Welcome back to Alchemy for Authors!
In this solo episode, I share five questions you can ask yourself to give you clarity about whether it’s time to quit writing and quit your author life.
Don’t panic! I can almost guarantee it’s not.
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Find the full transcript of this episode below.
Episode 27: Is it Time to Quit Writing?
Jo: Hello, my lovelies. Thank you for joining me again for another episode of Alchemy for Authors. Today I want to talk about how to know when it’s time to quit. Time to quit writing and time to quit the writer life.
And now I can already feel some of you squirm as I say this, because questioning whether we should give up on doing something that we’re passionate about, or we’ve spent lots of time and energy on, and made sacrifices for, it can be really triggering. And that is actually a good thing.
So, this is not going to be me listing all the signs that you should quit writing and your author life, I promise. Because no one can tell you if you’re on the wrong path, but you. But I do think that many of us, somewhere in our careers, do come to a crossroads where we ask ourselves that question. Should I keep writing? Should I keep pursuing this dream?
I had thought a lot about whether to record this episode or to put out one of my pre recorded guest episodes that I have for you, because man, they are amazing and uplifting and all that goodness. But this is really close to my heart at the moment, and I really feel the need to share my thoughts on this, just in case there’s anybody else out there at the moment who is also battling with this question. Whether to continue on doing what they’re doing or to call it quits.
So we all have those bad days, and those weeks, those bad months, or sometimes longer, where we feel that things just aren’t working out how we want them to. Or there just seems to be no momentum. We’re spinning wheels. So I kind of want to explore that more. Particularly as I’ve found that certain pressures in my life recently have actually led me to ask this question of myself a lot this year.
Should I keep writing? Should I put out more novels? Should I keep on with this dream of being an author and creating an author career for myself?
And if you’ve listened to some of my solo episodes before, you know that I’ve talked a lot about me trying really hard to keep my energy really positive when I think and talk about writing and my writing life. Because of course like attracts like, in the world of manifestation and that. But just because I want us to be the one area of my life, where I can be a little bit of an idealist, and the energy surrounding my thoughts with writing and my author life is just really positive and happy and uplifting. I also talk a lot about being your biggest cheerleader. No one’s going to care as much about your writing as you are. And so, you have to make sure that you really are supporting yourself in all those ways and keeping your energy high and cheering yourself on even on the bad days, and celebrating the ups and downs and all your little successes. And I still believe that is so important.
But I’m also human and I’m as flawed and imperfect as the next person. And as a reminder, I’m a baby on the author scene. I first had a couple of short stories published in a literary journal back in 2014. And it wasn’t until 2020 that I self-published my first collection of short stories and a novel. And then I did the same again in 2021. And then I’ve kind of stalled a little bit this year.
So really despite having a passion for writing and books and wanting to be an author pretty much my entire life, I’m still pretty new to the author world. And that’s one of the perks to having this podcast is that I get to talk and learn from some of the most amazing people who are on different parts of the journey than I am. Oftentimes, further along.
I’m also, just for clarity, I’m not a millionaire author. I’m not making the big bucks. I still have a day job. And as much as I would like to, I don’t write every day. I don’t follow
the advice of many writing and author gurus out there. I tend to do things a little bit my own way. Some would say maybe not the right way. I publish wide, straight off the bat. I write standalone stories, although that might be beginning to change here. And although I’ve dabbled in a range of different marketing and promotional arenas, I have, particularly this year, I’ve let it slide considerably.
So if you’re new to the author journey as well, I’m right there with you. And that’s one of the cool things is kind of finding this whole thing out together. You might also, particularly if you’re new to this journey, find that you resonate with this episode or resonate with some of the questions I’ve been asking myself.
So some of the things that even got me questioning whether I should still be investing all this time and energy and money into my writing life, and even this podcast, my books that I’m writing, all of it, was just some of the experiences that I’ve been having this year. And you might’ve been having some that are similar or completely different, but it might be just the feeling that you get that resonates with you a little bit. And what I find is that sometimes when we push through and ignore our feelings, they can compound a little bit and add up until we’re really forced to start to notice them. And that’s when we’re kind of pushed to ask these questions. Should I stay, or should I go? Should I quit or keep going?
