Archive
Winning
Charlie Sheen made the word, “Winning” famous, but I’m not sure he actually won anything when he did so. Controversy and outrage, sure, but though his victory may have been a personal success I think it fell short of the financial and moral mark. Fortunately, I’m not here to write about Charlie Sheen! Instead let’s talk about success in general. Not necessarily in a self help kind of way, but littered with examples. I don’t think of it as success or winning, but rather hard work.
I’ve mentioned in recent articles how I was reading the book, Total Recall, by Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s not the movie, it’s a book about his life and his successes (and opportunities for improvement). I finished it and was moved and amused by the ending, where he gives 10 tips for success in life. I found that I already use all of them and figured them out on my own, so yay me!
The moving part, to me, was a picture where he and his son, Patrick, visit Graz, Germany for the unveiling of a bronze statue of him in his glory days of bodybuilding. The look captured on his face as he reached out to touch it is what got me. Can you imagine having a statue built to commemorate you for the positive things you’ve done? You can see that he’s deeply affected by it in the picture and I can’t say I blame him. How awesome would that be?
His other secrets to success? Reaching for the stars, applying humor to everything possible, and understanding that nothing just happens for the sake of happening (or as he puts it, reps, reps, reps). Those of us in the weight lifting field understand reps to mean you have to do something over and over to improve. Want a heavier bench? Do lots of reps bench pressing. Want better shoulders? Lots of reps at shoulder pressing. Better legs or butt? Reps at squatting. By now you see the pattern. Each rep brings you closer to the goals you set for yourself, but reps applies in other ways as well.
In Arnold’s book he talks about acting and preparing for scenes, especially scenes with stunts. They practice the stunts over and over to make sure they get them right and nobody gets hurt. More reps. His speeches he gave during his term as Governor of California and for other press conferences he practices over and over. Reps. Learning to be a good skier (even though he once broke his leg while skiing) requires practice and reps. Everything you want to be good at, whether you enjoy it or not, requires reps.
I can appreciate that. Not just because I lift weights myself, but because that’s what I do. I’ve published 30+ books, that’s a lot of reps of writing, editing, re-writing, re-editing, and so on and so forth. I’m getting pretty good at it, so good that my most recent finished rough draft of a full novel (Soulmates, book 3 in my Dark Earth series) took me 8 days to write, start to finish. It was a fun story but I don’t expect them all to be that quick. I also recently obtained my Security+ computer certification. In order to prepare for that test I did some studying and then lots of reps taking practice tests. My daughter has to read books every night for school and do other homework with math problems. Reps for her.
So clearly practice is what makes perfect, although perfection in anything is a goal we can never reach.
The other thing I took away from the book, aside from being educated, entertained, and impressed was that it’s only his side of the story. There are a lot of other stories that are untold. How did the Governator’s close friend, Franco Columbo, feel being in Arnold’s shadow his entire life (both because he almost always placed behind Arnold and because Arnold is so much taller than him)? What about the people he villainized in his pursuit of climbing to the top? The women he admits he treated unfairly in his earlier days of acting when he didn’t know any better? What about Maria Shriver, and the pain and humiliation she must live with every day for his admittedly foolish betrayal of her and their marriage vows? In his climb to the top he stepped on a lot of people.
Is winning worth the price? Can it be washed away by looking back and saying, “I’m sorry?” I certainly don’t want to cast a negative light on the guy. Heck, I’ve looked up to him since I was a little kid that stumbled across a TV version of Conan the Barbarian. I’d argue that his transgressions and offenses over the years aren’t that bad. He’s made mistakes, we all have. The only really big one, in my opinion, is the infidelity. Everything else comes with being human.
Or, as Nathan Fillion once said as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in an episode of Firefly (Jaynestown), “It’s my estimation that every man ever got a statue made of him was one kind of a son of a bitch or another.”
