I hear the excuses. People with their “when I finish this, I will start that” or “I don’t have time to do such and such”. Excuses. Excuses. I am a firm believer that excuses are merely avoiding the potential to fail. What people seem to forget is that by not even trying, you have already failed. That, my friends, is my Ted talk topic for today.
I sent my second book off to my editor Friday. While walking through my mother transitioning, I made time to work on my revisions. There were days that I simply couldn’t attempt to write and I honored those feelings. When I received my manuscript back from the first round of edits, I committed to the date of June 15 as the goal to get my revisions complete and as the date approached, I wondered how I could emotionally fulfill that goal. But, what I remembered was the last conversation that I had with my mother. She asked how the second book was coming. I shared with her that my attention to it had been derailed. Her response was, “I know you will get it done and it will be great”. When she died, I was so distracted by the details of getting all the tasks laid out to settle the estate. I lost my focus. It didn’t take much for me to get back on track. The goal was to have this book released by the end of the year. My goal is to have two books published by the time I am 55, which is next June. I redirected myself. None of the estate stuff has to be done today. I asked for a small extension, and on Friday, I sent the newly revised manuscript to my amazing editor. So far, she is loving my changes and I am grateful I didn’t allow myself to be distracted for long.
I have spent a good chunk of my life telling myself that I don’t have time. I was constantly making excuses, but at the ripe old age of 53, I published my first book. It is never too late. Stop with the excuses, and pursue what makes you sparkle. The feeling of accomplishment is nothing short of bliss. Even with the heaviness of grief, I can feel the satisfaction of honoring my goals. As my mother would say, “I knew you could do it.” and I did.
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