The first time I was hit by the word ‘bestseller’ was when my father said: ‘We can’t afford that until I finally have my bestseller ready.’
I was a child and I wanted to see my parents prosper.
The bestseller never came and it became an obsession in my mind for the rest of my life. Like a task that had to be finished, like an atavistic, inherited crusade. An almost impossible task that you should finish or die trying.
It took over my entire life, and at some point that elusive bestseller plus sex took over all my life.
I wrote and wrote and wrote. Almost every day. All kinds of genres. When I was young I would finish whole manuscripts and send them off to publishers. I usually got told that I had talent, that it was well written, but lacked a common thread to hold it all together.
I gave up sending manuscripts to publishers and focussed on blogging, for a while I worked as a journalist, but the journalistic form makes for such confined, such castrated, sterile writing that I stopped enjoying it. The articles had to be too soulless, too devoid of truth, lacking in authenticity, even when factually correct.
I know I often try to do too many things at the same time.
The book ‘the one thing’ really opened my eyes to this.
I know I should be focussing on writing one great book, and not hundreds of blog posts.
Did you know that there are almost 1,000 articles on this website? Visitors almost always read only the new ones, but if you have time and are interested scroll all the way back to the beginning. This website has gone through many changes and it’s still evolving.
This year alone, in 2018, I have written the equivalent of three books on this website. If you put all the articles I have written in 2018 in book form you end up with three books of about 200 pages each. Except, there are no books, there are just blog posts. Only about 5 percent of these get a lot of readers.
So am thinking: What is the one thing I should be investing 80 percent of my energy in? A book? But what about? There are so many topics and stories that fascinate me. Teaching? To be honest, I enjoy teaching, it’s like a light, playful form of psychotherapy or coaching for me, but I am looking for a project that could free me of HAVING TO teach. I would like to have money rolling in through one great project so I can teach only the people I want to teach. And invest more money and energy in building a reputation as a therapist.
This is one of my biggest worries. How to stop scattering my energy all over the place? I manage to be very busy all the time, but am sure I’m not being highly effective.
If you feel like it let me know what should be your priority if you want to move closer to your dream life.
I hate having my mind on 10 different places and topics. Doing this long time is really exhausting, people need then something else to do in that tiny free time they have. Dont you think?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know, it’s hard. Like right now am feeling guilty and stupid for playing a boardgame for four hours. Am tired now and preparing for a real marathon of teaching tomorrow. Almost non stop from 7 till 20.15
LikeLike
Manic monday incoming.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Een dilemma he. Rudi zegt ook altijd dat ik met te veel dingen tegelijk bezig ben of wil zijn. Hij heeft als passie muziek, ik wil alles weten en alles kunnen. Met als gevolg dat ik nergens in uitblink. Zou ik een specialist in iets willen zijn? Dat zou plezant zijn, geef ik toe. Maar ik zou altijd het gevoel hebben dat ik dan te veel andere dingen heb gemist. Terwijl we sowieso massa’s dingen missen. Het leven gaat over keuzes maken, en kiezen is ook verliezen nietwaar. Ik zou nog een paar levens nodig hebben om alles te doen wat ik graag wil doen. Is er in jouw leven iets zo erg de moeite dat je er tachtig procent van je tijd wil in investeren, enkel en alleen daarin? Misschien moet je daar een boek over schrijven, over die ene passie in een mensenleven? Of het gebrek eraan 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t tell me about it. Right now I would love to just run off, get drunk, launch some creative project and never have to run from company to company
LikeLike
Ik denk dat je jezelf schromelijk onderschat. Je bent een schitterende journaliste, hebt bakken mensenkennis, weet als geen ander mensen op hun gemak te stellen, bent een scherp observator van de mensheid en je hebt twee kinderen met een universitair diploma. Om maar iets te zeggen. En waar zou Rudi de inspiratie halen zonder jou?
LikeLike
Is there one topic that interests you a bit more than the other topics? What kind of book that doesn’t exist yet would you like to buy?
In any case, I am wondering if the ambition of making lots of money isn’t putting you under too much pressure. I find the expectation of becoming famous or making lots of money out of scratch a bit intimidating and discouraging. But maybe that’s just me. I think that doing something out of joy or strong interest could be a more inspiring motivation.
LikeLike
Women. If am completely honest. Followed closely by psychology, economics, politics, history, wars, strategy and languages. I think you are right, but I have had this pressure for as long as I can remember, I know it’s possible and I can’t let it go. But you’re right. Richard Branson says: if I was having fun I knew it would eventually lead to money. What fascinates you the most?
LikeLike
I think it’s the human creativity. In art or science, or elsewhere. And the capacity of people to be good as well as evil. It’s not easy for me either to pinpoint one single thing. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person