Have you ever pushed a big goal onto the back burner, even though you knew you were missing opportunities by procrastinating? Are you putting off creating your first digital project or publishing your first ebook with any of these excuses?
“It’s not ready.”
“I’m too busy.”
“No one will care anyway.”
“I don’t have a big enough email list.”
Hurdling these self-imposed obstacles is challenging, but it’s the only way to share your work with the world. I learned this lesson the hard way, but hopefully my story can inspire you to take action.
Opportunity knocking
When The Write Life launched on July 15, 2013, I received an email explaining that I was featured in the free ebook download given to each new subscriber to The Write Life newsletter. While I was excited that my advice for aspiring entrepreneurial writers was going to be shared with The Write Life community, I was also disappointed — in myself.
A missed chance
A few months before, I had finished writing the content for my first eguide, How to Become a Freelance Writer in 30 Days. However, on this fateful Monday, all 84 pages were still sitting on a Word document on my computer.
All I had left to do was to finish formatting the eguide, convert it into a PDF, and upload it to my e-junkie account. Yet I hadn’t pulled the trigger.
I’ll never know how many potential eguide buyers I missed out on that day because I’d failed to ship my book. And if The Write Life hadn’t launched that day, who knows when I would have received the kick-in-the-pants that I needed to buckle down?
Passing it on
Let this post be your kick in the pants. Dedicate 30 minutes or more of uninterrupted time to your big project every single day. Block it off in your calendar just like you would a meeting or a hot date. Make it a priority to share your knowledge with those who will benefit from it.
Creating, marketing and selling your first digital product isn’t a self-indulgent endeavor. If you can help shorten someone’s learning curve so they can reach their goals more efficiently, you should. Empowering others is a beautiful thing.
Have you ever missed a big opportunity like this one? What big projects are you working on? Share in the comments below!