I’m happy to be a writer. People buy books based on what they like. If they like my books more than somebody else’s then they’ll buy mine first. If they don’t then they’ll buy the other book first, but when they finish it they’ll come back and look at mine. Either way it’s a winning situation and nobody gets hurt, stepped on, or screwed over. I love helping other writers with whatever suggestions or tips I can too. It’s my way of trying to give back or give forward, depending on the situation.
Writing reminds me of lifting weights in many ways. It’s not a competition against other people. It’s a competition against myself. I want to write better every time, just like I want each workout to be better than the last. The difference is that with writing I can keep improving year after year. With lifting there will come a time when the gains will become less about putting more weight on and more about taking less weight off. The goal is to be healthy and as strong as I can be though, and the competition is against myself not against anyone else.
I don’t care if I’m the best. My records aren’t about beating anyone other than myself. As long as I can hold my head high and support myself and my family I’m winning. That’s good enough for me.
To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.
I’m Certifiable
In addition to being renowned for saying or typing the wrong things at the wrong time (a case where two wrongs does not make a right), it also turns out I’m certifiable. In this case, however, I took and passed my Security+ certification test the other night. It was a tough test, I won’t lie, but that made the happy dance I did in my chair when I saw I passed it that much sweeter.
For the record, there is no video of this happy dance nor will there ever be.
My preparation for the test consisted of getting my hands on some mildly outdated practice material, including a test, and then going through some of it. I read the first 13 chapters (I think, it made have been only 11), then took the 101 question practice test a few times. I took a break of a week or so then took it again and still scored a 95%. I figured what the heck, let’s try it. I scheduled the test for the next week and went there after work.
The room was cold and I had no coat, wallet, or cell phone. When I say cold I mean halfway through the test I had to start rubbing my hands together and blow on them to make sure I could click the mouse when needed. Crazy, I know, but it was in the low teens outside and I was sitting next to an outside wall.
The very first question came up and I thought to myself, “I’m screwed!” Then I stumbled through it. Another similar question appeared and I considered standing up and leaving. Only the thought of being out my $284 without even a complete experience to show for it kept me seated. That, and perhaps some masochistic tendencies.
I persevered and yes, I passed. I didn’t know until the very end though and I was pretty sure I hadn’t even though I felt good about a lot of answers. It’s those questions where you think you know but you’re not sure if you got the exact right details that had me worried. It turns out I got enough of the details right to pass, so yay me! Now if only it meant something useful.
The Security+ certification, I’m told, is used by almost nobody except the US Army / Government. Turns out that’s who I’m working for these days, but my job doesn’t require the Security+ certification (although it has in the past and may in the future). Well I’ve got it if I need it, now I just need to figure out what’s next. I’m leaning towards Network+ and then possible some SQL certification or Windows server certs. Or I could say screw it and just work on writing more outstanding fantasy and science fiction books. One way or another a case can be made that I should be certified as something!
You waited patiently for the plug and you shall be rewarded! Speaking of fantasy books, check out Child of Fate and Victim of Fate before the third book in the series, Silver Dragon, comes out. I’m expecting it soon, I’ve got a cover and the epic length novel is in the hands of the editor.
To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.
Weapons of the 21st Century
With a title like that, this blog has to be pretty cool, right? Well, I leave that to the reader to decide, but here’s a spoiler: the weapons I’m referring to are words.
I just did something I try not to do very often. I read my reviews. Not the reviews I’ve written, but rather the reviews people have written on my books. The last 4 were 5 stars, then a 3 star, then numerous other 4 and 5 star reviews. Pretty darn cool, I have to say!
But that’s dangerous too. I’ve figured out a lot of things as a writer with over 20 books published. I’ve learned how to write through adversity and slumps. I’ve figured out what makes the books interesting for me and the readers. I’ve learned the value of good editing. And according to a lot of my reviews, I’ve written some great books and have made some lifelong fans. It would be easy for me to think I’ve peaked and I don’t need to learn anymore. FAR FROM IT!
