Does this sound familiar? One day you’re going to write a Pulitzer-worthy novel or play, paint like Picasso, sculpt like Leonardo, learn to play guitar like Jimmy, or become a dancing, singing and acting phenom triple-threat like Beyonce. You can see it all in your head. You think about it all the time. You even dream about it. You talk about it. And talk about it. And talk about it some more.
The harsh truth is, talk is cheap.
And the problem with ‘one-day’ thinking is that it quickly turns into two days, then two weeks, two months, two years, two decades. One day you turn around and you’ve got nothing to show for it. Nada. Zip. Zero. It’s been all talk and no action, the death knell of accomplishment.
So how do you turn all your talk into action? First things first. You have to really truly want it, more than anything else – make it your numero uno priority. No excuses, rationalizations, justifications or letting yourself off the hook. You have to want this thing so badly you’ll to do whatever it takes to make it happen. That means commitment, sacrifice and courage. It demands discipline, practice and a daily routine. It has to become a conscious and consistent habit, before it can become second nature. Like breathing.
Like all things that are important, you have to make time for it.
Schedule it into your life, and stick to the schedule. To start, you only need twenty minutes a day. We all have that. Remember: no excuses. It’s surprising what you can accomplish in just twenty minutes. Find your best, most productive creative time and do it then. Wake up twenty minutes early or go to bed a bit later or take twenty over your lunch break if that’s when the creative juices are flowing abundantly. Repeat.
Replace talk with action, make a commitment, schedule it in, and don’t let anything stop you. That’s how to take twenty and turn it into the novel or painting, song or happy dance of your dreams.
