EYES ON THE PRIZE • You know what’s hard? Staying motivated to do the work when the goal seems so unreachable. But I never would’ve gotten to where I am now if I hadn’t stayed focused on the goal: I wanted to be an author. It was because I didn’t focus on this goal that #LATSAEIB ended up shelved for two years before I finally, in a sudden burst of determination, decided to get it published. At the time, I was too burned out to focus on the goal. I was burned out by agent and publisher rejections + by writing such a heavy, personal story. I was burned out in my personal life. But when I finally got the rest I needed, the story came to mind again and I realized how much /not/ publishing it was holding me back from writing all the other stories that were burning in my heart. I decided I needed to be done. For three months I set out to edit two more drafts, format, and get it published. I tried to keep my eyes on the prize. One way I did that was by writing down a list of books I wanted to write and publish + their potential publish dates. Now, obviously my goals weren’t as lofty then as they are now. (Back then, I would’ve been happy to publish a book every 2-3 years; now, my timeline is 1-2 books every year. 🤫) But writing it down helped me visualize my goal + feel it with my own hands. Every milestone since that moment continually boosted my ability to keep my eyes on the prize. My first proof copy. My first early reviews. The final cover. The Goodreads launch. These were all things that helped me stay focused. Staying focused on the GOAL is a serious motivator to do the WORK. The fact is, I wanted to be an author. The fact is, it was gonna take work. I decided I had to stop giving myself an out. But I know it doesn’t always come easy, so here are three things you can do to stay focused: 1) order a proof copy of your book from Amazon KDP (it’s cheap) so you can FEEL it and keep it nearby at all times; 2) write a list of the books you want to write/publish and put a date on them; and 3) Recruit beta readers who will champion your story when you feel unmotivated. (I owe so much of EBABT’s success to my betas who championed it and helped fix what wasn’t working.) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0yZb60gzu1/?igshid=pj19uvnx7l80