So for me, it’s been things like starting a new job this year, with a workload that I guess I was unprepared for and thought that I could totally make work whilst also starting a podcast and meeting all my book goals as well. And it hasn’t worked out that way. I have had to push my novel back from its editing slot, oh a good few times this year if not several already. And along the line, I also pivoted and decided to write something completely different. So now I’m sitting on two partially written manuscripts and nothing to really show for it. My good intentions of having published a good few books this year, have eventuated into no books this year.
And then of course, when you’re deep in the world of publishing and writing and indie publishing in particular, there are so many people out there who are encouraging you to give this a go, give that a go, this will help your career to take off. And so there are so many things that I’ve had on my to-do list that I’ve really wanted to implement, that I really haven’t had a chance to. And they’re things like recording audio books and revamping my website and my social media, and even my newsletters. Experimenting with different forms of advertising and marketing. And sometimes it’s even just the weight of having all these things on my to-do list, that can be really overwhelming, and make me question if it’s really worth it, particularly when I’m not actually ticking those things off my to-do list. And so when it feels like I’m not making that progress or have that momentum, it’s easy to begin to contemplate, well, maybe I should just give up. Maybe it’s just not going to happen.
I have also, as you would have heard from other solo episodes, really struggled with time management a little bit this year, where I overbooked myself, in thinking I could do and achieve so much more than I actually had physical hours in the day and also, the mental and physical capacity to do them. I have sacrificed a lot of downtime this year in the name of trying to find work-life balance. And it’s been a real struggle and learning curve that I’m still working on.
And then of course, when we’re going through these challenges, quite often the universe steps in and creates opportunities where you can be triggered by them a little bit further. So what I mean by that is, because so much of my focus has been on creating more time for my writing and for other areas of my life, I’ve had things like a recent opportunity to actually reduce my hours and the day job next year, which I was so excited about because I thought, oh my gosh, then I can keep this day job that I’m really enjoying whilst also increasing my productivity with my books and my author career and that. But then this week, of course, I had to actually turn the opportunity down, just for a whole wide range of reasons that make perfect sense, but still just hurt a little bit because I’d had my hopes up. So it’s not time yet for me. And I say yet, because the time will come, but it’s not time yet for me to pull back as much as I would like on the day job.
But then of course, because I’ve been struggling with that a bit. And I guess sending those vibes out into the universe, I’ve also had the recent experiences of people questioning why I don’t have more time to do what they expect of me. And we’re not talking friends or family here. We’re talking just other people in my life who expect me to give up my personal time, my evenings and my weekends and my holidays and whatnot, to do what they want me to do for them, and have dismissed the importance of my writing, and this podcast, and even, and I hate to say this cause it makes me cringe so so much, and please, please don’t ever be this person, guys. Just don’t. But have even said, well, it’s not like you have a family, cause you don’t have kids. Yeah, ouch. They’re right, I don’t have kids. I do have a family. And regardless that’s really got nothing to do with anything.
So there’s been those kinds of struggles. There has also of course, because when you’re feeling just a little bit down and you’re starting to question the validity of where you’re putting your energy and everything, it is so, so easy to fall into the trap of comparisonitis.
And although somewhat similar to imposter syndrome, it is a little bit different. Imposter syndrome, of course, is something that we’ve talked about on this podcast. And it’s something that I, like most people, I guess, do struggle with at times. But it’s something that I’ve worked really hard on when it comes to my writing life and my books and that, and so it’s not one of the big issues for me personally. Because. I willingly accept that I’m not going to be perfect. But I also have as much right as the next person to put my words out there. And despite being a perfectionist in many areas of my life. And as much as I endeavour to always put out my very best work, sometimes it’s okay just to be okay with good enough. And I’m getting much better with accepting that. I would rather have my work out in the world resonating with somebody, than keeping it to myself frozen because I’m worried that it’s not perfect.
