If You're Under 30, Do You Know What This Is? 

When I was in grad school, we lived in Pasadena, California—just a hop, skip, and a jump from Beverly Hills. For more than a year, I worked as a valet on Rodeo Drive where I drove the cars of the movie stars.

Our zip code was 90210. No joke!

Nicholas Cage, Magic Johnson, Cher, James Spader, Mike Tyson (just before he went to jail), Loretta Swit (I carried her paintings to an art gallery)—you name it—if they were a celebrity in the early 90s, I probably drove their car.

Because I learned to drive on a stick shift, parking those fancy Ferraris and Lotuses (Lotusi??) wasn't very hard.

But if you worked as a valet and didn't know how to shift gears, it could be a humiliating experience.

I'm Shifting Gears Here

I’m not trying to scare you, but it’s already February.

If you’re like me, you may have established some writing goals at the beginning of the year and you’ve already fallen behind. I’m probably a month behind on the book I’m ghostwriting.

Look—it’s not the end of the world and it definitely isn’t too late to start making progress. Serious progress.

And if you haven’t created any goals for the year, then you’ve come to the perfect place.

Getting into gear for the new year doesn't need to be a humiliating experience.

Let's talk about it.

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The Reason Shifting Gears Can Be Hard

Making a plan is virtually painless—executing the plan is where most people get tripped up. Life happens, and somehow, year after year, we fall short of accomplishing our highest aspirations.

Laziness is not keeping you from accomplishing your goals. Fear is—specifically, your fear of discomfort and avoidance of pain. 

Read that again. 

The human brain is wired for survival. We want our lives to remain the same because we’re familiar with the status quo. Even if it’s accompanied by unhealthy relationships, frustration, perhaps poor health. You know what I mean. 

We are geared to pursue short-term pleasure and avoid pain of any kind. We prefer to clean the kitchen than sit down and write the next chapter of our book. While cleaning the kitchen may seem small in the moment, many afternoons of cleaning the kitchen and not writing has a much greater cost. 

How do you deal with the fear and discomfort that gets in the way of accomplishing your goals this year?

Nobody likes pain. I certainly don’t. And finishing your book ranks about a 1 out of 10 on the pain scale. Humankind has been dealing with pain for thousands of years. It’s funny, because we probably live in the least painful era in human history, and yet our pain threshold is unsufferably low.

Here's How To Get Into Gear For The Year

Here are three steps you can take to deal with the obstacles to your goals this year: 

Step #1. Identify your fears

Before you stand up and yell “NO DUH!” listen up. I’m not saying you need to identify that you have fear. I’m saying you need to identify the specific fears that stand between you and greatness. 

Are you not writing because you’re afraid you’re not a good enough writer? 

Are you worried about how launching into your manuscript will affect your other relationships?

Are you afraid of what people think of your story or the views you share in your book?

Are you afraid of getting negative reviews on Amazon?

For every fear, come up with a “why.” Name the discomfort you will most likely experience before you experience it. That way, you’ll recognize it when it inevitably surfaces as you try to reach your goals. 

Don't just think about it, write it down.

You want to be aware of what you’re avoiding so you can engage with it. If an hour of writing per day means one hour less of playing with your kids, maybe you can take them on a longer Saturday outing to make up for it. 

If you're afraid of getting negative reviews, telling yourself to expect them will soften the blow—because you will get negative reviews. It's a rite of passage for every author.

When you address the fear, it lessens its hold on you. Now you have a game plan for when those excuses come up and you’re tempted to backslide on your goal.

Step #2. Acknowledge the struggle

Implementing any change in life is hard. 

Eons ago when you studied physics in high school, your physics teacher introduced you to Isaac Newton, the father of physics—if you were paying attention. 

You learned that an object in motion tends to stay in motion, while an object at rest tends to stay at rest. Getting moving when you don’t have any momentum is harder than keeping that momentum going.

Acknowledge that getting moving toward your goal is a struggle. Talk to yourself. Talk about it to anyone who'll listen. Say to yourself, "Hitting this goal is so hard." 

Then make friends with the struggle.

Don’t start out with the mindset that it’s all over if you fall off the wagon. Instead, acknowledge that you're going to take a fall. After all, we’re not perfect, and life has a way of surprising us. You'll have days when you don’t follow your plan to achieve your goal, and that’s okay. 

Just make sure you get back on the wagon.

Step #3. Count the opportunity cost

Every decision eliminates possibilities and moves you closer toward a certain set of outcomes. We’re all familiar with opportunity cost, but we don’t think about it carefully day-to-day because it’s taxing. If we did, we might make different decisions.

The next time you want to rewatch your favorite TV show instead of making an outline for your book, consciously weigh the choices and the costs. Come up with a script to say to yourself when you want to renege on your commitments. 

This could be something like, “In the short term, watching this TV show will bring me joy, but in the long term, finishing my book will bring me greater joy.”

Sometimes the trade-off is worth it. Maybe someone wants to take you on an all-expenses paid vacation, and you’re not going to write that week. That’s okay. 

This is all about awakening yourself to your options and their potential outcomes. You know you are making a conscious choice to do something rather than leaving it up to chance or a gut feeling. 

Remember that we are prone to taking the easy path to pleasure. Doing the hard stuff is real work.

The only way you're going to find those diamonds is by digging in the ground. No one likes digging. But absolutely no one ever found diamonds by watching "You People" on Netflix.

Yes, that's the #1 show on Netflix right now. 

Your Pain Needs A Partner

You will get stronger by doing the hard things, one step at a time. As you do, take comfort in the fact that you’re not avoiding pain or discomfort. You’re not succumbing to fear. Instead, you’re facing challenges head on.

If you want a partner in the pain and discomfort, you can schedule a meeting with me. Even after working on 70+ books, I still struggle with these issues. If you’re new to this process, I know how daunting it can be, and I want you to know you’re not alone.

You can do this. This year can be your year. It's not too late. Make a conscious choice to initiate the change. 

Let’s explore the possibilities of your book and then let's strategize how to make it happen.

Click here to schedule a no-obligation consultation with me.

Let’s bring your book to life!