There’s so many things I want to try and learn that the list is limitless – and that’s just with writing! I haven’t even touched on hang gliding or scuba diving. Reading reviews that praise books like Bound, Bounty, and The Lost Girls leaves me a very warm and fuzzy feeling. Yet it doesn’t teach me anything. Oh sure, it tells me I made some people happy and that’s a great thing. I’m here to entertain, after all, but I want to know what I can do better. The writer that can’t improve his craft has not yet been invented. I certainly appreciate the reviews though, and I hope to earn many more yet to come.
So this blog post is to share some great reviews on the books linked above. It’s also to remind myself and any of my peers paying attention that no matter how good it gets or how great we may feel, we should never take success for granted. Reviews, for example, don’t put food on the table. Working hard and always striving to write the next book a little better than the last one, on the other hand, can help pay the rent.
To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.
An Unexpected Interview on Writing
I was contacted out of the blue recently by a young lady we’ll call Becky (mostly because that’s her name). She was in university (she’s English) working on a report and wondered if she could ask me a few questions since I was a writer. Maybe I’ve been swayed by my recent fantasy series I’ve been writing but I felt the urge to help a damsel in distress. Okay, flowery language aside I always respond to readers, fans, and random strangers that aren’t trying to sell me something. It’s not nearly as exciting to hear that I’m usually a nice guy though.
Becky had some questions for me. Questions that Twitter just couldn’t handle. I invited her to email me and sure enough, the next morning an email was waiting in my inbox. As questions go, they were really pretty easy. Thoughtful though, and possibly helpful to other writers. Heck, for that matter, they might be of use to just about anyone. So in proving the answer to one of her questions about seeking inspiration, I used her conversation with me as inspiration to write this blog post! Read on for the Q&A session.
Becky: How long does it take me to write a book?
Jason: These days I usually take about 3 to 4 weeks to write a book. I can manage anywhere from 2000 to 5000 words a day on most days and that allows for a novel in the time span of a month. That’s just the rough draft though, from there I have to self edit it (another couple of days), then send it off to e content editor (approximately 3 – 4 weeks time), and then to a copyeditor / proofreader (another 2 – 3 weeks). While that’s going on I arrange to have cover art created for it so that when it comes back from the editors and I go over it a final time, it’s ready for publication. All told it takes approximately 2 months from word 1 to publication.
Becky: How do I get my inspirations?
Jason: Ooh, that’s a surprisingly tough question. The simple answer is everywhere. The not so simple answer is that it varies. Sometimes an idea just pops in my head while I’m driving in to my day job in the morning. At other times it happens while I’m writing a different book. Maybe I’ll be watching a movie and see something that I think deserves to be spun in a different way. I’ve been inspired by songs (Megadeth and Evanescence in particular, believe it or not), and I’ve been inspired by pictures. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’ve been inspired by my kids and my wife a few times as well. Inspiration is all around us, the tricky part is recognizing it!
Becky: What genre do you prefer to write in?
Jason: For perhaps the first time in my writing career I just released a book (Child of Fate) that is strictly high fantasy. We’re talking sword and sorcery, dragons and maidens kind of fantasy. Last night I started book 2 in that series (Victims of Fate). These are wonderful books, but a slight deviation from the norm for me because I’m a cross-genre kind of guy. By that I mean I write stories about characters. The backdrop and the setting flexes and changes to meet the needs of the story. From a higher level view my stories usually fall into science fiction or fantasy genres, but that’s not important to me. I don’t write about specific places or events, I write about people and how the feel, grow, and overcome the challenges presented to them by their environments.
Having said that, I’ve also written a couple of books that fit inside the romance genre more than anything else. I do not consider myself a romance writer, but when the characters speak to me and tell me they’ve got a story for me to tell, I listen.
And that, my friends, is it. Nothing too long or drawn out, just three simple questions that provide some great answers or data for other writers getting into the craft. She didn’t ask anything about what happens after a book is written and published, but to her credit I never thought about that until I had to either. That’s when the promoting and market awareness takes place, and it can be a daunting and exhausting task that is every bit as much work as writing and editing the books is. Definitely fodder for another post at another time though!