But comparisonitis. Ooh, that’s an interesting one. And it’s one that I thought I hadn’t really succumbed to too much. I’d always told myself, well, I’m new at the writing thing, so there’s no point comparing myself to anybody else. We’ve all got different skills. We have different privileges. Different life experiences. Different opportunities, everything that just makes for different author journeys. And so there really is no point comparing one’s journey to somebody else’s.
And that’s still true. But it doesn’t mean that sometimes I don’t also succumb to comparisonitis. And I know this is so cliche, but social media, ooh, that can be a tough one. When you’re going through posts written in wonderful, amazing author groups, and then you see people who are just starting out on their journey who are doing better than you are now, that can, um, make you question things for sure. And when you compound that with everything else, including, you know, doing your monthly finances and seeing that your sales have kind of tanked over the last couple of months because, and I take all accountability, I haven’t been focusing my energies on the things that really matter at making sales. I haven’t been focusing my energies on the marketing or the advertising or any of the things that I normally would, very much at all this year. And yet I can still feel that ickiness where, it’s not jealousy per se, but it’s that comparisonitis of well, how is it that, that person’s doing so much better than me? And the answers are usually pretty obvious to see. They’re just putting more energy and intention into the things that matter, or sometimes it just does come down to dumb luck and they just got lucky in some way. And I don’t begrudge anybody that, because I really do believe that we should all be encouraging each other to success, for sure, and celebrating each other’s successes. One person winning at something doesn’t detract from the possibility of somebody else being successful.
And yet here I’ve been residing for the last little while with these icky little thoughts coming through my mind at times, and trapping me in this yuckiness of wondering do I keep doing what I’m doing? Do I keep pursuing the author life or do I give it all up?
And I think we’ve all been in that situation where life has just thrown thing after thing at us, drama after drama. And instead of feeling like it’s only two steps forward and one step back we’re feeling like we’re barely even taking one step forward and it’s two steps back every time.
So before I tell you my own answer to my own question of whether I’m going to keep going, or if it’s really time for me to quit, I want to offer up some of the questions that you can ask yourself if you’re in a similar situation.
And the first question is: Would my life be easier?
Would my life be easier if I gave up trying to write all these books? Would my life be easier if I gave up on this dream to be an author? Would my life be easier if I stopped thinking about how to move from having a day job to making a full-time income as an authorpreneur?
Now very possibly, most of the time, the answer is probably, yes. Yeah, my life would be so much easier. I mean, heck. If I were to give up this podcast, and my writing dreams and everything like that, tomorrow, my life would be so much easier in that I would have a lot more money in the bank, for sure. I wouldn’t need to be spending it on different software and email providers and websites book covers, editing. So financially, my life probably would be easier. I would also free up a heck of a lot of time. I would start to have a lot more of my evenings and weekends back. But, in doing so, what state of mind would I be in?
Just recently I sat down and I envisioned this. I envisioned what it would be like if I was just to stop it all. If I was just to stop writing, stop caring about getting published, stop doing this podcast. And I thought about the fact, yeah, I’d have a bit more money and I’d have a lot more time, and I couldn’t for the life of me, imagine that scenario where I would be happy.
In fact, I just thought, well, it would make life so much easier to do my day job, that’s for sure. I’d have more time for that because my day job is one that tends to bleed into the evenings, the weekends and the holidays. And there is certainly a big amount of guilt that I carry when I’m cutting time out for my writing and this podcast, instead of giving that 110% that I feel like I should be to my day job. Obviously, you can see that I’ve got some work to do there. It’s not a healthy way of thinking at all.
But even though I could envision what it would be like to not be doing my writing and the podcast. I could not for the life of me, envision myself being happy. I couldn’t imagine, living a life where I wasn’t doing these things, it would be like going backwards. And despite it sometimes being incredibly stressful and lots of sacrifices being made, what I’m doing is so fulfilling- on a soul level and a spirit level. The things that it’s taught me about myself, and the confidence that has given me, even to just do this and have my voice heard out in the world, it’s incredible. I don’t know that I ever believed that I’d actually have the confidence to share my words in any form, whether as audio like this in this podcast or in the written form. I’ve always been a big introvert. I’ve always been super shy. And I’ve always thought people wouldn’t have any interest in anything I’ve had to say. And surprisingly to me, and wonderfully, I’ve been proven wrong with that with the people who’ve read my books and really loved them or enjoyed them, or just got something from them or been inspired by them. And the people who have listened to this podcast, and written to me to say that they have learnt so much or it just resonated with them. I mean, those are pretty cool feelings to be on the other end of.
