The Big Question… What about your life story?
Do you think the memoir is a thing of the past? Do writers really need to share their life story, or is it pure selfish vanity? And a writer, what are your thoughts?
What is Your Calling in Life?
[Excerpt] – It may come as no surprise, but a lot of people can’t answer this fundamental yet vital question.
Oddly enough, while writing this book, it was during a phone conversation when a good friend asked me that very same question, point blank. I didn’t expect it and to be quite honest, it caught me off guard, totally. Much to my embarrassment, I couldn’t answer it at that moment. What is your calling in life? Hmmm, it was one of those menacing, inescapable questions that demanded an answer. I’ve pondered it myself throughout the years.
To this day I wrestle with the definitive answer because I’ve done so many things and I know I wouldn’t be happy just doing one of them. Whatever my own calling is in life, I’ve never believed it to be centered around just one single solitary thing, but having thought on it, that appears to be the case—at least partially. Having said all that, I’ve come to the conclusion that my calling in life at it’s core centers around motivation. Yep, that’s it, motivation. The majority of the public know me as a jazz guitarist/author, but those closest to me, know me as a husband, father, grandparent, dreamer, optimist and chronic motivator. Music is only a part of my life and in no way does it define the totality of who I am.
My goals, objectives and desires are quite varied. One thing I do know is, it drives my wife crazy. She insists, the scope of my constant conceptualizing, ideas, interests and projects tend to overwhelm her, but over the years she’s come to accept the cacophony of creative chaos that spews from my mind almost daily.
Now ask yourself, “What is my calling in life? Think about it and be honest with yourself. You will soon determine what the answer truly is. Take a long look back and see how it’s been applicable in your life thus far. You’ll be surprised to learn that much of what you finally realized about who you are can become the foundation of a new book project. All you have to do is start writing.
SelfPublishMe founder and author, Maurice Johnson shares insight on transforming one’s self from a dreamer to a doer, and the correlation between success and motivation throughout the process. THE POWER OF TRYING speaks to those who desire a greater sense of self-actualization, inspiration and personal achievement.
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Keep your ideas moving
Past accomplishments can fuel future accomplishments, just as past projects can fuel future projects. To keep things moving you will have to explore every nook and cranny of your imagination without questioning or second guessing yourself or your ideas.
Getting yourself and keeping yourself on a productive path will take some day-to-day planning and forethought. The less scattered your thoughts are each day, the more productive and creative your time can be. Optimize your personal productivity by getting in the habit of making a daily, Today I Intend To… check list for the following day, listing only the tasks that can realistically be accomplished within the course of one day. Make it a point to follow through with each one before moving on to the next. Something as simple as this can make a world of difference in increasing and tracking your daily productivity.
Try it for a month and watch your productivity increase tremendously. Something as simple as dropping clothes off at the cleaners, or brainstorming the logistics of a new idea, it all boils down to developing a sense of organized thought and following through to completion.
Set deadlines for yourself
In essence, deadlines are nothing more than a series of short-term goals set with the intention of completing each one by a specified date. Once you’ve set deadlines and met them on time, your productivity will steadily increase along with your personal efficiency. You can apply the following steps to enhance your own personal productivity and meet established deadlines:
• Routinely write a list of all your current projects.
• Number the items in your list, arranging them in order of importance and including deadlines for each. (Be sure to give yourself realistic time constraints).
• Decide, (only when necessary) which projects can be deleted and continued at a later date.
• Starting with the highest-priority item, complete each one before moving to the next.
The key to meeting deadlines is not to overwhelm yourself with too many projects at once. Organization will play a critical role in your overall rate of success. Think about it. If you’re unorganized, with no established goals your personal productivity remains at a virtual standstill. It’s about the most damning thing you could do to your overall personal progress.
Maurice Johnson shares insight on transforming one’s self from a dreamer to a doer, and the correlation between success and motivation throughout the process.
THE POWER OF TRYING speaks to those who desire a greater sense of self-actualization, inspiration and personal achievement.
Here’s why I wrote “THE POWER OF TRYING”
Just like most other books I’ve written, I wrote THE POWER OF TRYING because I live some aspect of it every single day. True, the title pretty well defines me, and as you read it, you’ll get a better glimpse of who I am and what drives me. That being said, I’m often in the company of someone struggling with a goal, aspiration or idea that’s been deterred by fear, a lack of knowledge, resources, confidence, sheer motivation or a host of other things. THE POWER OF TRYING, Finding Your Success encompasses all of these. In the midst of adversity and self-doubt, the fire that burns within you is sometimes the only thing that will carry you through.