To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.
Victims of Fate
No funny word play today, Victims of Fate is the title of book two in my Blades of Leander fantasy series. It starts up where Child of Fate left off…well, sort of. Several months have passed and the characters have grown a bit. Alto has been training hard, Namitus has been getting into trouble, Karthor has been working hard within the church, and Kar has been making snide comments about his son’s religious practices while researching everything he can about the menace that looms in the mountains to the north. That’s a lot of ‘has beens,’ but it’s for a good cause. And that cause is your entertainment!
Circumstance will call these men to service again, although I’ll admit I’m not quite certain how it’s all going to work out yet. I’ve got plans though. Great plans that will take them back to the mountains in the north (and beneath them). They’ll discover amazing things and suffer amazing losses. It’s going to be tough book for them, but one worth the ride. The only thing I still have to figure out is where, and how, the unpredictable troll shaman, Thork, is going to fit into the book.
Last night I began writing it. I stopped at a measly 500 words, content that I’d gotten my foot in the door. After bath time and bed time for the kids I sat down and realized that I had no done an acceptable job of starting the story. So I rewrote it. What was 500 words turned into 2300. I’d have kept going but it was getting late. That’s how the truly great stories work, they pull things out of me that I didn’t know existed. It’s almost like I’m discovering the book at the same time the readers are. And I wouldn’t have it any other way!
In case you can’t tell, I’m excited about it. I was in a bit of low state after finishing Bounty and sending it off for editing. How could I find that much fun and excitement again? I felt burned out and feared I needed some time off to recharge. It turns out I was wrong. Once I started Child of Fate it filled me up with the energy I needed. Once again I live vicariously through the characters! It is a wonderful blessing to be able to live multiple lives. To see things through the eyes of others, even if those others are fictional beings. Writers and readers alike are gifted in that sense, and I can’t wait to share these characters and what they see and feel with the world.
And since Victims of Fate will be two to three months out until it’s available, why not pick up Child of Fate so you can see how it all started?
To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.
Up Late for an Early Delivery
I agonized over a catchy title for this post but nothing was happening for me. Maybe it’s too early in the morning or maybe I was out too late celebrating the release of my latest book. The coffee’s strong and slowly entering my veins though, so I figured I’d better share.
Yes, you read that right, I released a new book. A week ahead of schedule, Child of Fate is available for your downloading and reading pleasure! It’s the first book in a new fantasy series but, I confess, I haven’t nailed down a good series name yet. Pretty embarrassing, I admit, but it doesn’t stop the book from being great. In fact, here’s the blurb for it:
Early winters and distant cities make the northern reaches fit only for adventurous homesteaders. Alto is on the verge of becoming such a man when his father is ambushed by monstrous raiders from the mountains.
Determined to find help for his father Alto leaves his home behind and sets out with a group of adventurers tasked with learning the true nature of the raids. Help for his family grows more and more distant as the boy is swept up into a budding war with a neighboring nation and the threats of evil forces from the mountains.
A fiery-tempered princess from the eastern kingdom falls into Alto’s hands by twist of fate. The fate of two nations rests in their hands, provided they can keep them off of each others throats.
Sony (coming soon)
iTunes (coming soon)
Print (coming soon)
To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.
Changing the Rules
My last blog post was about prioritizing the things in my life to get more done (and to enjoy life more). This post segues off of that. Let’s be honest, life can be pretty complicated at times and not allow itself to be rearranged at your whim. Today’s example comes in the form of manual labor, aka exercise.
I’ve many years under my belt as a gymrat. I competed in powerlifting for a while and then had to hang up my weight belt when my muscles and a bar loaded full of weights couldn’t agree on which direction the bar was supposed to travel. I still lift, but my ability to break records and compete has been permanently sabotaged. My wife is a fairly avid gym-goer herself, although she’s not training to pick up the tail end of a Buick like I am (although I have seen her do some damn impressive feats of strength).