So when you consider if giving it all up would make your life easier, also consider how it would make you feel. Because in my case, yes, it would make my life considerably easier. But it would not make me happy at all.
The second question I would have you ask yourself, and this really does relate to the first one, is does this make you a better person?
Being this passionate about writing, having these dreams for your writing and author career, whatever they look like, pursuing them, does that make you a better person? Do you feel like a better person when you do it? And as I’ve just said, I certainly do. Without a doubt. In fact, I know when I’m off task. I know when I’ve not been putting enough energy into my writing and authorly businessy stuff, because I get really grumpy. I feel out of alignment. I start getting frustrated and I get grumpy and I get a bit resentful that I’m not putting that energy in.
When I am doing these things, I tend to be able to, more naturally, have a positive disposition. And I think I’ve said on podcasts before, I don’t feel that I’m naturally a positive person, in fact, I would say I’m probably very much a recovering pessimist. My natural inclination is to be a little bit negative about the world and what’s going on. But that certainly changes quite a lot when I feel like I’m making momentum with writing books or having my words out there, or doing these podcasts.
But the truth of it is, this is probably only going to make you a better person if you’re actually enjoying it. And so that’s the third question. Do you still enjoy doing what you’re doing? Are you still enjoying writing that book or putting together a collection of poetry? Do you still enjoy talking to other authors or learning from them? Do you still enjoy having that book in your hands once it’s been published? Because if you’re not enjoying that, then it’s definitely a sign to look a little bit deeper.
Now, I guess that’s always possible for there to be people who love and enjoy every aspect of the writing, editing, publishing journey. I just haven’t meet any. It’s possible. There are times when I feel like I love all of it because I do love learning, and there is so much to learn in this industry, particularly if you go the Indie publishing route. But there are also times when I am just not enjoying what I’m doing. There are times when I sit down to the page and it is like pulling teeth, trying to get words onto the paper, let alone have them make sense. There are times when I’m just not into doing those social media posts, or sending out that newsletter or editing. Sometimes editing can just do my head in with overwhelm. It’s always a hundred percent worth it, but Ooh, it can be super damn tough at times.
So when you ask yourself the question, do you enjoy doing what you’re doing? Do you enjoy this author life? This writing life? These plans that you have for yourself? These dreams? Do you enjoy dedicating time and energy, and some of your heart and soul to doing these things? I’m not expecting you to say yes to, yes, I enjoy every aspect of that. That would be really unrealistic. But if overall you enjoy it, then that’s a good sign.
Now if you don’t. If you’re really in that kind of rut where you’re struggling, and maybe the imposter syndrome, the comparisonitis, or just general life has just sapped you of that energy, and that enjoyment for your craft, for your writing, then before you write yourself off that maybe this isn’t for me, consider, if it would make a difference, if you pivoted.
Maybe it’s not the writing that you’re not enjoying, but it’s what you’re writing. Maybe it’s not marketing that you don’t like, but it’s the type of marketing you’re doing that’s just really not in alignment for you.
A few episodes back I talked to the wonderful Becca Syme, and she talked a little bit about this, how we all have different strengths. And part of what she does is she coaches people to create writing lives for themselves that really embrace their strengths. There are always going to be parts of what we do that we don’t enjoy, or days where we enjoy it maybe more than other days. But I want you to consider that if you’re just not feeling fulfilled, or you’re just not getting any sense of enjoyment out of it, before you write it off, consider if you just need to pivot in some area. What would make you happy?
