By Leo Rodriguez Jr.

In 2017 I attended a conference in Franklin, Tennessee. The purpose of the conference was to help writers start creating content, or grow their platform if they’re already creating. Many speakers attended and shared amazing advice and experiences.

There were about 300 of us in the room, all at different stages in the process of writing. Some have published, some are about to finish their first book, and others haven’t started yet. For three days, we got a ton of information, ideas, and suggestions on how to go from point A to point B.

After the conference, I reviewed my notes to make sure I soaked up as much as I could. I had pages and pages of notes on top of 7 books that had been given to me by the authors themselves; as you can imagine, this was a lot more information than it’s possible to process in the space of one conference. The list of things I needed to learn and do in order to get my book done and published seemed to be growing and growing almost to the point where I questioned if writing this book was worth it.
As I thought of how I could apply all this new knowledge in the process of writing my book I came up with the following three steps that I needed to go through. These steps helped clarify my road ahead as an aspiring author. These steps can (and maybe should) be applied to any process you get involved in, so as you read these, apply them to your specific situation whether it is at work, school, relationship, or whatever the case may be.

 

1. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO START?
   When I was getting ready to start writing my book, there was so much I didn’t know yet about the publishing world. But, that didn’t stop me because all I needed to start was an idea of what I wanted to write and something to write with. In fact, I didn’t even need to know how to write; I could just audio record the thing if I really wanted to. That’s it! Really, it is that simple!
   When you think of the specific thing you are trying to achieve don’t get overwhelmed by everything you will need to do in the process to the point that you don’t even start working towards it. Rather than getting overwhelmed take a step back and think of what is the most basic step you can take to get started, after the first step is done go for the second step and so on and so forth.
   I like to remind myself to use the KISS method- Keep It Simple Stupid! yeah, there’s something about that that gets me every time.

What is the thing you want to start? Don’t overthink it… just go to the very basics of it and write down what you need just to start.

 

2. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO COMPETE?
   So now that I’ve actually started writing, having a strong desire is not enough. Daydreaming about my book is not enough. If I want to get it done, now I need to write often and have a plan to finish the book. If I stay at the starting line, surely others will pass me by.
   Now I put in the work. Now I compete with my lazy self. Now I go to war with my excuses if I want to stay in the writers circle. Writers write! and so should I.

Now that you are in the race, what do you need to do to secure a spot on the winner’s podium? Is there something you need to learn in order to keep up? Is there something you need to do differently, or start (or stop) doing to maintain your pace? What is it?

 

3. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WIN?
   I started the race with almost zero knowledge. I stayed in the race by doing the minimum. I wrote here and there, did some research here and there, and talked about my book more than I wrote on it. Now I need to get serious if I want to win at this race. Now I need to make sure I’m writing consistently. Now I need to start learning about the publishing world, what they like and don’t like. I have to start thinking about finding an editor and all the fun stuff that comes with writing a book. Now I really have to get serious if I want to be recognized as an author in the near future.
   It wouldn’t make any sense to quit so close to the end of the race, so I might as well roll up my sleeves and go for the win. This is where you hustle and differentiate yourself.
   This is when you spend more time honing your skills. This is when you study others who are winning in the sphere where you want to win. (This is when you fly all the way to Tennessee for a conference.)

What about you? What is really necessary for you to do if you want to go from competing to winning? This is the point where you can’t be whiny anymore, the point where excuses are an absolute waste of time. This is the time to work. Well, only if you want to win.

 Like I said before, these 3 steps can accelerate your progress in any area of your life, but they only work if you do.

1. What do you need to start?
2. What do you need to stay in the race?
3. What do you need to win?

 

Share this with someone who wants to win.

Thank you for reading!

EVERY ACTION MATTERS. EVERY DAY COUNTS.