Be Firm About Your Goal While Being Flexible About Its Form.
A Fun, Quick And Rewarding Way Of Achieving Your Goals.
When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.
- Confucius
When I decided to become a writer, the image in my head was of seeing my novels on the bookshelves of my favourite bookstore.
That is what most writers imagine their writing future to be like.
After holding onto that image for very long (too long, I should say), I realised that the idea of an author I had in my mind was outdated. In today's day of technology and reach, anyone can become a writer without having a physical copy or even having them at the bookstores.
It took me (or rather my ego stuck in a limiting belief) a good couple of years to come to terms with the fact that having my books in the hands of my readers is more important. Once I realised that, I changed my perception, the image in my imagination, of what an author should be like. That changed my approach to the business side of Writing.
As a result, I published my first book last month with impressive results.
What I learnt from this experience is this -
Be firm about your goal while being flexible about its form.
There is no one way of achieving your dreams. You have to trial and error and find your own special recipe.
Want to publish your book? Want to lose that weight? Want to find love? Want to have a great day?
No matter what you want - be laser-focused on your goal while being open-minded and adaptable to how you go about it and achieve it.
If I had stuck with my image of "I'll only become an author when I have my novel on the bookshelves of my favourite bookstore," I would have missed out on the opportunity to become an author where it matters the most - in my reader's hands and heart.
My goal is to be a lifelong writer and author. Now if it happens through my novels or my essays, it doesn't matter. Right now, my essays are helping me achieve my goal; later, it will be my novels. The form doesn't matter as long as it is helping you inch closer to your goal. You'll be surprised how being flexible about the form can honestly be more fun and rewarding than following the plan perfectly.
It's like wishing for what you want and letting go of how it will come true. Be firm about your goal while being flexible about its form.