And it is possible that maybe the unhappiness just is a sign that no, this isn’t what you’re supposed to be doing. You’re doing it because you feel you should, or somebody told you that, oh, well, you’re good at writing, maybe you should write a book. And those should’s, oh, they’re a really good indicator that you are off track, that you’re out of alignment. Because if you’re doing what other people feel that you should do, and your feeling that you’re doing what you should do, and not what you want to do, then that’s definitely worth questioning who that’s coming from and why. Because, I really believe that if you want to have a successful author career, or an abundant author career, or just one that you enjoy and are passionate about and love, then it’s got to be in alignment with who you are. And we’re all different people. So what’s in alignment for one person is not going to be for another. What works for one person is not going to work for another. We need to find out, and we need to create for ourselves, a life that fits us as individuals.
So ask yourself with an open mind, do you still enjoy writing? Do you still enjoy pursuing an author career? And if not, is there anything you could change that would help you enjoy it? And if not, is there anything else that you would rather be spending your time doing? Because if there is, maybe that’s a sign that you should be spending your time doing that.
And that leads on to number four, the fourth question that you could ask yourself. Would you still be on this path, would you still be on this journey, would you still be writing, even if you weren’t making money from it? And some of you are going to be laughing at this question because you’re going to be saying, ah, well, Jo, I’m not making money from it right now and I’m still doing it, so duh. And I totally get that. Like I said my sales over the last month or so have been pretty shit, to be honest. And I take full accountability for that. Would I still want to be writing and doing this podcast, even if I wasn’t making money from it? You betcha! A hundred percent. Without a doubt.
In fact, in doing this podcast, I never had the intention to make money from it. I just wanted to, selfishly, chat and learn from other amazing people in the industry. And also hope that I could encourage and inspire other authors starting out, or on the path, and help them to learn and grow and really embrace a writing career that was right for them. That was aligned with who they were.
And with my books, it’s no secret that I’ve always wanted to be financially successful for them. I don’t need to be a millionaire. Some people do, and I’m not begrudging you that. For me at the moment, that’s not my goal at all. It’s not my intention. Maybe down the line, it might be. It’s not at all at the moment. Would I like to be making more money than I am with my books? Of course, I think most of us would say yes to that. Would I still be writing, even if I wasn’t making money? Absolutely.
And I haven’t really dissected this enough in myself, because part of me, even when I say that, argues, yeah, but you write enough books and one day you will be making enough money. And that’s how I kind of see it. And I’m not even going to argue with that voice because I think there’s kind of a cool mindset to have. I mean, if I’m happy right now, not pulling in millions of dollars, writing my books, but believing that the more books I write, the more income I will have from it, that’s not hurting me in any way. Unless that’s all I’m striving for. But I’m pretty laid back about it at the moment.
That question, would you still do it, even if you weren’t making money? Is a great one to ask in lots of different areas of your life, for anybody pursuing any kind of passion or dream. Are you in it for the right reasons? And yeah, the right reasons can sometimes be to make money, but do you love doing what you love so much that you would do it whether the money came or not? Because that’s a real good sign that that’s really your calling and your passion and your vocation. There is zero wrong with wanting to make money. I’ve always had the dream, for myself and for others, that we all try and find ways to make a really comfortable income doing what we love. It absolutely breaks my heart when I see people in jobs or pursuing things only for the money, and it doesn’t bring them joy. We give so much time and energy, and of our lives, to making incomes to support ourselves, that it just seems wrong to me to not be striving to find that thing that lights us up while we’re doing that. It’s a personal choice, of course. But that’s kind of where I stand in the matter. So would you still pursue this writing life even if you weren’t making money?
And number five. The question that really, truly, 100%, answered this question for me as to whether I should quit or not, is: Can you quit? Can you quit? Can you quit writing? Can you quit storytelling? Or writing those poems? Or creating those books for children? Or doing this podcast? That thing that lights you up? Even if you want to quit. Even if the world’s telling you to quit. Even if it feels like sometimes the world’s forcing you to quit. Can you quit?
And this really goes back to those first couple of questions, would your life be easier? Does it make you a better person? But I found just wording this question in this way: Can you quit? The answer was such a no-brainer for me.
