START WHERE YOU ARE
by Lynn Colwell
My client had gone back to school, stumbled on journalism, fell in love with it and sailed through her courses. The structure and deadlines instead of causing anxiety, provided the boundaries she needed to get work done.
“I was a shining star," she said. “Aced classes. Was a copy editor. Wrote prolifically. Started freelancing for the local paper. I was doing a lot of writing including advertorial work.”
Then she graduated and moved across the country. Suddenly, she was out of school, out of work and in a new completely new environment. “I know I'm a good writer,” she said, “I’ve had some success and yet I don't know where to start here. I don't know anyone. I have no connections. I’m at the point where I need to prove I can do it or get a job in an office.”
This client’s story is not unique. It’s amazing how creative we are at coming up with roadblocks to our own success. And how uncreative we can be at moving around them.
My suggestion is not revolutionary. Start where you are. Stop thinking about getting published in Oprah and write a query letter to your local magazine. Quit worrying about what will happen to your kids when you become an overnight sensation and go to the library to do some research. Replace the negativity and doubt with a can-do attitude and leap in right this very minute.
After my clients tell me their stories, I often ask, “If you were going to take one step when we hang up the phone to get moving in the direction you want to go, what would it be?”
As confused and overwhelmed or scared as anyone is, I’ve never had a single client say, “I have no idea.” Well, once one said, “I’m not sure.” In that case, I just probed with another question or two about priorities and he was off and running.
Starting where you are seems blindingly obvious. And yet, too many people are weighed down by a future that may never come. So even if they are ready to launch, they are afraid of beginning in the wrong place or at the imperfect time or with an article idea that might be a bad one. The point is, start! Do it! Pick an action, any action.
One thought. It’s often best to begin with a small, manageable step. Don’t try to make to big a leap from where you are to where you want to be all at once. Just today I had a client who wants to query newspapers about a number of articles she thinks they may purchase as reprints. When I asked her how she could begin, she replied, “I’ll be in touch with 100 newspapers between today and next week’s call.”
That’s a whole heap ‘o work. And while setting that kind of an intention may be inspiring and exciting, it also can add to the pressure you are already feeling.
I imagine that if Erma Bombeck’s goal when she began writing had been to spend 25+ years turning out thousands of newspaper columns and a dozen plus books, she would have quit before she started. That’s not to say that some people don’t set these type of goals and go for them and do just fine. But the fact is that often we put so much pressure on ourselves to succeed that there is no way we possibly can!
So start where you are, but start small. Ask yourself, “What is the easiest step I can take this week that will move me toward where I want to go?” Make sure the choice will be painless to accomplish. It should be far-reaching enough to excite you, but not so demanding as to make you weak at the idea of pulling it off—25 contacts felt great to my client.
Once you’ve accomplished that tiny step, add another and another, one at a time. One day you will find yourself within breathing distance of your goal. “Where you are” will be a whole new place.
(c) 2006, Lynn Colwell
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