe it was possible.

When I made the decision to write and publish 9 books this year, it was on the tail end of finally overhauling my writing habits, my beliefs and my mindset. And it was that decision–and then stepping up to take massive action on the daily–that caused the rest of what’s unfolded. 

The truth is, you’ll never get anywhere in your writing career–other than spinning your wheels and feeling constantly disappointed–if you don’t get your mind in the game. If you don’t figure out what you want and then set your mind to making it happen.

The truth is, you can have anything you set your mind to. ANYTHING.

But you’ve gotta decide it and you’ve gotta follow those intuitive nudges when you get them.

We’re at a disadvantage, because we aren’t taught to follow our intuition. We’re taught to be realistic and solve problems by looking to the outside.

But none of that will help you create the writing life you’ve been dreaming of. The only thing that will is trusting your gut, taking massive action and up-leveling your mindset. 

Another example, I got an intuitive nudge to write a guest post for Huffington Post, talking about Why I’m Writing and Publishing 9 Books This Year. And I got a commenter who had this to say:

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Now there are two ways I could’ve taken this comment. The first is to freak out and get defensive. To worry that he might be right and second-guess myself and the actions I’m taking.

The second is to realize that this person’s fears and limitations belong to him, and not to me. And rather than engage with it, I needed to see it as a sign to keep going. 

I chose option two.

But being able to make that choice stems from the decision I made a few months ago, to step up and be the writer and author I dream of being. And getting my mindset in the right place.

Without those two things, I’d have wasted time arguing with this commenter, trying to prove the point that if I was someone well-known, like Steven Pressfield or J.K. Rowling, he wouldn’t even be questioning me. But I didn’t. I just wished him good luck too and moved on with my day (and, of course, I wrote about it and made a video about it, because that’s what I do).

With those two things, I’m empowered. Empowered to choose. To keep going. To believe that what I’m doing is exactly right for me.

And to know that I’ve fully taken control of my writing destiny.

You want to be a bestselling author, write 9 books in a year and take control of YOUR writing destiny? Start taking massive action every day, follow your gut and get your mind where it needs to be.

And if you do that, your writing career will be, as my Fame and Manifestation buddy, Megan Kopp, always says: Boom. Done. Handled. 

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How do you get your mind in the game? Share in the comments. 

Are you ready to EXPLODE your following, create raving fans and sell more books? Are you willing to step up and do the work that it takes to make it happen? Then let’s work together and DO THIS! Check out my upcoming 4-week virtual workshop: Grow Your Following. Full details here. 

Here’s What You Have to Do to Get What You Really Want

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Not everyone agrees with this statement, but I truly believe we can have anything that we want, no matter what it is.

Really.

But in order to get what you want, there’s something you have to do first. And it’s a biggie.

Without doing this one thing, you may not get exactly what you want. And yeah, sure, you can always accept a consolation prize. Something that’s close to what you want and makes you feel pretty good too.

Except it’s not what you really want, and you deserve to have everything that you want–especially in your writing life.

The problem most writers–and people in general–have is they’re willing to settle, to accept something mediocre in place of what they really want.

I used to be like that too.

How To Not Get What You Want

When I was in college I had a desktop computer that died after a year of buying it, and so I had to buy a new one. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted a Sony Vaio laptop (those were really popular when I was in college).

I knew it was a top-of-the-line computer and that it would last a hell of a lot longer than the refurbished desktop I’d been using. Plus, I wanted a laptop so that I could do my school work and writing wherever I felt like (and not be chained to the desk in my dorm room).

Except when I got to Best Buy to purchase my new laptop… they were out of stock on the Sony Vaio laptops. They had none left in the store.

I was extremely disappointed. But then the sales guy told me that I could buy a Toshiba laptop instead which would be just as good and would cost about half the price of the Sony.

And because I wanted instant gratification–because I wanted to walk out of the store with a laptop that day–I settled. I let him talk me into buying the Toshiba.

Got back to my dorm room, loved the new laptop for a couple weeks… and then it started overheating and shutting down on me without warning, and I kept losing stuff. I spent 3 hours researching and writing an article for the school paper and right before I hit “save” the fucking laptop shut down on me and I lost the whole thing (the laptop didn’t have Word, only Microsoft Works, which didn’t have a “document recovery” option at the time).

I was devastated.

Not to mention I took the Toshiba in to the Best Buy Geek Squad at least 5 times and no one could ever fix what was wrong with it. And when I called Toshiba customer service directly, the guy I spoke with gave me bad instructions and I ended up losing my entire music library of 3,000+ songs. (I was even more devastated about that, because music is my air.)

I was really pissed off. Mostly at myself.

Because I settled. I went to the store knowing what I wanted, and I let someone talk me into getting something else because what I wanted wasn’t available. Because I would’ve had to wait a little bit longer to have it.

The funny thing is, people do this to themselves ALL the time. You wanted to buy the blue one, but they only had red so you got red. Rather than just waiting for blue to be available or going online and trying to find the blue one, you just settle and buy the red.

And the truth is, when you’re settling in one area of your life, you’re likely settling in several.

So, where are you settling when it comes to your writing dream? Where are you telling yourself that you can’t truly have what you want, and instead accepting a mediocre version of it? 

There’s only one way to get exactly what you want, every single time you want something. Whether that’s in your writing life, buying a computer or anything else you want: You have to close off all other options.

What does that mean?

It means acting like there is no other option available. You’ll get what you want or die trying.

Period.

If I went into Best Buy back in college and had closed off all other options beforehand, I would’ve walked out of the store without a laptop that day… but I’d have walked back in a few weeks later when they had more and then walked out with a Sony Vaio in my hands. No settling.

Another Example

Let’s say you want to be a bestselling author. It’s a dream you’ve had your whole life. You’ve imagined it more times than you can count.

But since you have no idea how to make it happen, you settle. You put your book out into the world and then you let it sit. You make a few sales, but the book doesn’t become a bestseller.

And you’re OK with that–because you’ve been told that you can’t always get what you want.

Except none of the BS is true.

You CAN have what you want. You can have it ALL.

But the only way is to close off all other options.

If being a bestselling author was your only option… you’d keep at it ’til it happened. You’d work your ass off bringing that dream to life. You’d accept nothing less than bestseller status. You’d market and sell your book 24/7 if that’s what it took.

Problem is, too often we want something, but we’re not fully committed to having it, and so when we’re offered a consolation-prize version of what we want, we settle. We call it good enough and move on.

And that’s why you don’t always get what you want.

Because getting what you want means NOT settling. It means holding off, waiting, being patient. It means knowing that it might take a year or a few years or a lifetime to make it happen, and being OK with that.

When you close off all other options, that means you’re not open to getting anything but what you want. And by being that committed to what you want AND doing the work to make it happen, there’s no way in hell you won’t get it at some point. It’s inevitable.

That’s what it really takes to get what you want. To get exactly what you want. Every single time. No exceptions.

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What do you want for your writing life? And how are you going to close off all other options so that getting what you want becomes inevitable?

Are you ready to get everything you want and unleash the writing life of your dreams? Check out my new eBook: Align Your Writing Habits to Success, available right now on Amazon.