but what if the opposite is true?

but what if the opposite is true?

What if the opposite is true?

This is a question I ask myself all the time.

For example, you say, “Oh, I don’t have time to write a book.”
What if the opposite is true ?

What if the truth is, “I don’t have time to NOT write a book.”

In other words –
Life is fleeting. The future is uncertain. You can’t afford the luxury of believing that you will have a chance to write this book in the future — you MUST write this book right now.

Interesting, huh?
Or maybe you say, “Everyone is already writing a book.”

When the truth (the opposite) is, “No one is writing my book.”
Or you say, “I don’t know how to write a book.”

When the truth (the opposite) is, “I know enough to start. And I know enough to get help and guidance.”
Speaking of which, I’m putting together a small group of smart people who want to write a GOOD book for a day-long event that will end with you having:

🧐 Perfect Clarity on which book you are actually writing (style, structure, genre, format)
🤓 A Solid Decision about which publishing path is right for you (self-, hybrid, or traditional)
😎 Created a joyful, workable plan for you to get the whole thing done by the end of April. F’reals.

 

This is a small-group, heavily interactive, online event.
This is a small-group, heavily interactive, online event.

Let’s do this thing.

If you are interested in finding out more, please write me back and we’ll see what’s what.

No pressure.
No sales.

And, actually, it really helps me to hear directly from you what you’re up to, so you’d be doing me a favor.

If you are thinking now, “I don’t think this offer is for me….”
I encourage you to consider:

What if the opposite is true?
What if this offer is the absolutely most perfect thing you could do to bring your book to life in 2025?

Happy New Year!

P.S. This year alone I’ve helped dozens of writers get their books and book proposals out into the world in a fun, holistic, gentle, and creative way.
Oh, and I also wrote and published my own award-winning book. I think it would be fun to work with you, too : ) – S.

Your Hot Pink Octopus – ?

Your Hot Pink Octopus – ?

OK, look – I didn’t want to be the first one to mention it….
but you’ve got a Hot Pink Octopus
and it’s wrapped all around you.

You can’t get away from her.
You can pry off one arm, but she’ll wrap it somewhere else.
Maybe somewhere that tickles.

You can try to hide from her…..
but you know a 600-lb Hot Pink Octopus can fit through a hole the size of a quarter…
so she follows wherever you go.

She’s been with you forever.

She’s your creativity.
She’s your stories.
She’s the uncanny sense that you have been put on this earth in this
incarnation to

share your words
share your vision
share your voice

She’s the part of you that knows better than you —
and the less you try and manhandle her, the better.

Babe, you were put here to share your octopus.
And when you share her,
and people love her or don’t,
you can know that it’s not You that they love or don’t,

it’s your Hot Pink Octopus.

Your Hot Pink Octopus might even win awards
or make you a fortune
or connect you with other Cephalopods

And together, you can do great things.

Quit fighting her.
Quit trying to ignore her.
Quit pretending like she doesn’t matter,
or that you can only make time for her once everything else gets done,
which never happens.

The world needs your Hot Pink Octopus:
Her shape-shifting wisdom…
Her gift of camouflage…
Her endless curiousity….
Her remarkable ability to adapt and learn…

She’s been on this planet for almost 200 million years.

Let her speak.

 

Discouraging words?

Discouraging words?

Funny how we let ONE casual remark derail our dreams, isn’t it?

That one thing that one teacher said that one time has kept you paralyzed since middle school.
That callous remark from a casual acquaintance stopped you cold.

Even after all the smiles and support and even REQUESTS (!!!)

“Say, when are YOU going to write your book?”
“Do you have a book?”
“If you wrote a book I would totally buy it.”

just one discouraging word….
and you retreat.

You tuck your book dream back under the mattress where it continues to invade your nightly reveries.

I get it.

Book writing is:

complicated – where to start?
creatively confounding – what to write?
confusing – who would read it?

I got you.

I’m leading Figure Out Your Book In One Day on Jan. 4th for the third or fourth time, and if you show up, we will banish those clouds once and for all.

Satisfaction guaranteed.

(I mean, obviously, if it’s perfect for you, I will sell it to you – but I won’t be pitching you. I’m only interested in working with people who are a great match and are willing to invest the time and money to see real progress. Because let’s face it, your diet of free stuff and pdfs and salesy webinars is just NOT moving the needle for you, correct?)

Plus it really helps me to hear directly from you what you’re up to, so you’d be doing me a favor.

Let’s go hang out together where the the heavens are bright/with the light of the glittering stars, and where those deer and those antelope play, shall we?

A Reason to Celebrate

A Reason to Celebrate

I’m going to tell you the truth:

I did not love this book while I was writing it.
I did not love this book while I was editing it.

