First Week In! What Have You Done to Make Your Dream Come True So Far?

January 7th...

A week in.

About now most folks' resolutions of going to the gym are dying a slow or not-so-slow death.

Most of the Christmas stuff has been packed away... but is it organized like you planned? Or stuffed in random totes that you'll lament and regret next November?

There's probably a small stack of things needing to be returned on a counter or table or dresser... and you'll get to them soon!

And the registration for the car that you meant to do in December is only a week late.

:)

If this sounds familiar, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, MY FRIENDS.

Life happens. It spins. It hurries! It's frankly amazing how it beats its own little drum in a rhythmic time that leaves us in a whirlwind of things to get done.

Now I know a lot of folks who will quietly and effectively not have any of these things happening or waiting.... and that's good for them. They are not generally the people who take on extra volunteer projects when someone gets sick or step in to host a family gathering at the last minute, or have open Sundays at the pool for anyone who wants to drop in during a hot, hot summer.

So part of the problem is that some folks do too much and their time disappears.... I love those folks!

And others just can't seem to get it together no matter what season, what time, what setting.

If you're a writer, that's not gonna work.

If you're a writer and want to publish your own work or be traditionally published, that's not gonna work.

Meeting expectations, meeting deadlines, meeting other professionals on their terms is a huge part of your success as an author.

Learning the business, understanding the industry, climbing the walls and nudging open doors... All of these are huge.

You do not have to be organized to be a writer. Creative minds do not have to follow those rules, and many don't.

But you do have to be productive enough to feed a hungry audience of readers who are anxiously awaiting your next book.

Authors fail for a lot of reasons, but lack of production and lack of time spent are two big ones.

So where are you in your goals this 7th of January?

What do you see yourself doing in five years?

An author asked me that years ago and prayed for me when I said "I want to be where you are, an award-winning author with a sizable pile of books to my credit..."

I don't think she expected my honesty. Or that once a goal is set, I am determined to do the work to meet it. I can't predict the outcome!

But I have the power within myself to do everything I can to make it come true if I work hard enough.

I'm not worried about your undone stuff, my friends.... We've all got a pile of that.

But now is the best time to set your plan in motion, before guilt at turning that new Pelitron into a drying rack for fine washables sets in. :)

Share your plan with us if you'd like!

I'd love to hear it!

And while you're here I would be REMISS not to mention that "A Cowboy in Shepherd's Crossing" is available NATIONWIDE right now, wherever mass market paperbacks are sold and also on Amazon!  Jace Middleton always works his plan... a talented construction contractor and cowboy, Jace does whatever it takes to get the job done. When faced with leaving the town he loves, the town his family helped settle, Jace faces the choice with reluctance and determination... but when old secrets come out, and an eccentric and possibly more-than-eccentric old white woman reveals that she is Jace's biological grandmother... everything changes because the determined cowboy discovers he's been living a lie for thirty years... This beautiful story wraps itself around your heart and touches your soul as you take Jace's journey with him. I hope you dash out and buy it (or use the link RIGHT HERE!!!!) and that you love it!

Multi-published, award-winning inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne loves what she does and hopes that shows in everything she publishes. As creator of the Shepherd's Crossing Western series, she's having so much fun writing a cast of unforgettable and diverse characters in a crazy beautiful and rugged setting.... You can find her on Facebook where she loves to share all kinds of things, on Twitter, at ruthloganherne.com and you can find her books through bookstores, Walmart, anywhere mass market media books are sold, and of course the entire library of her 50 books is available on Amazon at Ruth Logan Herne's page!