The problem is the kids – they’re too young to leave duct taped to the floor while we head to the gym so we have to find a place to workout that has daycare. That means restricted hours, in order to find something economical. So our workout time isn’t always ideal. In fact it’s never ideal, but since it is a priority to us we work it in. Other priorities sometimes rear their heads – sick kids, after school events, and other domestic emergencies that happen. Ideally we’d like to get to the gym three times a week, given the current setup, but I can’t honestly share the last time we managed that.
So we’ve decided to change the rules. Instead of forcing ourselves to be there for the gym, we’ve decided to make the gym be there for us. We spent some quality time this weekend looking at options and pricing out equipment. Yep, we’re putting in a home gym. This will be my third home gym out of the last four houses (and three states) I’ve been in, so it’s almost old school for me.
The cons of a home gym:
- Initial investment cost
- Limited assistance in case of disaster
- Space required for equipment
I was sweating the initial investment cost. I’ve saved up a bit of money, but I was still looking at having to do things in stages. That’s with my wife finding some killer deals online. Then I suggested Craigslist. After all, the last time I unloaded my home gym equipment in preparation for a cross country move I used Craigslist to find worthy buyers that I gave a great deal too. I’m hoping karma is with me – last night we found a few great options that I’m digging into and so far, things seem positive.
As for the limited assistance, that’s less a problem now than it used to be. I’m not training for powerlifting meets anymore so that means I won’t be trying to defy laws of physics in my basement with only my wife to spot me. She’s a wonderful lady and considerably stronger than she looks, but 400 pounds is 400 pounds. I’ve learned through trial and (painful) error when to listen to my body and when not to, so it’s safety first these days.
Space is the tricky part. Optimizing the basement to fit the necessary equipment is going to be complicated. Ideally I’m looking at a power cage with a cable attachment, a couple of olympic bars, a flat bench and an adjustable bench, and a bunch of weights (including dumbbells). That will allow almost everything I could want or need to do. Picking through other people’s cast-offs I’m not quite finding what I want though. Fortunately we’ve already got a treadmill – unfortunately it’s on the 2nd story and I have to relocate it to the basement. It’s funny how picking up heavy things is fun when it’s done on purpose, but miserable when it involves moving furniture or appliances.
Details aside, the moral of the story is that learning to take life by the horns and make it answer to you requires changes. Both mental and sometimes physical. This will allow me more leeway for writing and spending time with my family. And, as a card carrying member of the Man Club, I’m proud to say that this is one shining example of efficiency not being interchangeable with laziness.
To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.
The 25th Hour
Several years ago, before I had children, it became obvious to me that if I wanted to achieve my corporate ambitions I needed to go back to school and get a degree. As it was I was setting on about six credits I’d picked up nine years previously. So I did, simple as that. Over the next three and a half years I obtained an associates and a bachelors degree. I was working full time and going to school more than full time during all of this. It was early into this experience that I learned there weren’t enough hours in the day the way I was doing things.
These days a lot of people are shocked at all the things I do. I’m often asked if I sleep. The truth is, probably not as much as I should. But even with that, what I learned through trial and error is that there are enough hours in the day, so long as you learn to prioritize things. Now to be fair, prioritizing may mean getting to something tomorrow instead of today, but as long as no feathers are ruffled, that’s okay. A good example would be my schooling. I busted my tail getting those undergrad degrees out of the way, but when it came time to go after my MBA I slowed down. I finished that one in four or five years because it wasn’t as important. I’d go into more detail on that, but that’s another post in and of itself!
My wife and I had a couple of kids along that bumpy ride. As any parent will tell you, kids are giant time sinks. I’d hoped it would be less demanding once they got out of the crawling and falling down stage, but I’m learning that’s not the case. Children, like every other facet in life, are yet another priority to work into the mix. Now I understand why my bedtime was so much earlier than my parents when I was a kid! Happy hour has nothing to do with half priced drinks, it’s that precious time between when my children go to bed and when I go to bed!
