Dream about success, but not too much

September 15, 2013

Sometimes I dream what it will be like to be an author.

I dream of the freedom, the flexibility, and the total lack of a boss. I dream of waking up every morning with the main item on my to-do list being “write”, and with plenty of time to do it. I imagine what it will be like to introduce myself as an author, with no asterisk included.

I think that imagining your future success is helpful. It’s a little reward you can give yourself to propel yourself forward, and remind yourself of why you’re doing all this work in the first place. Some people might think of it as putting the cart before the horse, but I disagree. You have to picture victory to know how to get there.

That said, I once talked to a fellow writer who was planning for a movie and TV series–before he had even finished his first book. That’s getting ahead of yourself by far. It’s not like I haven’t imagined these things, but not much – they’re forms of success that are out of my control, so I see no point in dwelling on them. I’ll do what I can do first.

Feel free to envision your idea of success, just don’t get so far ahead of yourself that you’re planning for big things that will probably never happen. Plan for the first big thing that will probably never happen, and work towards that. There will be time for the rest later on.