1 bad mistake keeping your online writing dreams JUST out of reach

In my yearlong quest to generate enough money from online publishing to leave commuter life, I’ve hit some big roadblocks.

Yes, I’ve had some success (you can see an update at the bottom of this piece), but I’ve also stepped into more than one pothole along the way.

Some of my creator tasks are easy — writing here, for example — but it’s like pulling teeth to get me to follow through on others.

And the problem with that is, those other tasks are the ones I need to get a handle on or I’ll never reach my goal.

Isn’t that always the way?

The thing you want to do the least is the thing you need to do the most.

I was thinking about this after re-listening to the absolute genius audiobooks The War of Art and Turning Pro (affiliate links) by Steven Pressfield last week.

Pressfield expertly walks the listener through the creator’s №1 opponent — Resistance — and how to battle against it.

And in doing so he reveals one awful mistake we creators always make that keeps our dreams — writing full time, making YouTube videos, starting a bricks-and-mortar business, whatever — JUST out of reach.

Below I’ll tell you what that mistake is, and then I’ll tell you how I plan to avoid making it again and again moving forward.

Online writing success is a long climb — do this or it’ll always be out of reach. (Licensed by the author under the Unsplash+ License)

Delayed progress writing online

Here’s what Pressfield says in what I believe to be the most important passage of Turning Pro.

After discussing the many differences between amateurs and those who have “turned pro” — that is, someone who stops thinking and caving to resistance and who just starts working every day, he hits you between the eyes with this one (I’m paraphrasing because I couldn’t find the timestamp):

“The pro sits down to work, the amateur always says ‘I’ll start tomorrow’.”

While I’m happy to report I turned pro on this site long ago, I still act mostly like an amateur with my other side projects like YouTube, KDP, and developing courses.

Oftentimes, I’ll find any other activity besides actually working to fill my time:

Instead of editing a YouTube video I’ve already filmed, I’ll watch YouTube videos about how to win on YouTube
Instead of creating and posting a product on KDP, I’ll watch videos about other people who’ve been successful publishing on KDP
Instead of creating a course, I’ll look at other peoples’ sites who’ve already created courses to see what they’re charging

What do you do instead of working?

Write a bunch of outlines?
Watch instructional videos?
Clean the house?

At the end of the day, we would all do well to listen to Pressfield and remember that line:

Amateurs always say, ‘I’ll start tomorrow.’

If you act like an amateur, you’ll always get amateur results.

If you act like a pro, you might actually achieve your dream of doing something you love for a living.

So make the commitment to start today.

(Hey folks, just a heads up that you can listen to The War of Art or Turning Pro for free if you’re new to Audible. Just use my affiliate link here and you’ll get two complimentary audiobooks. I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you).

Publish Every Day project update: Day 133

I’m trying to see if I can make enough money to quit commuter life within a year by publishing every day on various platforms and putting my earnings into passive income investments.

How much I need to retire: $250 CAD per day

What I earned on Day 133: $26.44 (writing) + $2.90 (YouTube) = $29.34 total

Publish Every Day update: Day-by-day on Day 133.

What I’ve published recently:

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Summarize

1 bad mistake keeping your online writing dreams JUST out of reach

Delayed progress writing online

Publish Every Day project update: Day 133