Absolutely, no way. I just can’t. And whether it’s just because I’m hellishly stubborn. I don’t like being told what to do. I don’t like being dictated to, or bowing down to other people’s opinions of what I should or shouldn’t do. But there is no way in hell, that even if it made my life so much easier, would I quit right now. Even if I had years ahead of making $0. Nope. Couldn’t quit. And I don’t know all the reasons why that’s the case. I just know that the idea of quitting kind of makes me nauseous. It honestly just feel so out of alignment with what I’m supposed to be doing. And so that in itself, just knowing wholeheartedly, that even if it made all the sense in the world to quit I couldn’t, I couldn’t stop doing right now what I’m doing, then that kind of calms some of the negativity that I might be feeling in other areas of my life, like the comparisonitis. I mean, the comparisonitis loses a little bit of its power or when it’s like, well, yeah, maybe I’m not as good, or as far along on the journey as these people are, or didn’t start off with the big launches and sales and success that other people are having. But comparisonitis can hardly hold any weight when I’m not willing to give up anyway.
And so those are the five kinds of questions that I’ve been asking myself. Would my life be easier? Does writing and doing this podcast and participating in this author journey, make me a better person? Do I still enjoy it? Would I still want to do all of this and make all these sacrifices even if I weren’t making money? And can I quit?
Most of the time, I think, by asking those questions, you’ll have your answer. You’ll know. There’s other signs too. For me, and this might be different for others, but for me when the idea of quitting, when the idea of giving up and stopping makes me angry, like really angry, then I know, I most definitely have to keep going. And it’s funny because I’ve definitely been feeling a bit of that fire lately. When people have belittled my passion for writing or the time that I spent, or said something to the effect that it’s not important, so therefore I should be able to do something for them instead of the time that I would be normally spending on this, and it has made me incredibly angry, that’s a really good sign to me that I need to keep doing what I’m doing.
Anger in my experience, can actually be used to a good end with your writing. It was what spurred me to start my indie author journey back in 2020, and to actually get my first couple of books published. I was so angry by the opinions of others and people who didn’t believe I could do it, or people who believed I couldn’t do anything good with my life, or that I had anything of use to say. That was the thing that spurred me on to taking control and making this happen.
And I’m not saying that that’s particularly healthy way to go about doing things. But if you find yourself in that state of being a little bit angry with your circumstances or angry, for being misunderstood by others, or others not showing you respect for your passions, for your dreams, your goals. Then put that to good use. Find a way that you can take their anger and put it into action in a positive way. Use it as fuel to help you get those books written. And it might be a little bit of, I’ll show you. But it’s not about the other person. It’s about, show yourself that you can do it, prove to yourself that you’re capable. Take that anger at others and use it to prove to yourself that you can achieve your goals, that you deserve to achieve your goals.
And then always, always go back to your why. Why you’re doing this in the first place? It’s never just about material gains. It’s never just about, oh, I want to have a side income or a side hustle. Oh, I want my name on the front cover of a book. That might be part of it, but it’s never just about that. You’ll usually find that your why to do anything comes from a deeper part of you. Because none of us would become writers because we thought it was easy. Most of us experienced the fact that it’s, it’s not that easy. It requires a lot of discipline and commitment and sacrifices. We’ll go through the ups and downs of feeling one minute that we’re super creative and writing masterpieces, to feeling like we’re writing complete trash and are imposters who are just waiting to be found out. The writing journey can be a real rollercoaster of emotions. It’s not easy. So go back to your why. And let that help guide you to keep going. Because I would bet after listening to this, and after asking yourself those questions, you have come to the conclusion that it’s not time for you to quit.
And I believe that because I don’t think you would be listening to this podcast, and definitely not listening to the entirety of this episode, if you actually deep down believed you need to give it all up, you needed to stop writing. I think if you’ve got to this point in this episode, it’s because you actually just needed somebody to remind you that you are on track. That you are doing the right thing. And regardless of what you’ve been hit with in your personal life at the moment, or by the goings on in the world, or comments people make to you, or poor reviews, or poor money in the bank, royalties and whatnot, I bet you’ve come to the conclusion that you are on the right track right now.
And I believe you are.
