The last two weeks we’ve talked about the stages of success. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the one quality that is a “must have”: perseverance. According to the dictionary, “perseverance” is steady persistence in a course of action, especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. This year I worked with a young […]
Month: June 2011
Stage Five: Bull's-Eye
You made it! This is the stage where you look around and can hardly believe it. You’re finally living your writing dream! You have dreamed of this day for months–or decades. If you started down the road to success right after college when you didn’t have a family to support or attend to, you could […]
Stage Four: Survival and Growth
Okay, you prepared (Stage One). You explored your options (Stage Two). You got started (Stage Three). Now you’re ready for Stage Four of “The Five Stages of Success”, where you survive and thrive. Start-Up Speeds You might have had a very fast start. That would be the writer who published the first thing he submitted, […]
Stage Three: Start-Up
If you’ve done the previous stages of exploration and preparation in “The Five Stages of Success,” then you’re probably eager to begin “Stage Three: Start-Up.” Time to get the show on the road! You have your writing dream, you’ve made the decision, and you’ve taken some steps to turn that dream into reality. I found […]
Stage Two: Preparation
In the “Five Stages of Success,” once you know where you’re headed (“Stage One: Exploration”), then you’re ready for “Stage Two: Preparation.” Getting Ready for the Journey This stage comes with a warning. Many people try to either bypass this stage altogether or rush through it. It’s understandable. We’re excited about our goals, and we […]
Stage One: Exploration
If success is a journey, where are you along this continuum? As we go through the five stages of success–and learn to celebrate each stage–you’ll see each milestone for what it is: a huge victory. Getting Started As I mentioned in “The Five Stages of Success,” my first step along the way was taking the […]
Today's Slush Pile
The slush pile of old, where my first book was discovered, was an actual tall stack of unsolicited manuscripts. They were read by lower level publishing staff called “first readers.” We thought at the time that the slush pile was huge–hundreds of manuscripts piled up. Today slush piles have gone electronic–and backed-up inboxes may hold many, many […]
Attention!
I am re-reading my Simple.ology notebook. Yesterday I was reading the “Law of Focused Attention.” Here are some quotes that stood out to me: The things we really want in life sometimes require a lot more attention than we are willing to give. Throughout our lives, most of our attention is focused on things other […]