How do I take this to the Next Level?

What needs to be done to take this to the Next Level?

This is a question that I have been struggling to answer for some time now, so I am breaking it down here.

It has been less than 6 months since I began this journey, and started writing full-time. While I have been writing for most of life, writing full-time as my job is relatively new to me.

Deciding to do this is a risk. I am extremely fortunate in that my wife has been fully supportive of this. Even so, the strain of my current financial reality is impossible to miss, and something that will have to be reconciled before too long.

To do that, I have to take my writing to the next level. All of it. Whether it’s articles on Medium, on my blog website, or the works I publish largely through Amazon, to make a living wage as a writer I have to take this to the next level.

This poses a whole bunch of questions.

First, of course, is this: what is the next level? And that will be a two-pronged matter, published works for sale and blogs/articles.

Second, HOW do I take this to the next level? That’s important to get a handle on.

Third, what resources are there, how do I find them, and how do I afford them?

Finally, the biggest question of them all – am I a good enough writer to succeed professionally? That’s a loaded question, but one that I won’t ignore.

This might look familiar to a lot of you reading this. Whether it’s writing, some other art, a business venture, or what-have-you…taking your life to the next level tends to be a challenge.

What IS the next level?

The next level involves several different bits and pieces. On Medium it’s getting more followers, more claps for articles, and finding that elusive formula for curation and to entice enough readers to boost me to the greater numbers.

The only way to do this is to keep writing. Practicing the craft improves it. I believe that my work is getting better all the time. It’s important that not only should my work be interesting, but also relatable to my readers.

If you think I am condescending, self-aggrandizing, or otherwise writing out of my ass, that is not conducive to gaining a broader audience and keeping what I already have built.

I need to figure out how to sell my work elsewhere. Magazines, publications online, and other options to expand what I am doing with Medium and my own blog.

When it comes to the books I have self-published on Amazon, I need to increase my sales. This isn’t about getting into the millions necessarily, but the hundreds and the thousands, per book, would be an ideal starting point. I need to keep publishing, which I am working to do more frequently.

Again, I believe that the more I write and publish, the more exposure I have. Further, my work gets better and better all the time.

Last but not least – advancing my conscious reality creation philosophy. I look to some of the well-known motivational speakers, self-help gurus, and the like whom I have read and listened to over the years. They helped me to formulate my take on mindfulness and Pathwalking and all of this.

I want to be an influencer, too. The next level is giving talks, holding classes and seminars, and working to help people be empowered online or in-person.

This is probably more of a mental exercise than a physical action. A lot of my problem with taking my life to the next level is self-doubt, uncertainty, and not believing that I am fully worthy nor capable of the things I desire to achieve.

I get halfway or two-thirds of the way there, and then either chicken out, self-sabotage, or fizzle out. This gets uncomfortable, is going to pull me out of my comfort zone, and is something I have never done before.

But I have done this before. I moved halfway across the country to go to college with NONE of my high school friends joining me. When I moved to New Jersey after that my closest friends were now hours away. When we got serious I moved in with my girlfriend, and now she is my wife. Comfort zones be damned, I have done this.

The next level scares me because that could lead to success. My fear of success is less about succeeding and more about being abandoned when I succeed. The thing is, if anyone does abandon me, then they likely were not really meant to be a part of my life anymore.

How do I take this to the next level? I need to be more open to ideas and actively look for the things I can use to advance all of this. To do that I need to be more confident, and not tentatively act. My mindset needs to be clearer, less clouded, and more focused on visualizing that next level.

No fear. To take this to the next level I have to believe in myself. Easier said than done, but I know I can do it.

What resources are there, how do I find them, and how do I afford them?

There is this wonderful invention available to me to answer this question. It is called The Internet. While much of the internet is occupied by cat videos, porn, and opinion, there is also a metric shit-ton of info about anything and everything.

I have long said that my Google-fu is quite impressive. And usually, it is. So I need to do the research, figure out the correct keyword phrases, and figure out the resources to help increase the number of readers to my articles and books, find places to be interviewed on podcasts or guest blogs, and learn where advertising is both affordable and worthwhile.

Sales. It all boils down to sales. I used to say I could sell a drowning man a glass of water if I so desired. For a time, I think that was true. But somewhere along the way I got nervous, found it increasingly difficult to pitch to people, and my sales-fu abandoned me. Of course, this is even harder when it is MYSELF that I need to sell.

Again, confidence. I can do this because I have done it before.

The other resource I have is writers I follow on Medium, Twitter, and Facebook. Again, I may need to sell myself more comfortably in order to connect better with some of them. But if they have already gone before me and achieved success, perhaps we can talk and they can help me.

While we are all trying to sell to a very saturated market, we are not really in competition. Helping each other helps us, too. At least that’s the impression I get.

Am I a good enough writer to succeed professionally?

This is the most subjective question of them all. While one person might love my work another might find it trite and boring.

For example, when it comes to fantasy, several people have told me how much they enjoyed the first two novels of The Source Chronicles. My mom, however, finds it hard to read, difficult to follow, and as such it’s not really her thing.

I write daily. Articles for my blogs and Medium, work on books for publication, and the above-mentioned notions to expand to the next level. This is the choice I have made. In my heart of hearts, I believe that I AM a good enough writer to do this professionally.

If I do not believe in myself and my skills with the written word then I should just pack it up and probably go back to school for a whole new career. It is never too late to start something new. But this is my desire, this is the skill I have always enjoyed expressing most, and this is how I desire to live and make my living.

Am I a good enough writer to succeed professionally? I believe that I am.

How do I take this to the next level? I have to recognize and acknowledge my own worth, be mindful that I deserve to earn my living and make my way in this world along this line. Struggle less, focus clearer, be aware in the now of my thoughts, feelings, and the intent behind the actions I take from there.

Thank you for reading these words I have written for me and for you, as well as for taking part in my ongoing journey.

Thank you for joining me.

Please take a moment to explore the rest of the website, which I am working to evolve and change for the better…much like I am doing for myself. Also, visit Awareness for Everyoneto check out my bi-weekly podcasts.

This is the thirtieth entry of my personal writing blog. Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published writing, which can be found here.

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