Yes, I have now been officially retired from Corporate America for two years.
But I started my own business (publishing company) and have been focused on getting that up and running, starting with the books I had once published with Loose Id, LLC. They gave me the rights back when they closed their doors. “All” I had to do was slap new covers on them and get them out there, right? Well, that’s not quite how it works. Covers cost money. Retitling the books to bring them up-to-date. Freshen the blurbs and hooks. Let the world know they’re available. All of these things take time if you want to do it right.
I overloaded myself with virtual conferences, on-line classes, how-to books, and other things I will never in this lifetime have an opportunity to follow up on. (If you’re familiar at all with Clifton Strengths, I’m #1 Input and #3 Learner. Conferences, classes, and how-to’s are my natural habitat.)
Plus unforeseen family issues required a realigning of obligations and priorities.
I’ve seen a lot of fellow authors put too much on their plates and then wonder why they are overwhelmed, if not actually burned out. I didn’t work a day job all those years only to fizzle when I finally had my chance to live my dream.
So when I looked ahead at 2024, I realized the business–my publishing company–is me. Start to finish. I can’t succeed if the woman is failing.
What does that mean? I reassessed what I do each day. Week. Month. Some things had to go (sorry if you’re a fan of my daily Facebook inspiration). I’ve started scheduling time for reading for pleasure. Viewing for pleasure. Self-improvement and for learning. It’s written down, right there in my planner. I’m a #5 Consistency (Clifton Strengths again) which means I like a schedule.
And the cover of this years planner? TODAY I CHOOSE JOY.
