Category: Personal Development (Page 13 of 58)

I stared at my laptop in despair.

On the screen were the Publishers Weekly announcements of new book deals next to photos of smiling authors. Of course they were smiling. They’d just had their publishing dream come true. Unlike me.

Last week I talked about the first key to achieving your dreams—being willing to pivot (you can read that here). After much procrastinating, I had pivoted from my tired dream of being a musician to my vibrant dream of being an author, but results were slow in coming. After three years of hard work, I’d encountered only a mountain of rejection.

My bestselling author wife Lisa McMann and many of my published author friends gave me the same advice—don’t give up. Keep fighting. Keep pushing. Keep working. Persevere. As one friend put it, “The main difference between an aspiring author and a published one is often that the published one didn’t quit.”

So I kept going. Kept writing. Kept studying my craft. Kept putting myself out there. And after three rejected novels, a fresh idea came. A spooky monster mystery series called Monsterious. I crafted it in a creative way and handed it off to my agent. A few weeks later, I got the call. It had sold in a four book deal to Penguin Random House, the largest English-language trade publisher in the world. 

What’s your dream? Have you pivoted toward it? If so, don’t give up. Keep learning. Keep working. Keep seeking help. Keep believing. Keep persevering. If you do, your dream will soon loom large, and you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

If you’d like more info on my published books, click here.

“Pivot. Pivot. Pivot!”

If you’re a fan of the classic TV sitcom Friends, it’s an iconic scene. Ross is directing Rachael and Chandler on moving a couch up a switchback staircase, with predictably hilarious results. But hidden inside the humor is a clue to achieving your dreams.

I lived my dream of being a professional musician, but after twenty-six years the passion was gone. Still, it was comfortable, familiar, and easy, so when my long-buried dream of being an author resurfaced, I ignored it. Denied it. Tried to stuff it down.

When I finally acknowledged that music wasn’t fulfilling anymore and pivoted toward my new dream, the difference was palpable. The relief. The excitement. The energy. The passion. All the things I’d lost long ago doing music came flooding back when I focused on becoming an author.

None of us get everything we want in life. Many things are beyond our control. That said, how close is your current life to your dream life? Does your career, way of living, health, relationship, hobby, fill-in-the-blank, bring you deep satisfaction? Perhaps you’re holding on to something that was a dream-come-true in the past—is it still your dream now? Has your vision of your ideal life changed? Do you have the courage to pursue the new one?

Get quiet. Look deep inside. Be truly honest. Then ask yourself a hard question—are you ready to pivot? If so, tell people you trust. Make a plan. Take the first step. If you do, you’ll be on your way to achieving your dream, and you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

If you’d like to know more about my published books, click here.