Although the bulk of my previous books center around aspects of music and performance as a business, at their core the message is firmly steeped in motivation, encouragement and advocacy. This book, devoid of music and related business connotations was inspired by the very same core principles and concepts surrounding motivation, encouragement and advocacy. Needless to say, the target audience is vastly general and quite broad, yet it was specifically written to speak directly to you. Year after year the idea has been persistently compelling and further validated as friends and acquaintances routinely offered up the suggestion, so here it is. I’ve done many things over the years and from the standpoint of motivation, I knew it was time to share my insights and experiences. So many times someone would say, “Maurice, you ought to be a motivational speaker, marketing consultant or teach a course.” It’s always flattering and encouraging to hear, but I guess in a way, I’ve been and done them all. Unofficially perhaps, but to those who needed it at the time, I played the role.
Conviction, passion and exuberance was the typical tone of my dialogue during each of these one-on-one mentoring moments. It was the accumulation of ambitious endeavors, past achievements and a stream of isolated impromptu sessions I’ve conducted over the years that convinced me to write this book. In the back of my mind I keep telling myself, there has to be something to this, a connection. Not only do mentoring experiences occur over and over again, but I enjoy them just as much as playing guitar, art or any other avid interest that grabs my attention.
As an artist, musician, dreamer and chronic multitasker at heart, every step of the way, ambition has driven me to try many new things, even small roles in film and television commercials. Can you imagine that? I would never be complacent with a status quo, mediocre lifestyle. Although my ambitions can outpace me at times, no sooner completing one project before moving to the next, on my list of unexplored challenges. It took me a while to get here—to where I am now. I view it as a clean slate of sorts. One that has nothing to do with Maurice Johnson the jazz guitarist, the artist, the writer or entrepreneur, and yet it has everything to do with all of them and more. This is for the everyday person, entrepreneur, artist, writer, musician, business minded, life-living and self-discovering dreamer in you.
THE POWER OF TRYING is my response to close friends and associates who eagerly asked me questions, listened and kept on asking over the years. THE POWER OF TRYING is for those whose reawakened zeal, new-found courage and brilliant ideas whispered to you in your dreams and screamed to you out loud in your waking hours.
What’s it all about?
THE POWER OF TRYING is about energizing your efforts and becoming empowered through self-belief and motivation. It’s about moving forward, staving off fear, self-doubt, procrastination, uncertainty and confusion.
It’s about how to find inspiration, motivation and self-worth and applying it to your day to day thinking, including personal or business endeavors, whatever they may be. THE POWER OF TRYING is about moving the ball in your court and placing the world in your favor.
For a slightly different take on this concept, you could also view it as a motivational piece that focuses on breaking through the fear of success and failure while pursuing life goals, no matter what they are. I can certainly tell you this isn’t a book about starting a business or how to bring a product to market. It’s about moving you into action and placing yourself in the pathway of opportunity, creating your own opportunities, gaining your inner strength and confidence as you build a unique timeline of new experiences and personal success milestones.
Maurice Johnson shares insight on transforming one’s self from a dreamer to a doer, and the correlation between success and motivation throughout the process. THE POWER OF TRYING speaks to those who desire a greater sense of self-actualization, inspiration and personal achievement.
It all starts with a spark
The act of doing something, whether it’s writing a book or starting a business is not simply about the act itself. Most importantly it’s the inspiration and motivation behind it. In other words, what set it all into action. Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting excerpts from my book titled: THE POWER OF TRYING, which is currently available on Amazon. I’ll be discussing how to move forward in life to achieve and awaken your desire to dream, create and ultimately find your personal success.
Picture if you will. The very idea of man-made fire was born from a spark, when two flint stones were struck together among a tuft of dry twigs. Those first few attempts weren’t easy, and quite physically demanding at that, but what resulted would change the world forever.
So, what does that have to do with you, motivation and success? It’s simple, your journey starts right here, with the energy and effort you put into creating your initial spark. It all depends on the power within you.
Life is a demonstration in inspiration, motivation and determination. Sometimes we have to fight to keep these in place, because without them any measure of success, gratification or sense of achievement may never be realized. Starting at this very moment, you must ignite your flame and keep it lit. Your flame, your inner flame in this instance, is the fire that burns deep within you. Some refer to it as drive, will, determination, sticktoitiveness, persistence or motivation. Throughout this book I refer to them all, equally and interchangeably as we explore the power within you and how it relates to igniting your flame and finding success through motivation.
First things first
It’s important to realize you’re responsible for your own first steps, and no one can make them for you. Having said that, I must acknowledge, the fact that you’re reading this is an undeniable testament to your determination to put yourself in charge and make your own choices, no matter what. Everything you need to move forward is already within you. No one has to qualify you, or grant you the authority to believe in yourself. That is a power that you, and you alone possess. All you have to do is know it, acknowledge it and live it. Congratulations! You are on your way, but whatever you do, keep telling yourself, “you’re a writer!”
Maurice Johnson shares insight on transforming one’s self from a dreamer to a doer, and the correlation between success and motivation throughout the process. THE POWER OF TRYING speaks to those who desire a greater sense of self-actualization, inspiration and personal achievement.