Mostly because I was so ill with long c0vid that it was hard for me to love anything at all.

But I had faith.

And by the time I was in the booth recording the Audible version, I loved it.

I tell you this to underline this truth:

YOU ARE TERRIBLE JUDGE OF YOUR OWN WORK.

So judging
Stop evaluating.

Start writing.

The world needs your book – more than you even know.

If you would like to share some about your book project with me in a small group (no sales – just wisdom and mutual support) – please find a time here.

The One GIANT Mistake Everyone Makes That Is Killing Your Productivity

The One GIANT Mistake Everyone Makes That Is Killing Your Productivity

How is that you’re busy all day, every day, and yet the things that really matter don’t seem to happen.

Here’s the one giant mistake that I see people making over and over again – and it’s killing your productivity.

(I know it’s true because I do it, too.)

Here’s what happens:

You sit down at your desk or workspace. You’re thinking about the big things, the important things, that need to happen.

And then you say to yourself,

“I’ll just start with a few easy things. I’ll just check some email (or the Slack channel or social media or the news….) Just to make sure there are no fires that need to be put out. Then I’ll move on to that big project.”

And the next thing, you know, it’s three in the afternoon and nothing of consequence has happened.

This idea that you’ll “do something little to warm up” works for exercise, but not for getting the things that matter done.

Your brain works best when it is rested and uncluttered, and for most of us, that’s first thing.

So I want you to start doing the most important thing first. Even if it’s just for 15 minutes.

Do the thing that’s going to make a difference to you 90 days from now, first.

Update that LinkedIn profile.
Revise your resume.
Bang out a few paragraphs on that book.
Send an email to someone with whom you want to build a relationship.
Mentor a younger person.
Spend 15 minutes in prayer, breathing, or meditation.
Stretch.

There are so many activities that you can do for just a few minutes a day that will, if you do them every day, will, cumulatively, make a huge difference between the person you are now and the person you will be 90 days from now.

Go ahead and write down the one that is coming to mind for yourself right now.

Now, you don’t have to give up the idea of warming up and then doing bigger things for everything. For example, it works great for clutter clearing. You think, “Oh, I can’t do the whole basement. Okay. I’ll just do this a little bit. Well, okay. I’ll just do this next little bit.” and the next thing you know, you’ve made huge progress.

The “starting small” idea also supports working out. You think, “Ugh – I don’t really want to work out. Well, I’ll just go on the treadmill for 10 minutes. Well, now I’ve started, I might as well do 20 minutes. Now I’m already kinda sweaty….I might as well hit the weights.” Excellent!

There are plenty of circumstances in which it makes a ton of sense to sort of trick yourself by starting small and then seeing where you end up. But productivity is not one of them.

If you are going to create a positive feedback loop on being productive, you need to get a positive result; a result that is meaningful. To get a result that is meaningful, you need to focus on the things that are most important.

The highest joy-producing activities.

The highest income producing activities.

The things that will make the most difference to you – and your life – 90 days from now.

Start spending 15 minutes a day – first thing – on your important thing, and I guarantee you amazing results.

Want some support?

That’s why we created Get It Done Lab: An easy, fun, 90-day productivity sprint that will help you buckle down and focus on what really matters in your life, family, or business.

There Is No Such Thing as a Big Decision

There Is No Such Thing as a Big Decision

There is no such thing as a big decision.

There are only little decisions.

And when you allow yourself to believe that something IS a big decision, you instantly psych yourself out, ammiright?

So you have a thought like…

“You know, maybe I want to quit this job….”

“Maybe I want to move…”

“Maybe I should leave this person that I’ve been with for all these years…”

And then you think, “Oh, but it’s such a big decision,” and you frighten yourself into inaction.

All of life is a series of little decisions, and sometimes we make a big deal about the last little decision, but really – that last one is no bigger than all the ones that precede it.

I remember before the first of my marriages (long story) when we were getting our pre-marital counseling from our very hip pastor, and he said,

“Here’s the thing – you two have been deciding to get married since you met. You have been deciding to get married since you first clapped eyes on each other. It’s been a million little steps. A million little yeses. Yes to this first date, and yes to this dinner, and yes to making up after this fight. Now, on the wedding day, we’re going to make a big fuss over this last little yes. Over this last little, ‘I do.’

But remember it is not a big decision. It is the latest in a series of small decisions. And as you stay married, you will continue to make little decisions every single day to stay married or to not.”

And anyone who has been in a long-term relationship will tell you, it’s true. You make decisions every single day to stay together, or to drift apart.

You make little decisions every day about your health, your job, your family, and your relationships, and those decisions shape your future.

If you remember that you only need to make a little decision and then take the next indicated right action, you might decide yourself into a new, better life.