Time management is a wonderful tool that has made worlds of difference to me. It’s how I can write a novel in a month as well as maintain a happy family life, day job, kids, and a demanding hobby that requires I pick up the heaviest weights I can wrap my fingers around. Prioritizing tasks makes all the difference and it helps you realize what’s really important in your life so you can achieve your goals. Oh sure, maybe some days the kids drop down the list and miss a meal or two, but they don’t seem to mind…
(For anybody who’s suddenly horrified and doesn’t get my sense of humor: I’m kidding about the skipping meals bit)
To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.
Looking Out for the Little Guys
There’s a lot of books out there, and there’s a lot of different methods to get a book. Amazon, like them or not, is the reigning commander of all things “book” on the Internet. Ebook or print, Amazon is where the majority of the Internet savvy world goes to get their read on. For myself and other writers that means we must work with and use Amazon if we hope to have any chance of success.
If Amazon’s new author ranking system is worth believing, I’m doing pretty darn good compared the vast majority of writers out there. Pretty darn good, for the record, is nowhere near good enough. I’m working on that, but the fact that I’ve had more success than most makes me want to offer up some bits and pieces of what I’ve figured out for other writers. I don’t see writing as a competition. Show me a person who reads who will only read a single book in his or her lifetime. No such thing, barring a severe reaction the closing a book that results in an untimely death.
Having said all that, I don’t really have anything new to share that I haven’t shared in the past. I’m always trying to find new things to try, but alas, I’m not finding that many. I do have a promo campaign running for my Vitalis Omnibus book, but it’s more of a slow burn than an instead path to success. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself to justify the lack of results. 
To be fair, a lot of the exciting things that should start making a difference will start up in November.
Until then I just keep on writing. I’m working on my next book (Bounty, book 3 in my Wanted trilogy), and I’ll be releasing Child of Fate, book 1 in a new fantasy series, sometime in November. And I keep writing blog posts too, like this one. To be brutally honest I’m doing whatever I can to try and snag and interest readers to check out my stuff (case in point, see those links throughout this blog? Click on ‘em, go ahead, you know you want to. You’ll like them, I promise!).
I’ll stoop to almost any means of generating interest, provided it’s ethical and legal to do so. As a matter of fact, just last night I received a wonderful email from a new fan who admitted to me that she picked up the first book in my Lost Girls series because it was free. She was hooked and bought the other ones as soon as she could. She just finished them and loved them, then she had to tell me. We had a nice conversation over email about things, and what was invaluable to me.
By talking to me she helped me get to know my readers a little better. Sure, she was one of many, but I’ll take what I can get. She provided a new point of view on things and gave me some direction for other things to try. She was excited to get some of my other books and read them and it was a great experience for both of us. Win-win!
But what about other writers trying to get the word out about there books? What’s the secret or the trick to being noticed, especially if you only have a couple of books available? I’m not sure there is any sure-fire method, it’s just a manner of doing as much as you can to try and be noticed. I read a blog post recently by a well established writer (Dean Wesley Smith, I think, but my apologies to Mr. Smith if I’ve gotten him confused with another writer) that eschewed writers from tweeting and blogging about their books. I read it and I came away with a bitter taste in my mouth.
Sure, the author of that post has hundreds of books he’s written. Other people only have a handful. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try to get some awareness generated. Nor does it mean that they are wasting time by tweeting, Facebooking, or blogging about their books or their writing. Even if the 800 words of this blog could be put into the book I’m writing right now, it’s not going to slow me down or impede my progress. I’ve also got over 20 books published, but I’ve been working hard at trying to promote myself since I only had a handful.
Ultimately, in my experience, what I write in a promotional or marketing medium has very little impact compared to what I’ve written in an entertaining fashion. By that I mean my books have been the best sales tactic for me, BUT that doesn’t mean that I haven’t had a measure of success from social media as well. If I had to guess I’d say only 5% – 10% of my sales come from social media, but without that 5% – 10% I’d have 5% to 10% fewer sales. When you’re in the starving artist stages of a writing career every sale means the world to you.
