Are you humming along with me? You know I believe so strongly in dreams and it is one of the fundamental reasons I started my business. I wanted to help people make their dreams come true.
I so enjoy connecting with fellow authors and writers and talking to them about their dreams and goals about the books they have written and the ones they hope to write. However often I encounter Debbie Downers, Negative Nancys and Can’t Carls who assume their dreams are silly even before they give it a go; and that makes me hurt for them.
Do you do that? Do you question your ability to capture your story on paper or to turn your book idea into a published work of art?
Well, stop it.
Listen to the words of mega-successful author Nora Roberts:
If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer’s always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.
It is funny, but I always thought that quote was from someone in the business world like Henry Ford who said “If you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.” Or perhaps Lee Iacocca who said:
Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Don’t just stand there, make it happen.
And
The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to me that Nora’s quote comes from an author because the challenges writers face, the goals we conquer, the fears we overcome are as huge as those of a Fortune 500 CEO. If not bigger.
And yet, face them we can. Dream them we can. Make them happen….we can. If we only believe.
I’m sounding like a Disney Princess but perhaps that is because of this quote from Walt – the great man himself:
When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable. Walt Disney
Do you believe in your dreams of writing down the book in your head and turning it into a self-published book? How do you make it happen?
Start with a support network. Whether you lean on friends, family or other writers, seek out people who will encourage you in your endeavors.
The next step is to commit to the dream. It is one thing to say “Gosh, I would like to write a great novel someday.” It is quite another to say “This year I am going to write my novel and have it complete and ready for editing by the end of the year.”
ROBERT CHEN offers some good advice about committing to your dream:
The only way to commit is by taking action towards your dream every day.
So what action do you take?
I don’t know but there is someone out there who does. Whatever dream you may have, chances are there is someone out there who has already done it. Your next step after choosing a dream is to find those people who have already done what you want to do and ask them how they do it.
The Internet has made this much easier and if you are not a people person, there is a book or internet article out there covering exactly what you want to do (I’m serious, do a search).
Once you’ve learned how to make dreams come true, use that information to create your step-by-step plan. Start with your monthly milestones then your weekly deliverables and then finally breaking those down into your daily tasks.
I’m just like you, you know. I have dreams and have taken the plunge even when there were things stacked against me. In fact, learn more about how I have made my dreams come true during this interview with JJ DiGeronimo.
I encourage you to dare to dream and turn those dreams into a published book!
Bottom line: If you dream to write and publish a book, I want to help you make that possible. But first you have to make a personal commitment and be willing to do whatever it takes to turn that dream into your reality. Are you ready?