I am working on a big project. I want to write a book. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. I know what needs to be done for success, but I sometimes wonder if I have what it takes. The magnitude of this project is bigger than it sounds. There are many steps to consider and it is difficult to even know where to begin.
The confusion I feel often keeps me from doing anything. I think about getting started, but then I allow myself to engage in more creative avoidance. I am sure that I could have written it at least ten times by now, yet I am still a long way from the finish line.
Organizing Powers
I look at this project as a big puzzle. I can see all the pieces, but I have not figured out the pattern yet. I need to keep turning the pieces over until I can begin to recognize how they all fit together.
There are at least two things that are preventing me from completing it; an outline and a deadline. It sounds a little weak as I write it, but those two steps are literally the major obstacles that stands in my way.
I know what I want to write about, but I have yet to sit down and organize the outline. Once I do, it will breathe new life into the project. An outline will allow me to break the confounding immensity into manageable action steps. In some ways, I am afraid to write the outline, because then I will be committed to completing it. The fear of being turned down by publishers and readers becomes even greater once I commit to an outline.
As long as I avoid this step, the act of writing my book will remain a dream. It will just be something that I am going to do someday. Staying in the dream phase also allows me to be unaccountable to the action I must take. The confusion I feel is a wonderful escape from getting it done.
The lack of a deadline is similarly liberating from the forces of accountability. Without a due date, there is no urgency. Many of my past writing experiences were motivated by academic or client demands. They always established the deadline.
Now I am the one that must set up the deadline. I continue to avoid it by telling myself that I am too busy to get started. I know that there will never be a time when I am not busy, but I continue to fool myself with the thought that someday, very soon, I will be free from the current demands. I realize that now is the time to get started, and that there will never be another moment like this.
Seeing Over The Hedge
The obstacles we face in life, often prevent us from becoming who we want to become. It is easy to become overwhelmed, frustrated and fatigued by the daily acts we each must do in order to survive. Becoming our best requires sacrifice and effort. There is no easy way around the hedges of comfort that keep us from reaching for our best.
The first step is always recognizing the forces that are damming our progress. Once we do, they seem tiny and irrelevant. As I look at my need for an outline and a deadline, I can't believe I didn't see it before. It just seems so obvious. Now I feel free to move forward. This recognition makes it seem possible. It is a fear reducing step toward my success.
What Is Stopping You?
I am sure that you are working on some projects that are equally overwhelming to you. Do you know what is preventing your progress? What parts can you control? What help do you need from others to overcome them?
Think for a minute about the key to the successful completion of your project. What is the key? Are you willing to engage in the action needed for your success?
If you are like me, then you may be constantly putting off something you really want to do. I invite you to see things differently today and get started. I am going to finish my book by the end of 2009. Now I am accountable to you. I hope you will check in on me. It will help me stay focused. It will remind me to get busy when I get off track.
If you would like me to check in on you, then feel free to share what you are working on and I will follow-up. There is no time like the present moment to begin your journey.
Live Today! Love Today!
760-559-3548