So I say do what you can, so long as it doesn’t hinder your progress. That and be careful with Twitter, they seem to have a random number generator when it comes to suspending accounts without reason or explanation! Or maybe that’s just more bitterness talking since I still can’t get a non-automated response from that company after nearly a week and a half.
To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.
The Ultimate Zero Calorie Desert
This article has nothing to do with food. I apologize to all the sweet-craving and fad-diet mongers out there, but read on anyhow, you might like this. This is about persistence and setting (and achieving) goals. And it’s about picking up heavy things. What about writing? Well it applies there too, just read on to see why.
I used to be a competitive powerlifter. Back in 2009 I suffered a catastrophic injury that made my world come crashing down around me. I ripped my left pectoral muscle off of my left arm during one of my final training sessions for a powerlifting meet. A month later I had surgery and was told I would never bench heavy again. Even worse was that I was moving in another month after surgery, so I wouldn’t be able to go through insurance-based therapy. That meant I had to put my own therapy program together at my new home in Utah. I couldn’t just give up lifting – part of who I am is centered around being a big and strong guy. I had to find another way.
I can’t say whether my version of therapy was better than a licensed physical therapist’s or not, but I do know that I started lifting seriously six months after surgery. I’d been doing all sorts of other exercises up until that point to try and teach my body how to use the reattached muscles and build up supportive strength as well as shore up the reattached tendons and connective tissue. Within eight or nine months of my surgery I was back up to 90% of my previous strength as far as my upper body was concerned. I’d also gotten my lower body strength back up to my previous competition best.
It’s been a couple of years since then now and life complicated things by getting really busy. Recently I’ve redoubled my efforts in the gym and I’m happy to say I’m back up to where I peaked post-incident. As a matter of fact I’m even reaching new personal bests when it comes to my lower body strength. I’ve accepted I’ll never bench press what I once did, but that doesn’t mean I’m still not hoping to trick my body into working its way up there again!
The moral of story is one of persistence and setting realistic goals. Sure, maybe one day I’d like an impossible dream, but that’s not a realistic goal. It doesn’t mean it won’t or can’t happen, it just means I have to break down the path and create smaller goals along the way that are achievable. Like the tortoise and the hare, success for 99% of us is achieved through hard work and determination. Whether it’s benching over 400 pounds of learning to surf with one arm, there are examples all around us of people that have done what somebody said was impossible. And if one person can do it, than so can I and so can you.
What does all that have to do with desert? Simple, after each achievement I’ll look back and have a warm and fuzzy feeling not so different from a great piece of cheesecake (or whatever favorite desert). I’ll know I accomplished what I went after and I never failed something because I didn’t try or work hard enough for it. And when I’ve done all I can do and the end is near I won’t have any regrets for things I didn’t try. I think that’s more fulfilling than any combination of sugar and flavors. And who knows, if the goal is lose a little weight than maybe basking in that triumph helps keep the calories off too.
How would this apply to writing? That’s easy too. Setting goals applies to everything in life. My goal is to be a successful writer. I’m doing okay right now, but nowhere near good enough to hit the numbers I need. I’m trying different things to make that happen, from some marketing and promotion – including a three month promo campaign I just started on Monday (which I’ll share the results of as I get them. Ultimately my path to writing success involves writing though. I just keep on writing more books. Life has slowed me down a bit over the last few weeks but I’m still hard at work on my next book. Since your curious, my current project is the third book in the Wanted trilogy.
And after I finish that one I’ll start in on the next – I don’t believe in wasting time between novels. I’m not sure what the next one will be, unfortunately, but I’ve got several options. Presently I’m leaning towards a sequel to Child of Fate, which is a fantasy novel that should be released late October or early November. My third Wanted book will hopefully make it out shortly after that, mid to late November.
And now back to your regularly scheduled day. Just remember as you go about it to give yourself a goal to accomplish with some challenge to it. Enough to make you feel good about accomplishing it and once you’ve done that, do it again (new goal, not the same one). There’s power in victory, and once you become addicted to it the sky’s the limit!
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