Then, once I reach them, gaining mastery while adding more builds more momentum. The increased levels of excellence means I can produce a much better story that reads very nicely at a much faster rate than before. When one considers that many blogs who post two to three times a month take an eternity to grow organically, elevating to quality posts on a two or three times a week level… is good for organic growth. This is the route I’m using with this blog…

The month of January is wrapping up. So is will power. Those who rely only on sheer will… will soon be taking their pit stops at those rest areas with smooth off-ramps. They will return to the comfortable doldrums of routine life.

This is where renewing one’s commitment to one’s dreams at the start of next month is critical. Reset the clock. See it as another new year to start kicking butt.

Remind yourself of what you’ll benefit and how it will feel. Remind yourself of how others will benefit from your dedication. In my case, knowing that my readers can depend on me to deliver content they like on a regular basis helps me move forward. Knowing that it’s making a beneficial impact propels me. One day, someone will tell me that they picked up writing because the resonated with how I grew as a writer.

Those reminders help me on days (like yesterday… at the time of writing this piece… not publication of this piece) when I just don’t want to write anymore because I’m tired. I really couldn’t put together ideas. I thought I had run out of gas and my blogging days had come to a full stop.

Then, I got up in the morning, pictured where I wanted to be as a writer, then reviewed where I was as a writer. Smiled. Pushed forward. The blog is gone. The creativity is back. The purpose is bigger than myself. I’m doing my part to make the world a better place. Even if it’s a tiny insignificant amount. If everyone did that little, times the seven billion there are on the planet… that is huge.

Motivation Monday

No matter how easy it is to quit, you owe your future self to try once more. Even if that try means pivoting and going another direction, keep moving. Do not quit on yourself. Do not quit on life. Do not quit on those who count on you.

Rome was not build in a week. Your dreams will not be built in a year either. Many people over estimate how much they will do in one year but woefully underestimate what they can do in ten years.

In other words, the huge goal for this year is just that huge. However, without that huge goal, one would easily cruise to more of the same. Push hard for that huge goal as though you know you can do it in less than a year. Pace yourself as if it might take more than a year. Learn as if you only have a few months to make it happen. Press on daily as if you only had today to get the goal done.

Over the course of time, you’ll amaze yourself about how much you actually did do and as the years pile on you’ll be that much more amazed about how far you got.

January is closing soon. But the motivation does not stop here. The drive doesn’t end here. This is the time to double down.

Someone once told me the following:

It takes 21 days to learn something knew. It takes 45 days for it to be a habit. Takes 60 days to have the habit be strong enough to replace the one it was competing with. It takes a year to make it feel like it was there all along.

In my writing career… this has helped me greatly. It took nearly a month to get comfortable writing every day at lunch. It took a quarter for me to get all the supporting habits so that each lunch break I created a full blog post. It took a year to get so good at this that I can now do two post per lunch break when I’m on top of my game.

This year, knowing what I know, there will be days when I get only one post done and there will be some days I can reach three posts. I have the option now. Before, it was hard work to get one good post done a week. Now, it’s three posts in a given week. I’m shooting for six to seven by the close of the year (check in at the end to see if it works)

I’m only sharing this to help you understand… your new year’s resolutions do not have to be another disappointment. Make sure you go out this week and make it a great week. They do add up fast. Go live on purpose. Go make this happen on purpose.

Whatever you do, do not stop to get off your path. No matter how straight or curved your path may be. Do not get off your path. Stay in your lane and keep growing. Keep getting better. In time, you’ll reach a smooth patch of highway where you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Cheers to another great week on purpose!