The past two weeks have been eye-opening. My mother was admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery. It was a harsh wake-up call and forced me to think about an important detail I sometimes fail to keep in mind:
We're not immortal. We don't live forever. Our dreams have an expiration date.
Read that again. Your dreams have an expiration date.
If you want to be a writer, go after that dream now. Don't wait. Don't put it off until later. There might not be a later. Yes, it's a morbid thought, but it's the truth that comes with being human. We're mortal beings with a finite amount of time to spend on this earth.
How do you want to spend that time?
You can spend it procrastinating, thinking about the day you'll finish your novel, dreaming about your name appearing on the bestseller lists. Or you could spend that time writing. If you spend all your days dreaming and not doing, you'll grow old and look back on your life with regret over the things you never did.
Dreaming is essential, especially for writers, but taking action is just as vital. It's the only way you'll ever turn those dreams into reality.
Here's a little technique to help you along. It takes only a minute or two but it's a great way to jolt yourself into action.
Step 1 – Sit back, close your eyes, and imagine what your life will be like five years from now if you've spent those five years taking action to achieve your dreams. In this scene, you've taken concrete steps toward your goal. You've succeeded at writing and publishing your novel or selling your screenplay. Spend a moment picturing this in vivid detail.
Step 2 – Now, imagine what your life will be like five years from now if you haven't taken those steps, if you haven't taken action toward your goal. Picture it in the same vivid detail. This version of your future stinks, doesn't it? I'm betting it's not nearly as exciting or fulfilling as the future you imagined in Step 1.
That's it. That's all there is to it. You've seen future #1 and future #2. Which future do you want for yourself and what are you going to do to make that future a reality?
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, that really does make me think hard about my future as a writer. I need to stop procrastinating and get back to writing all the time!
This post makes you think hard about your future regardless of your profession. It reminds me of the “end in mind” idea. Stephen Covey encourages you to imagine with vivid detail your own funeral. What do you want your loved ones to say about you?