We might need to pivot. We might need to make changes. We might need to find ways to actually make this whole journey a little bit easier for ourselves. And kinder to ourselves as well. But by now, you will know if you were supposed to keep going. If you were supposed to write, create for yourself, an amazing writing life. Because somewhere along the line, one of those questions would have triggered you. And being triggered, like I said, can sometimes be a really good sign. Because when the idea of having something that you love taken away from you, makes you nauseous or angry or frustrated, well then, obviously you want to hold on to that thing, you don’t want to give it away.
I want you at the end of this episode just to remember that your words are important. We’re all given different gifts, I believe, when we come into this life. Different things that we’re supposed to do and achieve and ways that we’re supposed to show up in this world. And if you have ever had that burning desire and still have that burning desire to write, in whatever form, then there is a deeper purpose behind that. And you may never exactly know what their purpose is. Because you may not know how your words one day resonate for another person. The impact they can have on another person’s life. But I am sure that if you feel the calling to this author life, to this writing life, then your words will have impact, somewhere along the line. So please, please keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Hang on in there. It’s not always going to be easy, I get that. But I do hope you keep listening to this podcast for, you know, tips and tricks along the way that might help make the whole journey a little bit easier.
And remember that it’s okay to be human. We all slip up, we all make mistakes. Sometimes we’re going to get those bad reviews. Sometimes we’re going to miss those deadlines. Sometimes our income from our royalties are going to drop. And sometimes it’s completely out of our control. What is in our control is our tenacity to keep going. Is our commitment to what feels right for us.
If you are one of the rare few that knows at the end of all of this, regardless of anything I say, that yeah, it’s time to quit. It’s time to stop. Then do that. Always, always trust yourself first because there’s nothing that I could say, or anybody else can say, that will outweigh what you yourself feel. And you will know. You always know, it’s just like when we know when it’s time to end a relationship. We usually have those inklings before we even make the final decision. There’s usually a little bit of unease, a little bit of beginning to envision a different type of future. And I’m bringing this up because whatever’s going on in the universe right now, I seem to have a fair few in my circle who’ve been going through similar things, and I’ve watched them have that inkling that something’s not right. And then finding out that it’s just not. And making those big, bold decisions.
But for most of you, your determination to keep going will remind you that you are on the right path. You know, it. It is not your time to quit.
So I hope this episode got you thinking about things and bought a little bit of clarity if you’ve been on the fence or if you’ve been humming and hahing about whether to continue on your author journey or not. Or if you’ve found yourself in a similar situation to me where this question has been popping up in the back of your mind every now and then. I hope you’ve got some clarity around your answer and you’re feeling a little bit more confident about stepping forward into your truth.
I would love to hear from you. I would love to hear if this episode resonated with you. I would love to hear if you have decided to keep on keeping on with this wonderful, amazing rollercoaster of a journey of pursuing your author and writing goals. Or alternatively, if you decided no. Either, it’s not the time right now and you’re just pressing pause for awhile. Which is perfectly okay too. Or if ,you know what, you’ve maybe just realized that this isn’t the path for you. There’s something else better out there for you. Either way I would love to hear from you. And you can connect with me on Instagram @jobuerauthor. Or Facebook, and I also have an Alchemy for Authors Facebook page, so you can check those out in the show notes as well. What I would really, really, really love from you all, and you really have no idea how much I’d appreciate this, but if you could leave a review on whatever podcast platform you’re listening to this on, that would just mean the world to me. It really would. Star ratings are great, too. Written reviews are just amazing. I would appreciate that so much.
And make sure too, that if you’re interested in staying in the loop with future episodes and goodies and that coming out in the future, that you subscribe to my newsletter as well. And when you do so you can also download your free copy of Manifestation for Authors, which has a whole lot of law of attraction tips and tricks to supercharge your writing life. I will be putting the link to that in the show notes as well.
Otherwise, I am really just wishing for you an amazing week ahead with renewed passion for what you’re doing and clarity around the decisions that you’ve made. And for those who are writing, I wish you a wonderful, productive, week of words on paper.
All right, until next time, happy writing.